Erik D
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 2572
Loc: Central New Jersey, USA
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http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=433281
A very rare Zeiss High Power binocular. Looks very well made. But I think people willing to pay that kind of price for a 60mm would be more of a collector than observer. It's pretty amazing we can get 40mm bigger objectives with 45 deg viewing and quality optics for not much more in a new BT-100 45 deg.
Erik D
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photonovore
Moonatic
Reged: 12/24/04
Posts: 2475
Loc: tacoma wa
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I can't see what those are selling for now (astromart listing doen't show the asking rpice), but what is really amazing is what E. German Zeiss binos sold for before the wall came down. It seemed like every soldier that went to East Berlin in the 80's came back with a pair of 7x50's they bought new in the store for 35$. Never saw these before though.
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Mardi
4" achromat, ETX-70.
Whitepeak Lunar Observatory Website
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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I HAVE seen exactly the same model advertised for sale before somewhere , probably about 4 years ago now .
A google search drew a blank , but even those photos are the same ones I recall seeing back then .
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14703
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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I saw those for sale as well and was curious what the asking price was....not so curious that I am going to spend $12 to find out. Nice looking instrument though.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
Edited by Glassthrower (06/08/06 09:53 PM)
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Joad
Wordsmith
Reged: 03/22/05
Posts: 11923
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Those are very nice looking indeed. I would suppose that with superior optics a 60mm binocular can handle 23X, and I sure wouldn't complain if someone were to leave this baby on my doorstep wrapped in a blanket!
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12601
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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You need to be a member and logged in to see price. $1600. I've bought from John before. AFAIK, for the vast majority of people, there is no $12 fee to join Astromart, unless your email address is from one of the list services. That policy was instituted to keep out people who create untracable addresses so they can get away with bad stuff.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14703
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Somehow, $1600 is a bit less than I expected, considering it's a vintage Zeiss instrument.
I take it that Zeiss no longer manufactures such intruments?
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
Edited by Glassthrower (06/08/06 09:52 PM)
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Erik D
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/28/03
Posts: 2572
Loc: Central New Jersey, USA
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Mike,
I went to a birding show in Cape May NJ two years ago. Met Stephen Ingraham at the Zeiss stand. Received a bottle of the Zeiss lens cleanning fluid and picked up all the product literature available at that time. The only large binocular listed is the 20X60 IS and their spotting scopes. I don't think Zeiss offers another 60mm non IS bino since the 15X60 B*GAT was dropped.
That Zess 23X60 is an interesting collector item but I think a used Takahashi 22X60 may have better optics and cost less. I would NOT be surprised to see a 22X70 ED Ultra come out of China in a few years for much less.
Erik D
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12601
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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I don't think there is anyone that's blames Herb for instituting the terms that he has over on astromart. I certainly wouldn't. Hotmail accounts must be one of those services that fall into his category.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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Joe Ogiba
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/14/02
Posts: 3363
Loc: NJ USA
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I would like to see Pentax do that with their PF-65ED-A spotting scope since they take standard 1.25" eyepieces.
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Pentax PF-80ED
Meade 102ED APO
Orion EON 72
120ST
Apex 127
C6 XLT
CR150
C9.25
XT10
Zeiss 7x42 FL
Canon 10x42L IS WP
15x50 IS
12x36 IS II
Garrett Optical 28x110 HD-WP Signature Series
Oberwerk BT-80 45
Apogee RA-88-SA
Denk II Power x Switch binoviewer w/13mm Ethos, 20mm Pentax XW's, 20mm Widescan III's.
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photonovore
Moonatic
Reged: 12/24/04
Posts: 2475
Loc: tacoma wa
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Quote:
Somehow, $1600 is a bit less than I expected, considering it's a vintage Zeiss instrument.
You can still buy 'vintage Zeiss' binos all day long for less than 200$---ones that were made by Jena-Zeiss of (then) East Germany that is. The ones you could buy in East Berlin before re-unification were actually marked "Zeiss" instead of Jena. (I know this for a fact--and the pittance they cosy in US dollars-- as I saw the examples several of my friends brought back from their trips to East Berlin during the time I was stationed near Frankfurt from 1980 to 1986--going to East berlin was a popular trip in those days. I neevr took the trip because I didn't care to be stuck having to wear dress greens on my time off--which was only a requirement then for a trip to East Berlin for US Army personnel.) Anyway, it was the ones exported to the West that were marked "ausJena" as a result of Jena Zeiss losing a brand fight over the name "Zeiss" with their sister company in West Germany in the US courts.
The binos advertised are East German and could not have been made in 1994 (at least not if the information Martin Cohen provides about the company's history is correct) for he informs us that Jena Zeiss (using the "aus Jena" trademark for goods exported to the West) ceased to exist as of 1991 and Zeiss products carried only the "Zeiss" name after 1991--no more "ausJena". besides that, the binocular plant of Jena-Zeiss was not even aquired by West Zeiss.
What Western Zeiss didn't want of the old Jena company was sold off to a concern named "Doctor Optics" in 1991 --it was they who bought and continued to operate the Jena-Zeiss binocular plant at Eisfeld (where these 60mm & 80mm binoculars were doubtless made). Doctor also aquired the old jena large format optics facility at Saarfeld.
The take over of the rest of Jena-Zeiss by the Zeiss of the west was pretty brutal for the people involved---Jena lost over 3/4 of it's workforce overnight and the new Western owners disallowed their pensions as well, leaving these people, well... out in the cold, with nothing to show for a lifetime of work. I call them Zeissron --for Enron. 
Anyway, you can read much more trivia about Zeiss/Jena history here.
PS. Doctor still makes giant binos at the old Zeiss plant: here's an example.
Also..there may be a pair of these 80/500 ASPECTUM (30?x80mm) for sale here on Yahoo singapore auctions. they were for sale for 'buy it now' at 700singapore dollars, which is 440$US, but didn't sell... 
Martin Cohne has this to say about the old Zeiss Aspectum 80mm binos: "The passing of Eisfeld ended a Zeiss tradition of almost 100 years of making 80mm large binocular series, the last being the "Aspectem" series a relatively new model of which maybe 100 to 200 units were made, and possibly the best 80mm ever offered by Zeiss and yet with much potential remaining for improvements." Maybe Doctor made those improvements? 
Edited by photonovore (06/08/06 08:44 PM)
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2191
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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My e-mail is perfectly respectable JUNO which I have belonged to for ten years. Astro Mart will not accept Juno!
If you give them $12 they"look the other way", so I guess then you could do a scam!?
I'm not about to fall for their little games and give them even "Two Cents" for the honor of being able to spend my money there!
I do business on CN Swap and Shop, they except my Juno server with no question!
Bob in NM 
Edited by Bob W6PU (06/08/06 08:42 PM)
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Sarah88
sage
Reged: 11/18/05
Posts: 354
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Quote:
I don't think there is anyone that's blames Herb for instituting the terms that he has over on astromart. I certainly wouldn't. Hotmail accounts must be one of those services that fall into his category.
edz
For some reason, BTinternet also falls into his category
BT is the UK's national telephone company, and BTinternet is their premium broadband service, yet whe I tried to register, I was rejected on the grounds that you can't sign-up with an unregistered e-mail 
I emailed back to explain, and the reply I got was just a repeat of the same.
Not particularly bothered, because I was just curious for a look around, and I realise that they provide a great service for many, but now, as far as I'm concerned, Astromart can go jump in a lake.
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ED100, OD250L
15x70, 10x50, 7x50
54.7N 2.7W
Edited by Sarah88 (06/08/06 08:42 PM)
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Rick
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/12/05
Posts: 2575
Loc: Tokyo, Japan
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You are wise beyond your years, Sarah. Ditto.
clear skies,
Rick
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www.japanastro.com
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2191
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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Erik, I wonder how many Zeiss labled binoculars, as well as other big Eu. names, are actually"secretly" made in China
" I wouldn't be so paranoid if everyone wasn't always out to get me!......Bob in NM 
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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Does anyone know if this instrument was originally sold as a binocular? It seems to be two spotting scopes in an Optec mount that allows IPD adjustment and hopefully collimation. The text does say it's a pair of spotting scopes.
The 80/500 ASPECTUM has a similar appearence but doesn't use a separate bracket to hold the tubes. Obviously, these are sold as binoculars.
The bracket itself would cost a bundle. Howie Glatter's PST bracket is much smaller and lists for $395, sans scopes.
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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Peter ,
< Does anyone know if this instrument was originally sold as a binocular? It seems to be two spotting scopes >
Due to it's rarity , I think you could well be correct .
I doubt very much if it ever WAS an " off the shelf " binocular .
Sarah ( and others ) -- I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY with your sentiments about that OTHER astro - related place .
Of course , with moderators of THAT site very prominent around here too , I suppose we have to be careful what we say ! :-)
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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John F
sage
Reged: 02/16/04
Posts: 308
Loc: Washington State
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This same pair of binoculars was offered for sale on Astromart back in 2003. I believe the asking price at the time was around $1000 but I'm not certain. I came close to buying them but decided to pass for several reasons. First, they're not real binoculars but rather two 23x60 spotting scopes that are able to function like a binocular because of the specially made Optec mount. Second, it is not quick and easy to adjust that mount accomodate different observers. Third, the "binoculars" when attached to that mount weigh somewhere in the 12-14 pound range and a binocular in that size/weight range would necessitate that I get another larger mount to be able to use them.
One of the things I liked about them is that they have a relatively wide true and apparent field for the high magnification and that is an advantage they have over the 22x60 Takahashi. However, the Takahashis only weight 4.5 pounds and are much easier to use. The optics of the Takahashi are probably also better although I would expect the Zeiss Jena 23x60s to still be very nice.
John Finnan
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Leica 7x42 Ultravid
Nikon 7x50 Prostar
Swarovski 8.5x42 EL
Nikon 10x70 Astroluxe
Leica 12x50 Ultravid
Zeiss 15x60 B/GAT
Takahashi 22x60 Astronomer
NP-127 w/Bino Vue
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refractory
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/05/05
Posts: 1016
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Kenny- you may already have said too much. They are coming for you...
Jess Tauber
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KennyJ
Reged: 04/27/03
Posts: 10163
Loc: Lancashire UK
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< Kenny- you may already have said too much. They are coming for you... >
Jess ,
I'm ready and waiting :-)
Kenny
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If everyone is thinking the same thing , no-one is thinking - General George S.Patton
Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT
Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50
Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E
Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50
Helios 15 x 70 Observation
Strathspey 20 x 90
Televue 76 APO
Zeiss 85 Diascope
Helios 102 f5 refractor
Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc.
Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera
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