ZEISS-JENA BINOCULARS
I recently saw adds for these at some reasonable prices. My question is are they good binocs and where can one obtain specifications on them including their various functions as used by the military.
STAY SAFE
STAY SAFE
0
-
Jena, Germany was the birthplace of the Zeiss company.
Turned over to the Russians by the Allies in WWII, it made some optics there, and also did some final assembly, especially for military contracts.
Usually of very good quality for the money, due to the currency exchange rates after the Wall came down. Prior to that they had to be smuggled in, or imported thru friendly countries. But that often led to higher prices, two reasons why they weren't widely available.
Military models are built to different specs. "A", or #1 grade was the best quality for the military contracts. That's the one to get.
Happy Bullet Holes!0 -
Zeiss-Jena ceased operation 1992. The factory had a "fire sale" in 1993. Bernard Docter Optic bought the factory, renovated and upgraded tooling, and reopened production in about 1995.
The best-known military binocular from Zeiss-Jena was the 7x40 EDF roof prism. It was also made in a stripped commercial version called SAFARI. Docter Optic manufactures a new version of this.
Quality control of optical glass, parts' manufacture and assembly was always excellent. Their problem was the factory was so old that COST OF MANUFACTURE could not compete with Western plants. When the empire fell, manufacturing costs became primary issue. And down they went.
If binocular you consider is in otherwise good condition, Zeiss-Jena is a brand worth considering. If you are presbyopic -- over about 40 -- then improvements now available for optical glass coatings are not significant. There are several places where Zeiss-Jena binoculars can be serviced to restore them to essentially new condition internally.
I owned personally four 7x40 EDF binoculars purchased new during the fire sale. We bought for resale bazillions of these and 8x30 individually focusing porro prism military binoculars. Quality was uniformly excellent. They were sold years ago.0 -
Thanks for the info. I would still like to know what they mean about the IR filter and other features they have.
STAY SAFE0 -
The IR filter allows the viewer to recognize if he/she is being targeted by a sniper or viewer with a night scope that illuminates using infared. It can be activated by a lever that positions a filter sensitive to IR light.
I have a pair of the 7x40 EDF and they are comparable to binos costing $1000+.0 -
Thank You LABWILD. Every little bit helps. Sounds like I may invest in a pair of these.
STAY SAFE0 -
7x40 EDF's infrared filter is not nearly so sophisticated as you might think. It was designed, and intended, for locating active heat signatures -- that is, large campfires, internal combustion engines that are running, and so on. It will not locate, for example, deer bedded, or an East German trying to escape.
I have an Acrobat file of our EDF instruction manual available. It is not the German-language [armorer's manual] that came with new EDF's. This tells you what's on the binocular and how to use it, in three pages -- four if you count the marketing material.
tlancek@eudoramail.com0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
6 comments