Wich Eastern German Zeiss binoculars? (1 Viewer)

[Fernando np]

After the perestroika, the hunters who went to Eastern Europe used to bring a kind of used army binoculars made by Zeiss in Eastern Germany At that time I was working as a hunting guide for an environmental agency. My usual tool were a pair of Zeiss 10x40, helped for ones Docter 7x50 at very low light. I was surprised with the "others" Zeiss. Very cheap, round 30 euros, these porroprism had the best performance at night I have never seen apart from night vision electroptics. One time I tested three pairs in a hunting suplies shop, none of them were in good condition although the price was round 300 euros. I can't remember the specifications. Of course, smaller than 50 mm. They were wearing a thick rubber green cover, with the objetive covers included. Really the colour was no better than you can experience with the cheapest sunglasses, but sometimes I'd like to carry them in clear nights, specially in the tropics.
Does anybody knows more about wich, where and how much?
Every bit of information will be welcomed.

 

[Pinewood]

I think you mean the DF 7x40. I do not have the exact specifications, but it was reasonably wide field. All these binoculars were added to the stores of the Bundeswehr, which sold them as surplus. In Germany, they were selling rather cheap for the quality.

IOR of Romania makes an imitation with up to date coatings, but the IOR unit can scratch eyeglasses if one is careless.

Happy hunting,
Arthur

 

[Fernando np]

Thanks Arthur,
That's what I was looking for. After "googling" a litle, I have got enough information for now. Unluckily, referred to night performance, all the reviews have stars watching in mind.

 

[alfredotod]

Hello,
if they had good performance at night, you must have used the EDF 7x40, not the DF 7x40. They are both military models, but the EDF are roof prisms, they are newer and perform better in low light. You might find it useful to read the excellent reviews by Holger Merlitz:
www.holgermerlitz.de
I myself have the DF 7x40, it has a pleasant wide-angle view but the light transmission is lower compared to a modern binocular. I also have a Docter Nobilem 7x50, which is MUCH better for low light. By the way, the Docter is also a former Zeiss Jena model, after German unification Zeiss Jena was dismembered and the binocular part was sold to Docter. The Nobilem Porro prisms are still being made by Docter, and optically they are the best binoculars ever produced by Zeiss East.
Best regards,
Alfredo

Thanks Arthur,
That's what I was looking for. After "googling" a litle, I have got enough information for now. Unluckily, referred to night performance, all the reviews have stars watching in mind.

 

[Fernando np]

HI,
I've been to holgermerlitz page yet. It's difficult to measure the night performance. The only real yardstick is if you can see X with A and not with B then A is fitter than B.
I can remenber when in different nights with the EDFs (?) an landscape appear in awful colours. Green vegetación becomes yellow, dry vegetación white ... but animals as roe deers and wolfs very easy to find. The image was not too sharp, even tiring for long periods. In every case out of the posibilities of the Docter 7x50 and of course of the Zeiss 10x40. So, although not advisable for daily birding, that "other" Zeiss impresed me.