FL T* 7x42 (1 Viewer)

[Ignatius]

Here is the Zeiss Gang:




2012 FL T* 7x42, 2022 SFL 8x40, 2022 Conquest HD 10x56

 

[Thotmosis]

Cool setup!

 

[Ignatius]

The Zeissigs are a growing family:



Back row, left to right: Conquest HD 10x56, FL T* 7x42, SFL 8x40
Front row, left to right: VP 8x25, Telexem 6x24, SFL 8x30

 

[macs]

I had a pair with sn 3310102 and these were from 2009, I'd have thought yours would be 2010 or younger.

 

[Ignatius]

I got my information directly from Zeiss. No idea whether that confirms its veracity/accuracy. # 3601433.
Btw: the Telexem is from 1927.

 

[Scott98]

The Zeissigs are a growing family:



Back row, left to right: Conquest HD 10x56, FL T* 7x42, SFL 8x40
Front row, left to right: VP 8x25, Telexem 6x24, SFL 8x30

I see you added the other SFL - nice endorsement of those, I guess you like them!

The 6x24 porro looks most interesting - how old are those?

 

[Ignatius]

...
The 6x24 porro looks most interesting - how old are those?

Serial number 1347583 which according to the lists from Seeger's Zeiss Handferngläser, Vol 2, dates them to 1927. They're in pristine condition, collimation is good - 150 m/1k, no fungus and only a very slight fog on the inside of the objective lenses (I don't know how to get in there without breaking anything). The view is actually very good, but without any coatings whatsoever, there is some veiling glare and of course they are not the brightest. But on a sunny day they give enjoyable views. To me at least.

 

[Pinewood]

Hello Ignatius,

I have a similar binocular the Telex, 6x24, IF, but ten years older. My optical technician thought that had excellent center resolution but your analysis of its optical drawbacks are accurate.

Stay safe,
Arthur

 

[Ignatius]

Hello Ignatius,

I have a similar binocular the Telex, 6x24, IF, but then years older. My optical technician thought that had excellent center resolution but your analysis of its optical drawbacks are accurate.

Stay safe,
Arthur

Haha ... excellent. Do you actually use them, or are they what we used to call a trailer queen during my biking days? I give mine a spin relatively often. Quite possibly I am closer to being certified than is good for me, but I always imagine they give me a view of the world as it was in their day.
Having lost my 'fear' of older non-2.5k-alpha bins I am now looking for some others, my Jones for good modern ones being satisfied with what I have. On my list are a Silvarem, a late model Deltrintem (Q1 post-1978 at least), a late model 8x30B - '71-'75, and possibly a Sportur and a Dekarem.
Fun for years to come.

Btw: when I asked him, Mr. van Ginkel estimated from other binos of a similar vintage that one may expect a transmission of about 40-50%. This figure, coupled with the actual view, went a long way to assuaging that 'fear' instilled by the likes of 'ooh, must buy the new XYZ - it has 95% transmission while my old ones only have 91%.

Enjoy!

 

[Patudo]

That Telexem looks in amazing condition given its age!

I've gone on about this before, but if only it were possible to apply modern coatings to those old binoculars. Uncoated glass should actually be easier to do this with than single-coated.

 

[Ignatius]

I have no knowledge whatsoever of the vagaries involved in coating optics. Presumably it is not something one can have done in-post, unlike chrome-plating.




I can only assume that it was never used, or refurbished at Zeiss at some stage - and then never used. The housing has a few tiny dings, but lenses etc are immaculate. Except for some fogging on the inside of the objectives which I shall try to photograph. There are none of the typical cleaning marks on the glass, nothing. The mechanics are smooth albeit stiff. Think Habicht.

 

[Ignatius]

The haze is hopefully visible within the red circle, where it looks as though someone has used a q-tip to wipe through the deposit three times with almost parallel strokes. I'd love to remove it to prevent it becoming a breeding ground for fungus, but do not know how to go about it without damaging this beauty.


This is definitely on the inside of the lens. All other lenses/prisms appear clean and clear to my amateur eye.

 

[Scott98]

The haze is hopefully visible within the red circle, where it looks as though someone has used a q-tip to wipe through the deposit three times with almost parallel strokes. I'd love to remove it to prevent it becoming a breeding ground for fungus, but do not know how to go about it without damaging this beauty.


This is definitely on the inside of the lens. All other lenses/prisms appear clean and clear to my amateur eye.

Thanks for the additional pics! Those are beautiful, I would love to have a piece of history like that. I've seen a Zeiss telescope/binocular catalog from the 1920's, it's amazing to see the vast product line they had of binos and amateur astronomy telescopes.

Here in the US you could have those serviced for about $200 including cleaning the glass and re-lubing the grease. In Europe I might be tempted to ask Zeiss & see if they would do the job.

 

[Ignatius]

Thank you Scott98. I have written to Zeiss now, but I'm not holding my breath and will also do some research online on how to open them safely myself. They are in such wonderful condition otherwise, that I under no circumstances want to break anything.

PS. I have ordered a strap wrench. Is the thread on the objective tubes cw or ccw? Anyone?