Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Nikon E 8x30
[Re: Gordon Rayner]
#5553915 - 12/04/12 12:47 PM Attachment (50 downloads)
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Its a while since I posted anything new here so this is my new Nikon 8x30. Bought this along with 2 other binoculars, the seller was listing them as spares and repair.
The case for the Nikon is almost totally disintegrated , but the binoculars inside where optically in good condition although a bit dirty externally and a bit of fungus on one prism.
After a clean up I was rewarded with an outstanding view, pin sharp and a very wide sweet spot. Image is bright and neutral in colour and seems to be totally free of CA.
I am amusing this is a E series, maybe someone could confirm this for me? It is without a doubt very close to the performance of the 8x32se but wider in FOV. Although the eye lenses appear to be multi coated, the objectives seem to be a single coating only.
|
Rich V.
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/02/05
Loc: Lake Tahoe area, Nevada, USA
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: Simon S]
#5553965 - 12/04/12 01:14 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
It sure looks to be an 8x30E to me! The earlier models were MgFl coated; the last iteration of the Es prior to the EIIs were FMC. The earlier E models like yours and mine have the old thin white Nikon logo (like the '60s cameras) while the last generation had the newer, bold gold italicized Nikon logo like the current EIIs.
Rich
|
FrankL
sage
Reged: 07/30/09
Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: Rich V.]
#5554014 - 12/04/12 01:38 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
It sure looks to be an 8x30E to me! The earlier models were MgFl coated; the last iteration of the Es prior to the EIIs were FMC. The earlier E models like yours and mine have the old thin white Nikon logo (like the '60s cameras) while the last generation had the newer, bold gold italicized Nikon logo like the current EIIs.
Rich
It's an earlier E for sure. Late made E's had multi-layer green coatings looking to me like the coatings on the SE's. Here are two 7X35 E's in my collection and early one and a late one:
1)http://www.flickr.com/photos/binocwpg/4320194164/in/set-72157623234405689/
2)http://www.flickr.com/photos/binocwpg/5270191814/in/set-72157623234405689/
The lettering and eyepieces on yours look like those on 1).
Edited by FrankL (12/04/12 01:40 PM)
|
Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: FrankL]
#5554078 - 12/04/12 02:19 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Indeed Frank and Rich they seem to be early examples with a single coated Objective. Bought these with a Zeiss 6x30 and a galilean ww2 binocular all for spares and repair for £38.
Will do a comparison between the SE tomorrow if it's a good day.
|
steve@37n83.9w
sage
Reged: 01/20/11
Loc: Kentucky
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: Simon S]
#5554451 - 12/04/12 06:56 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
It's amazing just how good some of older Nikon poros perform. My 7x35 9.3* widefield is as good as my EIIs and SEs(mechanics and resolution) and only falls short of the newer Nikons in contrast due to the newer Nikon's better coatings. My 9x35 7.3* J Pat. is sharper on axis than any of my binoculars including my alpha roofs, only my 8x30 Habicht comes close to matching its on axis performance. It will be interesting to see how your Nikons compare with each other.
Steve
|
SMark
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/29/11
Loc: Atlanta, GA USA
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: steve@37n83.9w]
#5554499 - 12/04/12 07:29 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
FWIW...
A Nikon 7x35E 7.3° just showed up on eBay about an hour ago priced at ~$190.
eBay Link (Not my auction)
|
Jae
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/13/06
Loc: New England
|
Zeiss Oberkochen Catalog to be posted
[Re: Gordon Rayner]
#5554594 - 12/04/12 08:30 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
A 15 page catalog that came with a Zephyr binoc is going on line later today. It seems to be 1958- (v/58 on back page), has all the binoculars and very interesting accessories, including custom slip on eye correction lenses !
http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/zeiss/ZeissOberkochen1958.pdf
http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/
Jae
|
steve@37n83.9w
sage
Reged: 01/20/11
Loc: Kentucky
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: SMark]
#5554609 - 12/04/12 08:39 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
I noticed this one a few days ago. I had already saved this particular seller because virtually every bino he lists appears to be mint with all the accessories just like his current offering. There is a couple of Nikon 7x35 9.3* WideFields on the bay right now also.
Steve
|
Jae
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/13/06
Loc: New England
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: steve@37n83.9w]
#5554644 - 12/04/12 09:05 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
It's amazing just how good some of older Nikon poros perform. My 7x35 9.3* widefield is as good as my EIIs and SEs(mechanics and resolution) and only falls short of the newer Nikons in contrast due to the newer Nikon's better coatings. My 9x35 7.3* J Pat. is sharper on axis than any of my binoculars including my alpha roofs, only my 8x30 Habicht comes close to matching its on axis performance. It will be interesting to see how your Nikons compare with each other.
Steve
Steve,
I have the same experience ! I have the older 8x30, 9x35 both with hard plastic eyecups and the 10x35E which has the same soft eyecups that Simon's 8x30E has.
My favorite is the like new 9x35 that I picked up for $68 - seems the sharpest also.
Jae
|
steve@37n83.9w
sage
Reged: 01/20/11
Loc: Kentucky
|
Re: Nikon E 8x30
[Re: Jae]
#5554813 - 12/04/12 11:03 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
Quote:
It's amazing just how good some of older Nikon poros perform. My 7x35 9.3* widefield is as good as my EIIs and SEs(mechanics and resolution) and only falls short of the newer Nikons in contrast due to the newer Nikon's better coatings. My 9x35 7.3* J Pat. is sharper on axis than any of my binoculars including my alpha roofs, only my 8x30 Habicht comes close to matching its on axis performance. It will be interesting to see how your Nikons compare with each other.
Steve
Steve,
I have the same experience ! I have the older 8x30, 9x35 both with hard plastic eyecups and the 10x35E which has the same soft eyecups that Simon's 8x30E has.
My favorite is the like new 9x35 that I picked up for $68 - seems the sharpest also.
Jae
Jae
I bought my 9x35 on ebay a few of years ago and paid 122.00. The pictures provided by the seller weren't the best quality but the bino appeared to be in good shape and the description said "probably used very little". In actuality the seller was being modest, the bino was mint and the optics were/are great.
I bought the bino primarily because of its unique specs (only 9x I've ever looked through) and luckily stumbled upon an optical gem. Judging from the views our 9x35s deliver Nikon must have really got it right with this particular model.
Steve
|
Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Re: Zeiss Oberkochen Catalog to be posted
[Re: Jae]
#5555813 - 12/05/12 03:01 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
A 15 page catalog that came with a Zephyr binoc is going on line later today. It seems to be 1958- (v/58 on back page), has all the binoculars and very interesting accessories, including custom slip on eye correction lenses !
Jae thanks for that link I have saved it on me HDD. Cheers
http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/zeiss/ZeissOberkochen1958.pdf
http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/
Jae
|
Jae
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/13/06
Loc: New England
|
Re: Zeiss Oberkochen Catalog to be posted
[Re: Simon S]
#5555993 - 12/05/12 04:57 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Quote:
Jae thanks for that link I have saved it on me HDD. Cheers
Simon,
Thanks for all your contributions here and elsewhere. I think you and Frank have the best independent catalogues of your collections.
Jae
|
Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Re: Zeiss Oberkochen Catalog to be posted
[Re: Jae]
#5558672 - 12/07/12 04:38 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
I did a quick comparison between the Nikon 8x30E with the early coatings and the Nikon 8x32 se's this morning.
The sun was still below the horizon but the light was typical dawn light with not enough light go make out detail in hedgerows or identify bird species.
Using the 8x30E first the view was good and fairly bright, nothing that was outstanding but good detail with some slight flaring in the left eyepiece looking towards the sunrise.
The 8x32SE most noticeable trait was how much brighter it was with no noticeable internal reflections. The narrower fov is obvious although this difference is not as big as the numbers suggest. The ergonomics and covering of the SE however was nice to use in the cold wind that was blowing.
Edited by Simon S (12/07/12 05:23 PM)
|
Gordon Rayner
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/24/07
|
Re: Zeiss Oberkochen Catalog to be posted
[Re: Jae]
#5560970 - 12/08/12 02:25 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Making all of those catalogs available is great service .
The 1950's Oberkochen Zeiss catalog shows the sanity then evident . Separate rubber protection pieces for the front and rear were available as an option, ff. WW II Kriegsmarine CZJ 7 x 50, rather than covering the whole body with rubber.
They had devoted considerable effort and to lightening the binoculars . To then cover them overall with heavy rubber was a later step backward. That rubber often turned into a sticky mess under tropical sun, hand sweat and oil,and salt water spray, in addition to adding weight.
Similar problems can be seen in the Fuji -R , vs. their non-R. I tried to supply MT or FMT, without the R. The available separate rubber pieces provided non-skid on a chart table, and some minor bump at the front or rear performance .
Consider the unneeded weight which comes with the now unavoidable standard rubber "armor" in several manufacturers' offerings.
Perhaps I am missing something. For example, are the overall coverings on current Fujifilm comparable in weight to what they would be with the previous, non-R offerings' body coverings ?
Is another factor a possible economy in production? By the way, nobody has answered my recent post about whether the parallelism/"alignment"/"collimation" adjustments for those newer models is via the prisms , or around the objective lenses?
|
Jae
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/13/06
Loc: New England
|
Cleaning prisms
[Re: Gordon Rayner]
#5562250 - 12/09/12 11:26 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
If the prisms are exposed but very firmly installed, how would you clean them inside the binocular without much streaking ?
Q-tips and Windex seem to streak. I tried tissues using Q-tips as holders and it's a bit better. I didn't want to try acetone as it could smear the dark paint inside and then I'd really be in trouble.
Maybe it's just skill that I need to hone ? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
|
Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Re: Cleaning prisms
[Re: Jae]
#5562306 - 12/09/12 11:53 AM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Jae, you need to remove the prism co clean it properly.
If you remove it mark which direction it was fitted, and a pencil line down the side of the prism and across the face of the prism seat. I use a commercial window cleaner and cotton cloth, it leaves no streaking. A pair of latex gloves with prevent finger prints.
The prisms in some binoculars are fitted so tight in the prism shelf it is a real struggle to get them back into position (Nikon E above). Also remember to mark the position of the objective so it is tightened to the same point on assembly. Do one prism at a time and check alignment.
|
Jae
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/13/06
Loc: New England
|
Re: Cleaning prisms
[Re: Simon S]
#5562353 - 12/09/12 12:25 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Hi Simon,
I totally agree with you that I should remove the prisms.
But I'm staring at a 10x50 Zeiss Oberkochen and can see how tightly they put these together, along with glue on the screws and to the prism assembly so it attaches to the body that I'm not sure I can muster up the courage at this point so I'm hesitating.
I just may have to do it...
|
Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Re: Cleaning prisms
[Re: Jae]
#5562391 - 12/09/12 12:39 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
With that binocular I would have it done by a pro. That binocular deserves a proper collimation setup to the BillC standard.
|
Jae
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/13/06
Loc: New England
|
Re: Cleaning prisms
[Re: Simon S]
#5562416 - 12/09/12 12:53 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
Agree - I'll have to send it out after I put it back together to at least appreciate how good it is after cleaning some of the worst film off the prisms.
Nicolas Christa is near by me but he's a Swift guy, I wonder if there is a Zeiss expert in the states.
|
Simon S
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/07/07
Loc: Crawley West Sussex UK
|
Re: Cleaning prisms
[Re: Jae]
#5562427 - 12/09/12 01:01 PM
|
|
Edit
|
Reply
|
Quote |
Quick Reply
|
|
|
PM Bill, Corry is another possibility.
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
