74 replies to this topic

[DPY]

This Swift 6x35 was marked (Made in occupied Japan) was made by FPO. it's a high quality binocular equipped with Bak4 prisms. Not sure of the exact year of manufacture, but somewhere between 1947-1952 is when products that were made for export had to be marked (Made in occupied Japan)

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[semlin]

This Swift 6x35 was marked (Made in occupied Japan) was made by FPO. it's a high quality binocular equipped with Bak4 prisms. Not sure of the exact year of manufacture, but somewhere between 1947-1952 is when products that were made for export had to be marked (Made in occupied Japan)

bravo, i have seen fpo swifts but not a 6x35 and i also have not seen a bak4 fpo that is mioj.

[MisterDan]

This Swift 6x35 was marked (Made in occupied Japan) was made by FPO. it's a high quality binocular equipped with Bak4 prisms. Not sure of the exact year of manufacture, but somewhere between 1947-1952 is when products that were made for export had to be marked (Made in occupied Japan)

Wow. That's one of the more remarkable meldings of "rarity" and "condition" I've ever seen.

Congratulations on a jaw-dropping unicorn!

(...dang it; another one to add to my list...)

Best wishes, and thanks for sharing!

Dan

[SiPEX]

i apologize that i missed this.  you have a tripod mount and one i am not familiar with.  i can't easily see how it is removed to access the bottom hinge.  you could examine it and try to see.  optionally, you could shift gears and try to work on the top hinge pin which is exposed.  take a look at the holes in the top hinge and see if either contains a grub screw.  if so, try loosening the grub screw and then tightning the whole pin by rotating it clockwise.  if that improves your ipd damping, tighten the grub screw to lock it in place.

No worries.  Thank you for your help Semlin.  In the top (eyepiece end) hinge there are two grub screws.  I loosened the grub screws and was able to tighten the main hinge.  Took a couple tries to get it right but the IPD adjustment is tight enough but not too tight now.

Although, it is now obvious that the focuser requires too much effort.  This isn't a change, just that the Hunters didn't get much use with the floppy IPD.
Close up pic of the grub screws from the top (eyepiece end).

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[SiPEX]

Another pic but with the cap in place after the work is complete.

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[JoshRS]

Not sure if i am yet but i think i might be. Ha! I recently acquired a Swift Commodore Mark 2 7x50 extra wide, model no. 823. J-B56, looks like maybe a 1982? Not a total shot in the dark there but close. I'm new to all of this ( started with PBS Spacetime videos a year ago, found CN through astronomy channels and discovered that i kinda dig binoculars, yay!) so don't have a lot of experience yet but i really like these. They just feel good and deliver a pleasing view. Didn't break the bank either! One drag is that i had read that all Mark lls were supposed to be bak-4 but my hunch is these are Bk7. I'll try to catch it with a photo. Either way a very enjoyable binocular!

 

 

 

[semlin]

Not sure if i am yet but i think i might be. Ha! I recently acquired a Swift Commodore Mark 2 7x50 extra wide, model no. 823. J-B56, looks like maybe a 1982? Not a total shot in the dark there but close. I'm new to all of this ( started with PBS Spacetime videos a year ago, found CN through astronomy channels and discovered that i kinda dig binoculars, yay!) so don't have a lot of experience yet but i really like these. They just feel good and deliver a pleasing view. Didn't break the bank either! One drag is that i had read that all Mark lls were supposed to be bak-4 but my hunch is these are Bk7. I'll try to catch it with a photo. Either way a very enjoyable binocular!

congrats, the commodore was always a flagship model so i am fairly certain it will be bak4.  the first two digits of the 6 digit main serial number will tell you the year.  if there is a 26 in front of the 6 digit code ignore it, as that is the swift internal code for the maker jb56 hiyashi.

[SiPEX]

Not sure if i am yet but i think i might be. Ha! I recently acquired a Swift Commodore Mark 2 7x50 extra wide, model no. 823. J-B56, looks like maybe a 1982? Not a total shot in the dark there but close. I'm new to all of this ( started with PBS Spacetime videos a year ago, found CN through astronomy channels and discovered that i kinda dig binoculars, yay!) so don't have a lot of experience yet but i really like these. They just feel good and deliver a pleasing view. Didn't break the bank either! One drag is that i had read that all Mark lls were supposed to be bak-4 but my hunch is these are Bk7. I'll try to catch it with a photo. Either way a very enjoyable binocular!

Looking at the catalog pages from MB, the Commodore shows up in both 1965 and 1983.  The 1965 version had a FOV of 376' and cost $99.50 while the one listed in the 1983 catalog has a FOV of 525'(no price listed).  Both would be BaK4.

 

Re: chordal dimming (Bk7 vs BaK4)

https://www.cloudyni...s/#entry7744783

[JoshRS]

Thank you semlin and SiPEX! Welcomed information, i thought for sure, based on what i've read and being able to see the diamond shade at a slight angle, that they were Bk7.... i still loved it though! It is refreshing to know that there's still reliable information available. Ha!

The serial # is 26-821932, '82 it is! I'd like to upload a couple pics but can't seem to figure out how from my android phone, which also serves as my camera and computer. Can anybody spare a tip or two for an electronically challenged human?

[Bdhester123]

I still have 2 different Holiday models, 1 Panoramic (which is identical to a Holiday) and a Sport King. I do also have an Audubon but it's not in working condition and is pretty much a parts donor at this point.

are the objectives good? if so i might interested, i recently aquired a pair that are mint except for the horribly scratched objectives

[Bdhester123]

Thank you semlin and SiPEX! Welcomed information, i thought for sure, based on what i've read and being able to see the diamond shade at a slight angle, that they were Bk7.... i still loved it though! It is refreshing to know that there's still reliable information available. Ha!

The serial # is 26-821932, '82 it is! I'd like to upload a couple pics but can't seem to figure out how from my android phone, which also serves as my camera and computer. Can anybody spare a tip or two for an electronically challenged human?

get a photo resizer app so you can compress to meet 500kb limit then just hit more reply options, choose file, attach file   easy peasy.  congrats on the commodores ive been outbid on the last 4 ive encountered lol

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[Bdhester123]

love some swifts,  ive got 87 audubon, 2 sport kings with another arriving tomorrow   its the 12°

[JoshRS]

Thank you, Bdhester123!! Sometimes it's the simplest thing that provides the greatest challenge, for me anyway.... here goes nothin! 

 

....hope i wasn't the one to outbid....

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Edited by JoshRS, 02 April 2025 - 09:18 AM.

[JoshRS]

It worked! 

  I'm sure you've seen this before but here's a couple pics to demonstrate how i came to the (incorrect, apparently) conclusion of Bk7.

  The straight on pic shows a small, uh...shave around 10:30, not sure what that is. The second pic is at, maybe, 20-25° angle. 

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[semlin]

It worked! 

  I'm sure you've seen this before but here's a couple pics to demonstrate how i came to the (incorrect, apparently) conclusion of Bk7.

  The straight on pic shows a small, uh...shave around 10:30, not sure what that is. The second pic is at, maybe, 20-25° angle. 

first one shows a little bit of vignetting.  second one definitely looks bk7.  very surprising.

[Bdhester123]

Thank you, Bdhester123!! Sometimes it's the simplest thing that provides the greatest challenge, for me anyway.... here goes nothin! 

 

....hope i wasn't the one to outbid....

its brian and you're welcome.  very nice commodores.  im kinda jealous lol

[Bdhester123]

Thank you, Bdhester123!! Sometimes it's the simplest thing that provides the greatest challenge, for me anyway.... here goes nothin! 

 

....hope i wasn't the one to outbid....

you 100%™were the outbidder lol.  i had a good run for 2  auctions in a row last month, picked up an audubon 87, tamron rangemaster, nikon 7x35 se, tasco 450z,  statesman 151, and some other lesser binos for what those commodores went for 

Edited by Bdhester123, 02 April 2025 - 05:33 PM.

[Bdhester123]

first one shows a little bit of vignetting.  second one definitely looks bk7.  very surprising.

i think thats why those arent talked about in  best super wide 7x50s conversations more.  kinda messed up to be only mk2 with low index, especially when itneeds them most.   this might be my favorite binocular body  .

Edited by Bdhester123, 02 April 2025 - 05:37 PM.

[Bdhester123]

It worked! 

  I'm sure you've seen this before but here's a couple pics to demonstrate how i came to the (incorrect, apparently) conclusion of Bk7.

  The straight on pic shows a small, uh...shave around 10:30, not sure what that is. The second pic is at, maybe, 20-25° angle. 

  those are high index, the exit pupil is round in first pic.  super wide 7x50s are the most demanding on prisms, you are just looking at undersized  bak4s

 

 

[Bdhester123]

this is statesman 151, which i 11° and has huge 52mm bk7 prisms. lol.  still fantastic views, a poor mans tasco 124

[Bdhester123]

oops forgot pic

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[Bdhester123]

this is one wide mama 

[Bdhester123]

very minty minus the eyecups

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[Bdhester123]

uvc is kinda meh at night but these are pretty nice this afternoon

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[Bdhester123]

just measured these at around 11.5 degrees using jupiter, elnath and hasseleh whuch are framing the moon quite nicely tonight.  swift imported  some **** fine binoculars.  should i sewap prisms with the audubons real quick lol..they dhould be same..