446 replies to this topic

[1Al]

From 70s these two

 

 

 

 

 

[Van Do9:3]

I believe circle K is Kenko. It’s difficult to read the logo on the bottom photo but I’m going to guess possibly a Carton from the color and build of the focuser housing. Someone more knowledgable can confirm. 

 

Have not seen Pallas before. I assume this is a European brand. Googling, Pallas is synonymous with Athena, and the second largest asteroid discovered. Very cool. 
 

[1Al]

My first scope was a small refractor Pallas. Yes, it's a European brand widespread in those years, but the 60/1000 is instead very rare. Unfortunately I dont have a better photo of the logo.

[Kasmos]

I believe circle K is Kenko. It’s difficult to read the logo on the bottom photo but I’m going to guess possibly a Carton from the color and build of the focuser housing. Someone more knowledgable can confirm. 

 

Have not seen Pallas before. I assume this is a European brand. Googling, Pallas is synonymous with Athena, and the second largest asteroid discovered. Very cool. 
 

Good catch on the Carton, and also the knobs.

 

My first scope was a small refractor Pallas. Yes, it's a European brand widespread in those years, but the 60/1000 is instead very rare. Unfortunately I dont have a better photo of the logo.

Check the pinion holder on the underside of the 60/1000 focuser. I'll bet it has C.O.C.

[1Al]

Check the pinion holder on the underside of the 60/1000 focuser. I'll bet it has C.O.C.

It is not possible, I got it by a local ad.

[Bowlerhat]

Some of makers mark from bygone era. 

Taken from JOPIMA (Japanese Optical and Precision Instruments MAgazine)

 

1955:

 

1957

 

 

 

 

 

1959-1960

 

 

 

 

 

1969-1970

 

 

Edited by Bowlerhat, 05 December 2020 - 03:05 PM.

[Kasmos]

Thanks for posting those. I saw them, book marked them, and forgot about them.

 

It's very interesting how so many companies were influenced by and sort of copied the Zeiss logo.

I guess you might call them wannabes.

[Bowlerhat]

Thanks for posting those. I saw them, book marked them, and forgot about them.

 

It's very interesting how so many companies were influenced by and sort of copied the Zeiss logo.

I guess you might call them wannabes.

Zeiss was indeed their teacher so  . But they also have tokyo office.

 

[Chuck Hards]

Think of it as a manifestation of a guild sign. 

[Bowlerhat]

Think of it as a manifestation of a guild sign. 

It's actually is one. It is a crest.

 

Mon (紋), also monshō (紋章), mondokoro (紋所), and kamon (家紋), are Japanese emblems used to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution or business entity. Mon may have originated as fabric patterns to be used on clothes in order to distinguish individuals or signify membership of a specific clan or organization

 

In modern times feudal families is not really that apparent anymore as it used to be. So Mon are used for other purposes, for example as a company logo. Famous examples include the mitsubishi for example. Smaller shops may also create their own mon, which in case of makers, as smaller companies.

 

 

Takahashi TS also have a triangular TS symbol as a mon, and the beetle one for example.

 

Edited by Bowlerhat, 06 December 2020 - 02:53 PM.

[Chuck Hards]

Thanks for the confirmation.  I knew that both cultures had long feudal periods, and reasoned that trade craft branding probably followed similar heraldic practices.

[Bowlerhat]

It is interesting to learn about the history. And speaking of mitsubishi...

 

Iwaki Glass Seizo-sho, Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho, and Fuji Lens Seizo-sho who, in 1916, were asked by the Japanese military to design a new periscope for a new Mitsubishi submarine.  Rather than work separately, on July 25, 1917, the three companies agreed to merge into a singular Japanese national optics company known as Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, or Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd. in English.

 

 

Now it's rare to see the emblem earlier than nikko, and I don't know the logos of the previous three companies. But similarly on the mitsubishi merger case there would be some influence from the previous mons.

 

Nikon had hired eight german engineers, and one of the first product of th ecollaborations is almost a copy of zeiss lens (anytar)

Edited by Bowlerhat, 07 December 2020 - 02:31 AM.

[Monsai52]

Bowlerhat,

 

Thank you for your post!  I've been trying to determine the maker of my old 7x50 Bushnell binoculars for years, and after going through all the pages of this great thread on nearly the last post I find the answer; Fuji Photo Optical. 

 

My dad bought these from the Bushnell showroom in the mid '50s, and I've used them as my primary astronomy binocs for over 50 years.  They've been bounced around, tossed in the back of the car or truck and constantly used for 65 years and never lost collimation or alignment, and are still optically excellent.  Just great optics and construction.

 

Best regards,

[mpsteidle]

Never seen this one before... "oWc"?

[Bowlerhat]

Never seen this one before... "oWc"?

Odd looking scope and plate. have you got more pictures?

Edited by Bowlerhat, 03 June 2021 - 09:32 PM.

[ccwemyss]

To me, it looks like the plate was cut off of something else and stuck on this with Gorilla Glue. The whole scope looked like it might have been a chop job (e.g., someone put a different objective in, with a shorter fl, and hacked a section of tube out of the middle, covering the joint with tape).

 

Chip W. 

[mpsteidle]

https://www.shopgood.../Item/122871903

Here is the ad for this mystery scope.

[CharlieB]

The focuser has a good resemblance to this Soligor focuser.

 

 

[Terra Nova]

The focuser has a good resemblance to this Soligor focuser.

 

post-10569-14072887423738.jpg

 

post-10569-14072887418387.jpg

Was that a good one or a bad one? I know Chris (Kasmos) got a real stinker of a Soligor- Lovely to look at, horrid to look thru.

Edited by Terra Nova, 04 June 2021 - 03:51 PM.

[Steve_M_M]

Well, this month marks 11 years for this thread.  Maybe it time for an update as some of my original thoughts were good, some not so much.  It's amazing the research that is done over time to discover all the manufactuers and resellers of these scopes and eyepieces.  I was a mere pup when this was posted, just after 6 of my 17 years on CN (I think it may be more as I remember a crash in 2004).  Still learning today 

Edited by Steve_M_M, 04 June 2021 - 08:58 PM.

[CharlieB]

Was that a good one or a bad one? I know Chris (Kasmos) got a real stinker of a Soligor- Lovely to look at, horrid to look thru.

Very, very bad.  Both of us replaced the objective with a RAO 60/1000.  The rest of the scope is excellent - very much like an early Unitron.

 

Original objective DPAC:

 

 

With the RAO objective, it's a great performer.

[Bowlerhat]

Very, very bad.  Both of us replaced the objective with a RAO 60/1000.  The rest of the scope is excellent - very much like an early Unitron.

 

Original objective DPAC:

 

soligor dpac.jpg

 

With the RAO objective, it's a great performer.

That looks psychedelic hahaha

[GreyDay]

The focuser has a good resemblance to this Soligor focuser.

The Soligor has a curve where the focuser backplate transitions into the horizontal focuser tube, the mystery scope has no curve, it's like a plain 90 degree angle. The focuser mounting looks horizontal a bit like the Jupiter 50mm. The 610mm f/l might also suggest it's a 50mm scope?

 

Edited by GreyDay, 05 June 2021 - 04:54 AM.

[Terra Nova]

Very, very bad.  Both of us replaced the objective with a RAO 60/1000.  The rest of the scope is excellent - very much like an early Unitron.

 

Original objective DPAC:

 

soligor dpac.jpg

 

With the RAO objective, it's a great performer.

Sad. I guess the Soligors had consistly bad optics. I’m glad you were both able to fix them.

[Bomber Bob]

Sad. I guess the Soligors had consistly bad optics. I’m glad you were both able to fix them.

It is a shame!  Soligor camera stuff gets good reviews.