Opticron Polarex II 8x40 (Ebay win!) (1 Viewer)

[johnbaz]

Hi all

I was browsing through the Bins on fleaby when this Opticron Polarex II 8x40 Rubber aroured binocular with a 6.5° fov was close to finishing with no bids!

Opening bid was £15 with £6 P&P, managed to get a £35 bid on just as it was finishing!

I won it for £17 + the P&P!! 😯

I've had a look on the interweb but can't find anything out about them, There were a couple of them but with no real info or reviews, Anyhow, Can't wait for them to land next week!!

The seller says they're in good condition and doesn't point out any problems with them so here's hoping they turn out to be better than the last one I bought from 'The Bay'!!


HAGWE


Cheers, John 👍

 

[PYRTLE]

Interesting model, I would guess from the 1970 / 80s with that style and fairly robust rubber armouring. Probably also marketed as rugged and maybe marine use. I might be way of mark, but could that oval sticker suggest of a Japanese origin? There is a BF member associated with Opticron who may be able to shed some light on these. Hope they arrive in good condition.

Edit: Just seen a series of photos on an auction site that show a serial number and stamped JAPAN on the front hinge / tripod adapter cover.

 

[johnbaz]

Interesting model, I would guess from the 1970 / 80s with that style and fairly robust rubber armouring. Probably also marketed as rugged and maybe marine use. I might be way of mark, but could that oval sticker suggest of a Japanese origin? There is a BF member associated with Opticron who may be able to shed some light on these. Hope they arrive in good condition.

Edit: Just seen a series of photos on an auction site that show a serial number and stamped JAPAN on the front hinge / tripod adapter cover.

Many thanks for the reply, Yes, I did see some more that clearly said Japan on the front 👍

Kind regards, John 🙂

 

[jring]

Hi,

with Opticron MiJ is quite probable... yeah, interesting piece of Opticron company history...

Please let us know what the view is like...

Joachim

 

[pete_gamby]

Was still in the catalogue as late as 1990 - see attached.

Cheers, Pete

 

[johnbaz]

Hi,

with Opticron MiJ is quite probable... yeah, interesting piece of Opticron company history...

Please let us know what the view is like...

Joachim

Hi

Yes, They are Made in Japan (Arrived very quickly!), The JB number is 24, I believe they were produced at Ichikawa Kogaku Kogyo Co. Ltd.,Tokyo..

The bins are in much better condition than I expected (Bad previous purchases from ebay!), When they arrived the vi=ew was terrible as there was condensation on the lenses, An hour later viewing improved a thousand per cent!!

Sorry for the poor pics 😬

They're very clean and collimation is spot on although I need to clean the lenses slightly..

I tried taking a pic through the objective to show how clean they are internally, No specs of paint or fungal bloom.

Focussing is very smooth but firm as is the hinge of the bins so no shifting interpupilliary distance!

The moving parts are smooth and firm and the rubber is nice and supple with no hardened cracks or sticky finish to it, They feel nice and comfy in the hands!

Can't complain for £23 delivered

EDIT, Forgot to say, The date on the warranty card is 1991 so quite good for 30 years old!

Cheers, John

 

[jring]

Hi,

too bad, just out of warranty... lucky you, that this is an old pair of optics and not a modern piece of electronics designed to fail within weeks after the warranty has expired ;-)

So congratulations to an uncommon pair and enjoy the view!

Joachim

 

[pete_gamby]

The binos lasted significantly longer than the retailer - we stopped doing business with Photron Cameras in 2002!

 

[johnbaz]

The binos lasted significantly longer than the retailer - we stopped doing business with Photron Cameras in 2002!

Hi Pete

I have a Bulova Accutron watch that was sold in 1972, I searched for the retailer and they're sill open!, It packed in a couple of years ago- Do you think they would fix it under warranty?? 😆😆😂😂


John