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The production of prism binoculars by Zeiss commenced in 1894 with their. Company Seven has a Zeiss 7x 50 Noctar that by its serial number points to. Results 1 - 48 of 130 - Carl Zeiss Jenoptem 8x30W Multi-Coated binoculars. Made in Germany. Made in Germany (DDR), serial number disc on front pivot is. You can date Zeiss Jena Binoculars by their seven digit serial numbers. If anyone wishes to. /./ Carl Zeiss Binoculars Serial Numbers List of zeiss binoculars from 1894-1950 jena and 1954-1972 serial numbers: 1900 - 20,000 1904 - 60,000 1907 - 100,00. Those not marked multicoated were older.
Long time before, almost a century ago, 8x30 binoculars of Porro prismdesign had already reached quite a reasonable performance level. Thiswas so because 8x30 was about to establish itself as one of thestandard sizes in military applications, at least in Europe, and there has always been plenty of money available for war toys at any times.
8x30 binoculars are compact, lightweight and fairly powerful.No surprise that these devices had quickly been accepted on thecivilian market as well in rather peaceful times. In this review, I will present a small, and in no way exhaustive,selection of these classic binoculars, covering both military and civilian samples. Despite of being made afterWWII, some of them carry a heritage which reaches back wellbefore the 1950s. For comparison, I refer to earlier reviews ofGerman military 8x30 binoculars,European military 8x30 binoculars, andhigh performance 8x30 Porro binoculars.
Fig. 1: The Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrentis (MDI issued, serial no. 4177769, 1973)
The Zeiss Jena Deltrentis was no doubt the mother of most classic 8x30Porro binoculars. On the list of Zeiss binoculars,this item is first showing up in 1920, along with the centerfocus version called Deltrintem. At that time, the body was made of magnesium and of featherlight 390 g. The wideangle eyepieces were designed by Albert Koenig, were free of distortion and contained 4 lens-elements. A single layer anti-reflection coating with a bluish color was first added during WWII. According to Albrecht Koehler, this ocularwas replaced in 1947 by an Erfle design with 5 lens-elements and a certain amount of pincushion distortion in order to eliminatethe globe effect. In 1978, the amber colored multilayer coating was introduced, and around 1990, when Docter tookover the old Zeiss plant in Eisfeld, another improved coatingof greenish color was used. The production ofthis binocular was halted around 1995. The civilian, center focus versionwas also called Jenoptem during the 1980s. The sample on Fig. 1was not made for the regular army 'NVA', but forthe ministry for internal affairs, which covered paramilitary law enforcement units - hence the imprint 'MdI' (Ministerium des Innern).Perhaps no other binocular in history has been cloned as oftenas the Deltrentis or the Deltrintem. Millions of original Zeiss Jena 8x30 were made,and even more copies have been produced in various countries,for their military, but also for the civilian market where they weresold under countless brand names. Two of those clones are also subject of the present review.
Fig. 2: The Bulgarian military B8x30 (serial no. 220064,probably made around 1980). Right: The list of items insidethe case.
Adobe audition 1.5 mac free download. In 1945 the Soviets disassembled the Zeiss Jena plant and transferred machines and also selected engineers to theEast as a part of their war time reparations. It is generallybelieved that the blueprints of many Zeiss Jena productswere taken over without any major modifications, yieldingquite a decent lot of optical products made in USSR,including binoculars and camera lenses, among others. This B8x30 was sold to me as a 'Soviet military binocular', butin fact the factory logo has been identified by Per Beckmanas belonging to the Bulgarian factory OMZ (OPTICAL AND MECHANICAL WORKS - Sofia). Most likely, it is a Zeiss Deltrentis clone as well and it may also be based on the same blueprints as the Soviet made clones.
Fig. 3: The Chinese 8x30 military 62-8WYJ (serial no. 638089, current production). Right: Silica gel cartridges for drying
Before the mid 1930s, the Chinese army imported theiroptics mostly from Germany and also from US, but by 1940,China had already established their own optical industry.This military 62-8WYJ is often called 'type-62', since it was first designed in 1962 as a clone of the Soviet8x30 binocular. It was actually in service from the 1960s until the end of the1990s, when it got replaced with the 7x40 GG95 which is currently the standard binocular ofthe PLA (Peoples Liberation Army). Last true military models were made in mid 1980s, but thisbinocular is still in production at several factories (the factory code is the encircled number, here '98'), like thecurrent model in Fig. 3, and samples from different factories may vary in certain details. This binocular is also employed in several thirdworld countries. As an interesting gadget, it has gotexchangeable silica gel cartridges built into either tube to keep them dry inside - a very useful feature when in excessive use under humid weather conditions. Theprism house covers extend about 1cm down the body which mayhave a favorable impact on water resistance.The body is a little bit higher when compared with the Deltrentisor the Bulgarian B8x30. Therefore, this currently made sample may be a copy, but surely not any more an exact clone.
Fig. 4: The Zeiss Oberkochen 8x30 (serial no. 634497, about 1960s)
After WWII, a part of the former Zeiss Jena staff moved from theSoviet occupied East Germany to the West, where shortly thereafter the 'Zeiss-Opton Optische Werkstaette Oberkochen GmbH' (in short: 'Zeiss, West' or 'Zeiss Oberkochen') was inaugurated.Binocular construction began from scratch, and thefirst output was this 8x30 which was ready by 1954. Thecivilian version of Fig. 4 was with center focus,as usual, and the military version was with individual focuser for its superior water sealing (the military version,available from 1957 to 1964, was reviewed here). This binocular came with an air spaced (tele-) objective which allowed for a short and very compact body, and a high performance wide angle eyepiece with no less than six lens elements, designed by Horst Koehler. No doubt theZeiss engineers were eager to set new standards of modernPorro binocular design, and when presenting this new line(which also included an 8x50and 10x50 model), theydid not only send a message to Jena but also to its arch rival, Ernst Leitz. Leitz did not attempt to answer withanother improved line of Porro binoculars, but exclusively focused on the development of their roof-prism line. Withthe Porro design gradually running out of fashion, neither of the both Zeiss factories did ever design any new 8x30 Porro after 1960, but instead introduced their 8x32 Dialyt (Oberkochen) and later on the Notarem (Jena) roof prism binoculars. Since the eye relief of their binocular was very short,Zeiss offered, starting from 1958, a 8x30B version withlong 19mm eye relief but narrow apparent field of view around 50 degs., which was in 1968 extended to 60 degs. The 8x30 remained in production until 1971, and the 8x30Bstayed around until 1978.
Fig. 5: The Leitz 8x30 Binuxit (serial no. 617222, about 1950s)
The Leitz Binuxit was introduced as early as 1927 and remainedin production until 1962, when it was replaced with the8x32 Trinovid roof prism. During war times, light weight versionswere available for the military. War production stoppedaround serial no. 477.. so that the sample on the picturewas probably made sometimes during the 1950s. Its external appearance definitely resembles the Zeiss Deltrintem, but it is of entirely independent optical design. The lenses have got the typical single layer coating of that generation, but it appears that the prisms remained uncoated. This binocular isthe oldest among the seven competitors, but despite of itsage it is still in excellentcondition, both mechanically and optically - surely a demonstrationof Leitz's high quality production standards.
Fig. 6: The Hensoldt DF, here with partial armor (serial no. 61714, about 1960s)
The Hensoldt Diagon was introduced in 1948, it was the centerfocusing civilian version of the 8x30 binocular which would later become the standard binocular of the German army (Bundeswehr).The military version, the 8x30 DF with individual eyepiece focuser and a partial rubber armor, was introduced in 1955, and by 1960 thefull rubber armor was available. The device in this picture belongs to the latter series, I have removed parts of therubber so that the imprints on the prism house become readable.It is not immediately clear why this binocular had been chosenfor the army, since alternatives were available in 1955. First of all,Hensoldt had already collected much experience with their Dialytroof-prism series, during and even before the war times. Then,Zeiss had just finished the construction of its superb Porrobinocular (Fig. 4) which had got the advantage of being morecompact and of superior optical design. I presume it wasa matter of cost saving, since Zeiss had surely charged a bundle of money for their glass, more than Hensoldt did for its Diagon. Additionally, by 1955 Hensoldt couldalready offer 7x50 and 10x50 versions of its Diagon, which werealso adopted by the Bundeswehr, while the corresponding Zeiss binoculars were still under construction.The 8x30 DF remained in service until the 1970s whenthey were gradually supplemented (though not completely replaced)with the cheaper but also inferiorSteiner models. Since 1986, Hensoldt is again supplyingbinoculars to the armed forces.
Fig. 7: The Hensoldt Fero-D 16 (serial no. 204338, about 1990s)
The Fero-D 16 is currently issued to the Bundeswehr, alongwith the 7x50 Fero-D 18 and the 10x50 Fero-D 19.Though not being a classic binocular, it is an interestingaddition to the lot of glasses compared here, because it demonstratesthe progress that has been achieved in optical engineering during recent decades. Among new features, not offered by any of theother contenders, are (almost) eye-glass friendlyoculars with 14.5mm eye-relief, an improved multilayer coating, and a dry nitrogen filling which prevents internal corrosion and condensation. On the down side, its field of view is comparably small, and the Fero-D 16 is theonly non-wideangle binocular in this review. Most likely thiscompromise was necessary in order to increase eye-relief, butcost saving may have been an additional factor whenthis device was designed. In most cases, the Fero-D 16 comeswith built in laser protection filters. As I have already mentionedin another review of this binocular,this filter has got a negative impact on image brightness andcolor rendition. The sample on Fig. 7 has got its laser filtersand rangefinder reticle removed, with positive effects on image quality.
Fig. 8: In front: Hensoldt Fero-D 16, Zeiss Oberkochen, Leitz Binuxit.Behind: Hensoldt DF, Zeiss Deltrentis, 62-8WYJ, B8x30
The following table is summarizing the specifications of the contenders.
Real angle (a) | Apparent angle | Eye relief | Exit pupil | Weight | |
of view (deg) | of view (deg) | (mm) | diam. (mm) | (g) | |
Zeiss Jena Deltrentis | 8.3 | 66 | 12 | 3.75 | 490 |
Bulgarian OMZ B8x30 | 8.3 | 66 | 12(b) | 3.75 | 590 |
Chinese 62-8WYJ | 8.3 | 66 | 11.2 | 3.75 | 580 |
Zeiss Oberkochen | 8.5 | 68 | 9 | 3.75 | 540 |
Leitz Binuxit | 8.3 | 66 | 12(b) | 3.75 | 520 |
Hensoldt DF | 8.0 | 64 | 12 | 3.75 | 650(c) |
Hensoldt Fero-D 16 | 7.0 | 56 | 14.5 | 3.75 | 620 |
(a): Measured field of view(b): Estimate (official spec. unknown) (c): Weight with complete rubber armor, 580g with partial armor
Optical performance
Angle of view: Officially, all binoculars except the Fero-D 16are specified with a large 8.5 deg. field, but in real life there are differences, which might arise due to their short eye-relief andthe particular eye-cup design. A good test isthe Big Dipper, because the two stars at the bottom of theconstellation are 7.9 degs. apart. Those do not fit into the fieldof the Fero-D 16, as expected. Using the Hensoldt DF, they justbarely fit inside, with a minimum space left over - the field cannotbe larger than about 8 (or at most 8.1) degs. The Deltrentis,8WYJ, B8x30 and Leitz show a little more field, I would estimate8.3 degs. Only the Zeiss Oberkochen is wider, and it seems herethe 8.5 degs. are actually reached. It is interesting tonote that the Zeiss 8x30 military which I had tested earlier did only have around 8.0 degs., and this impliesthat Zeiss must have implemented some modifications in between(the Zeiss shown in Fig. 4 is of later production).Image sharpness: At the center, all of the contendershave got an excellent resolution. They essentially differ as soon as the edge of the field is approached. The Deltrentisand its derivates, i.e. the OMZ B8x30 and the Chinese 8WYJ,show point-like stars within about 50-60% of the field (measuredradially from the center). After that, the star image is graduallydegrading and becoming very poor while approaching the edge. Since thisbehavior is quite similar among these three binoculars, it ispossible that they in fact share the same ocular design. TheLeitz Binuxit displays nice point-like stars in the center,and the image is visibly degrading beyond 70% of the field.Both Hensoldt behave almost the same, but one has to consider that the Fero-D 16 has got the smallest field of view so that,in absolute numbers, its field performance is not so good.The best overall image is offered by the Zeiss Oberkochen:Beyond 70%, the stars are not point-like any more, but theimage quality is degrading slowly so that near the edge theZeiss has got the best imaging among all contenders. This isa remarkable result, considering the fact that this binocular is offering the widest field of view.
Image color: Both Hensoldt glasses appear neutral, and the LeitzBinuxit comes next with a slight yellowish tint. The Deltrentis,8WYJ and Zeiss Oberkochen have already got a somewhat yellowimage, but not yet strong enough to disturb color fidelityon a significant level. Only the Bulgarian B8x30 has got a strong yellow color, just like most of the Soviet binoculars which I have seen.
Rectilinear distortion: Before 1945, binoculars were constructedalmost free of distortion, but later it became clear that acertain amount of pincushion distortion would be useful to compensatefor the globe effect which has a negative impact on the image of the panning binocular.In fact, all of the contenders in this review display such a pincushion distortion.
Stray light: A good suppression of stray light is an importantfeature of binoculars which are used in difficult light conditions.Stray light baffles behind the objective are useful as well asaperture stops near the prism entrance, an anti reflection painting of the inner tube walls, well covered prism bodies and lens edges which are sealed with black paint. Inside an8x30 binocular, however, there is not too much space availablefor all these installations, and therefore it is often the case that 8x30 binoculars are more prone to stray light than,for example, the larger 7x40 binoculars. The B8x30 is sufferinga lot of stray light and this is affecting the image contrasteven under rather normal light conditions. The Deltrentis isnot much better: It has got an additional baffled tube behindthe objective, but one with a rather glossy surfaceso that stray light is abundant. The 8WYJ is already somewhatbetter. Compared with the Deltrentis, the optical tubes reach a little longer beyond the objective lenses to form a 1cm deep lens hood.This simple modification improves the stray light resistance at the cost of longer tubes. But under really difficult light conditions, especially aftersunset, the 8WYJ is suffering as well. Next comes the Binuxit whichhas already got a reasonably good over all stray light resistance.The Hensoldt DF is even better and here it becomes difficultto generate any significant loss of contrast, because whateverstray light is produced, it remains located near the edge of thefield and does usually not affect the central regions.Almost perfect are the Fero-D 16 and the Zeiss Oberkochen,both having a most effective stray light protection. These binocularscan be used under any light conditions without significant lossof contrast.
Ghost images: If, at night, a bright object (street lantern, moon) ispositioned into the field, reflections on the air-to-glass surfacestake place, which can lead to multiple 'ghost' images of thelight source. A good anti reflective coating on lensesand prisms is the most effective way to prevent theseghost images. No surprise, the Fero-D 16, being amongthe younger generation of binoculars considered here,delivers the best results. Its coating is of decent quality,though not perfect, of the performance level of the early 1990sas expected. The Zeiss comes in second, followed by the Hensoldt DF. It seems thatthis Zeiss model is of somewhat later production date andequipped with the most efficient single layer coating of thattime. The Chinese 8WJY, the Leitz Binuxit and the B8x30 come next, they already produce a significant amount and intensity of ghost images whenever a bright light source is observed inthe night. This indicates that the 8WJY has got a single layer and not a multi layer coating (the multi-coating was firstapplied to binoculars by Zeiss in 1978). Finally, theDeltrentis comes last, its ghost images display the highest intensity among all competitors. This is a little surprisingto me, because it was made in 1973, much later than the ZeissOberkochen or the Leitz Binuxit. By 1973, superior coatingswere available, but the Deltrentis does not perform accordingly.Upon closer inspection I am convinced that the prisms ofthis binocular are without any coating, and this could explainits rather poor performance in this test.
Low light performance: Obviously, 8x30 binoculars can neverbe specialists for low light application, but in militaryservice the situation may well arise that observations haveto be carried out under dim light. Here, the Fero-D 16 clearly displays the brightest image. All other binocularsare rather close. First of all, their exit pupils havebeen verified to be of correct size, which is specifiedas 3.75mm as it should be with any 8x30. All of themhave got a single layer coating which should, give or takea few %, deliver a similar rate of light transmission. The Hensoldt DF and the Zeiss Oberkochen deliver a similarly bright image during the twilight after sunset.Just a little bit dimmer are the Leitz Binuxit and the8WYJ, and the Deltrentis is again a tiny amount darker.Last comes the B8x30, but, once again, the differences between all binoculars, except the Fero-D 16, are subtle andnot easily visible on the first sight.
Mechanical construction
As a matter of fact, none of these binoculars is of poor mechanicalconstruction. The Leitz and the Zeiss do already exist since several decades but they are still perfectly functioning. All other binoculars were made for military use and naturally ofvery solid construction. The individually focusing modelsare water resistant, which concerns all samples except the Zeiss Oberkochen and the Leitz Binuxit. Both Hensoldts have gotthe rubber armor which can serve as an additional protectionagainst impact. The 8WYJ has got silica gel cartridges whichfurther improve the water resistance and life time of thisdevice. Probably, the best set of features comes along with theFero-D 16, which in addition to its rubber armor is filled with nitrogen and which can fairly comfortably be used with eye-glasses on, features which make this glass uniqueamong the seven competitors.Summary
The following table is supposed to summarize the above observations.The points are distributed according to their relative rankings,so that the best binocular gets 7 points, the second one 6 pointsand so on. In case two or more items occupy the same rank,their scores are averaged so that each discipline retains atotal weight of 7+6+5+4+3+2+1=28.Angle of | Image | Stray | Ghost | Low | Image | Mechanical | Final | |
field | sharpness | light | image | light | color | construction | score | |
Zeiss Jena Deltrentis | 4.5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 18 |
Bulgarian OMZ B8x30 | 4.5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3.5 | 16 |
Chinese 8WYJ | 4.5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 5.5 | 24.5 |
Zeiss Oberkochen | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 3 | 1.5 | 36.5 |
Leitz Binuxit | 4.5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 26.5 |
Hensoldt DF | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 34.5 |
Hensoldt Fero-D 16 | 1 | 5 | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 7 | 40 |
The 'final score' is the sum of the individual scores andis intended to serve as an orientation only.
This field of competitors can clearly be divided into twosubsets: There is a group of high performance binoculars, both Hensoldt among them and the Zeiss Oberkochen, and a second group, separated from the first by a significant margin, which has got certain shortcomings.
The leading position of the Fero-D 16 is no surprise becauseit is a currently issued binocular, designed withstate of the art technology. Therefore, it should be regarded outside competition here, not really beinga classic. The removal of its laserfilters has led to a significant performance boost. Thepresent sample would reach much closer to (although not arriving at) the performance level of the Fujinon FMTR-SX discussed in anearlier review, which also contained the same Fero-D 16, but withlaser filter installed. This binocular is not yet perfect,however: Its field of view is rather narrow and comes with amediocre edge sharpness. This fact can only be explained withthe employment of a set of simple oculars, and in this way Hensoldt has missed an opportunity to create another memorablehigh performance binocular.
The performance of the Zeiss Oberkochen was a positivesurprise. In a couple of disciplines, this sample wassuperior to the military version whichI had tested earlier. To be fair, that military binocularhad been heavily used and plenty of cleaning marks and a slightamount of haze on the prisms may have had some influenceon its performance. But there have also been improvementson the design itself, the field of view of the civilianversion tested here was a little wider than the one ofthe military version. Also, lens coating technique hasimproved continuously, and it is likely that the presentbinocular took profit of a later generation coating.In summary, this is an almost perfect 8x30 binocular,apart from its short eye-relief and its non-waterproofbody. If equipped with a modern multi-coating, this glass could actually compete with my favorite 8x30, theNikon EII.
The Hensoldt DF is on a similar level as the Zeiss. Being somewhatinferior in its optical performance, it has an advantage withits rugged construction. In any way this DF is a very solidand reliable performer, without any significant weakness.I dislike the attached rubber ocular and objective covers which usually come with thefully armored version and I do suggest to cut them off asan act of mercy to the user.
Among a couple of other aspects, this review has proven two points:First, the Leitz Binuxit was superior to its Zeiss competitionfrom 1927 onwards, the year of its introduction, until 1954, the yearwhen Zeiss Oberkochen introduced its new binocular. It also provesthat the engineers of that period were well aware of thecompetition and their performance levels, and always eagerto strive for improvements. This oldBinuxit of the 1950s was beating its competitors of the 1970s(Deltrentis), 1980s (B8x30) and the currently made 8WYJ, not a bad resultfor such a grandpa model. Again, if equipped with a modern multi-coating,this binocular were still able to compete on todays medium range market.
Among the Zeiss Deltrentis and its clones, the Chinese 8WYJ wasthe strongest. It may be of the same heritage as the Bulgarian B8x30, which in turn may be a copy of the Deltrentis, but there are a couple of improvements which make the 8WYJ superior to its ancestors.The stray light protection is somewhat improved, the coatingis probably superior, and a few mechanical refinements have beenimplemented. However, this binocular does not have multi-coating, or, in case it does, then a rather inefficient one which is no better than a good single coating. One might argue that the Chinese engineers should rather havecopied the Hensoldt or the Zeiss Oberkochen instead. In fact, there exists a much superior Chinese 8x30 binocular, theXian Vision Ares, presumably a Fujinon FMTR-SX copy, which would no doubt be able to compete head to head with the Fero-D 16.
The performance of the Deltrentis may appear a little disappointing. I was surprised to experience the mediocrequality of its coating, which seems to be entirely missingon the prisms. Another fundamental flaw of thisdesign, and this includes also the later versions of the8x30 Deltrintem and Jenoptem, is its sensitivity to stray light. I have no clue how the crowd of gifted engineersat Zeiss Jena could tolerate such an amount of straylight even in ordinary day light use. Other binocularsof the same factory, like the 10x50 Dekarem/Jenoptem or the 7x50 Binoctem/Jenoptem, do not display any such problem.In any way, I strongly suggest to everybody who wantsto buy a Deltrintem to go for the later multi-coated version (serial no. beyond about 4.8 Million, after 1978)which is significantly better. If somebody needs a cheapand water resistant 8x30, he shouldnot choose the Deltrentis but instead look out for aHensoldt DF which is available for about the same price.
The Bulgarian B8x30 was lacking behind, mostly because ofits strong yellow image color and a related reductionof light transmission. The present sample is in ratherdecent condition, externally, since it had never been used before. However, it haspast a few decades of storage and was not treated wellduring that time, which led to a slight amount of hazeon its prisms (only visible with a flashlight). I cannot exclude that this circumstancemight have had a certain negative impact on its performance,and a freshly cleaned sample of this binocular would possibly have been competitive with the Deltrentis. Its coating isapparently superior to the Zeiss Jena glass. Since it ischeap, this B8x30 is still offering a reasonable deal.I have also seen very similar Soviet made binoculars, various versions of the BPC 8x30 made at KOMZ and with center focus, which were available for 30 Euro and less, andperhaps of identical optical construction and merits asthe OMZ made Bulgarian glass. But one has to be aware that their performance levels remainlimited, a natural consequence of carrying the heritage of a 90 year old binocular design.
Disclaimer
The information given in this report reflects the personalimpression and opinion of the author only. I cannot guarantee for the accuracy of any given specification. I have neither been payednor have I been supported in any other way to write this review.Useful links:
OMZ, producer of the BulgarianB8x30. Thanks to Per Backman who found this link!
Back HomeLast updated: December 2008
Legendary binoculars - Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30
1. Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 - 1920-1990
In our series of articles concerning legendary binoculars the products of the Eastern Germany Zeiss had a place practically guaranteed. Their factory was situated in Jena (an then in Eisfeld not far away from that city). Perhaps, in the eyes of people from Western Europe or the United States of America, they didn’t produce the best pairs of binoculars but still their price/quality ratio was excellent. In the Eastern Block, however, you can talk about a phenomenon of those instruments as they were wildly popular. If you lived behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War you could only dream about binoculars produced by such companies as Leitz, Zeiss Oberkochen, Nikon or Swarovski. If you earned typically 10-20 USD a month, a device costing several hundred dollars was definitely outside your financial reach. Only few could spend an equivalent of their yearly income, or even an income from even several years, on a set of binoculars. For a change Porro instruments produced in Russia, (BPC), Poland (PZO), Czechoslovakia (Meopta), Bulgaria (OMZ) or Romania (IOR) were quite available and popular. Their quality might have left a lot to be desired but their price was affordable. Still if you wanted to own better equipment you had to think about a Zeiss from Jena. Optically it was the best device offered in the Communist Block for a more or less normal amount of money; in other words these were binoculars you could dream of with a real hope that one day those dreams would actually come true. After the purchase you could enjoy an instrument just slightly worse than the best binoculars available on the market.The Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 binoculars from 1939. |
When you already talk about Jena products it would be difficult not to mention the 8x30 model, perhaps one of the most forged pair of binoculars of all time. Saying ‘forged’ I mean the widest sense of that word. The fakes including the full name of the lens and the Carl Zeiss logo were quite popular. Additionally that particular model inspired a vast array of products coming from the Eastern Block and from the Western Europe as well.
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The Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 with original box and a dedicated casing. A 1939 model. |
It all started in 1920 so in an era when all Zeiss binoculars were produced in one place. The 8x30 model was launched at that time exactly, already in two versions, with individual focusing (Deltrentis) and central focusing (Deltrintem).
A page from the 1923 Carl Zeiss catalogue, presenting the Deltrentis 8x30. |
The binoculars were a small, classic instrument with an achromatic objective lens (a glued crown and flint glass doublet) and type I Porro prisms with air between them. As the eyepiece they decided to use a wide-angle (68 degrees) Koenig system consisting of four elements but positioned in just two groups (3+1). Such a small number of air-to-glass surfaces was a norm in those times. There were no antireflectiion coatings so fewer air-to-glass surfaces meant higher transmission. The original optical construction of 8x30 models featured as many as 10 air-to-glass surfaces. Taking into account losses of light on every surface amounting to about 4.5% the transmission of the whole system didn’t exceed 63%.In reality it was significantly lower than that because the light absorption in older types of glass was higher, especially when it comes to blue light. The real transmission values of 6x30 and 8x30 binoculars produced before II WW reached just 40-50%.
4-element Koenig eyepiece, from Deltrentis and Deltrintem models produced in 1920-1947. |
The original Koenig construction was presented in 1915 and consisted of three elements (2+1). It provided a well-corrected field of view of 55 degrees and a quite comfortable eye relief for those times. The modification of the Koenig eyepiece, increasing the number of elements to four, allowed to widen the useful field to 60-70 degrees and correct the distortion well at the same time. Small wonder such an efficient solution was adopted for the Deltrintem and Deltrentis binoculars.
Deltrentis and Deltrintem 8x30 models as presented by the 1931 Zeiss catalogue. |
When it comes to the weight of the models, described above, there are a lot of ambiguities. According to the Zeiss binoculars list published on Home Europa web page at the very beginning the metal casing was very heavy for 30 mm class instruments; the Deltrentis and the Deltrintem models weighed respectively 702 grams and 742 grams so as much as contemporary instruments featuring 40-42 mm front lenses and a heavy rubber armour. In 1928 the casing was redesigned with magnesium composites and their weight decreased. Home Europa states that after those changes the Deltrintem weighed 400 grams and the Deltrentis 390 grams. Still those numbers don’t match official data from catalogues.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 produced in 1969. |
A 1923 leaflet states that the Deltrentis weighted 645 grams and the Deltrintem 700 grams. A 1928 catalogue, published in the year of the casing change, features respectively 585 and 665 grams. Exactly the same values you can find in a 1931 catalogue. Still the real weight of the 1939 Deltrentis from my private collection amounts to 416 grams.
The 1969 Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 with orginal box and case. |
Serial Number Carl Zeiss Binoculars Price
After the war that strange situation concerning the weight normalized a bit. All available catalogues (two from the 50s, one from the 60s and one from the 80s of the twentieth century) state the same weight: 510-520 grams for all three models so the Deltrentis, the Deltrintem and the Jenoptem.
In 1935 an Ukraninan physicist Olexander Smakula working in Germany discovered that if you put on a lens a very thin layer of a substance which refraction index falls between the refraction indexes of air and glass, the amount of light reflected from an air-to-glass surface decreases notably. It was the beginning of one-layer antireflection coatings T (from the word Transparenz) which were used for the first time in binoculars during II WW. Some sources (e.g. marketing material published in Polish by Carl Zeiss Jena in the 50s of the twentieth century) state that the first instruments with such coatings were launched on the market already in 1937. The 1939 Deltrintem, presented in photos, doesn’t have any antireflection coatings so you might assume that the first Deltrentis and Deltrintem devices with such coatings on elements and prisms appeared after 1939. As the coatings of that time reflected about 1.5% of light on one air-to-glass surface the transmission of described binoculars in the centre of the visible spectrum increased from about 50-60% to about 70-80%. It was a huge leap forward, that difference made the image sharpness and its contrast far better.
The Deltrentis and Deltrintem 8x30 models as presented by the 1952 Carl Zeiss Jena catalogue. |
After the capitulation of Germany in May 1945 Jena fell in the hands of Western Allied Powers. A part of the factory equipment was taken to Stuttgart. Eventually Jena was included in the Soviet Occupation Zone and became a part of the German Democratic Republic. Russians took another part of equipment as war reparations and the rest became a base of the VEB Zeiss Jena conglomerate which started the production of binoculars after a while. At first the production volume was low, with years (e.g. 1948) when not even one pair left the assembly line. However, at the end of the 40s and at the beginning of the 50s of the twentieth century the company started to run at full steam and soon the production reached several thousands of binoculars a year. Among that number the Deltrintem and the Detrentis devices, along the 7x50 and the 10x50 models, constitute the core of their offer.
A 5-element Erfle eyepiece used in the Deltrintem, Deltrentis and Jenoptem 8x30 models from 1947. |
Before the production was in full swing 1947 brought another very serious change. The wide-angle Erfle eyepiece had been known since 1917 and used successfully in 10x50 Zeiss devices. Right after the war 8x30 models included that construction as well. With lens coatings the 2+1+2 set with as many as six air-to-glass surfaces wasn’t such a huge challenge as in times before the war, when coatings hadn’t been known yet.
The 1952 optical and mechanical construction diagram of the Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30, after implementing the new, 5-element Erfle eyepiece. |
Huge astigmatism was the basic flaw of the Erfle construction so that type of eyepiece was unsuitable for instruments at high powers. Still it was the only serious flaw, not especially applicable in binoculars which usually are low power instruments. The eyepiece performed well in such models as the Dekarem and the Dekaris 10x50 so applying it to 8x30 models was more than reasonable. The Erfle eyepiece provided a field of view exceeding 60 degrees, well-corrected when it comes to most optical aberrations, and a sensible eye relief as well. The overall image quality improved, especially when compared to the older Koenig system. The increase of distortion was the only negative change.
A page from the 1985 Carl Zeiss Jena catalogue describing the Deltrintem 8x30 and the Jenoptem 8x30 models. Source: H. Merlitz. |
In the 50s and the 60s of the twentieth century the Jena factory was producing several tens of thousands binoculars a year. The demand was so high that in the 70s the production was actually increased, exceeding a hundred thousand of pieces in many years of that decade. 1978 brought another change concerning optics – the multi-layer T3M coatings. One-layer magnesium fluorite coatings used in previous years were characterized by blue reflections from elements; the T3M coatings were orange-pink for a change. They managed to improve colour rendering (the image was less yellow) and raised the transmission level. In the centre of the visible spectrum the binoculars were able to deliver 90-92% of light which is a very good result even by contemporary standards. With 12 air-to-glass surfaces it means the loss was just of 0.6-0.7% on one of them. Still it was true only for green-yellow light. For red and blue-purple light the transmission was much worse so Jena pairs of binoculars still warmed the colours giving the images a yellowish hue.
Transmission graph of the Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 produced in 1985. |
The introduction of multi-coatings made Jena products even more popular – in 1980 the record number of 471320 pairs of binoculars left the assembly lines. 1983 was second most efficient production year, with 373300 models released on the market; in 1988 there were 260300 pieces of binoculars produced.
Serial Number Carl Zeiss Binoculars Reviews
The Jenoptem 8x30 and the Deltrintem 8x30 – both produced in 1985. Find-a-difference type of a riddle. |
The turn of the 70s and the 80s brought changes in the 8x30 line-up. Next to the Deltrintem and the Deltrentis you see a new Jenopten which, at first glance, doesn’t differ much from the Deltrintem. You can find info that the Jenoptem was aimed more at the civilian market and the Deltrintem was for the armed forces. It’s difficult to say whether it was true or not. The Deltrentis was actually designed for the military purposes, equipped with an individual focusing system on every eyepiece; it was used not only by the army but also by secret services (including the GDR’s Stasi). Even today you can find used Deltrentis models marked as MdI (an abbreviation from Ministerium des Innern, Minstry of Interior in English).
A page from the 1980 Carl Zeiss Jena catalogue presenting the Jenoptem series - the 8x30, the 7x50 and the 10x50 models. Source: H. Merlitz. |
The Carl Zeiss Jena 8x30 binoculars were most certainly produced till 1990. It is also possible that some specimens were released in 1991 as that year over 5000 binoculars left the assembly line with the widely popular, world-wide known logo. The same year, however, the Berlin Wall fell and the claims of the Western Zeiss branch, the legal heir of the whole achievements of that company, meant the Jena plant lost the right to use the Zeiss logo. Nature doesn’t like void; almost exactly at the same time (1 August 1991) the factory with 550 workers was bought by Bernhard Docter and renamed into Docter-Optic-Eisfeld GmbH. The production was continued, only the name of the binoculars changed into Docter Optic. That’s why at the beginning of the 90s of the twentieth century the old, good Deltrintem 8x30 could be bought as the Docter Optic Classic 8x30.
What’s interesting, at first a number of Deltrintems, released on the market, had the Carl Zeiss Jena logo on the one side and the Docter Optic on the other. With time the binoculars offered by Docter got completely new and much more efficient antirelection multilayer coatings which improved their optical properties in a significant way. Also some slight design modifications were introduced (e.g. rubber eyecups in the 8x30 and the 7x50 models).
X-ray photo of the Carl Zeiss Jena Deltrintem 8x30 binpculars. Phot. Obserwatorek. |
The last specimens of the Docter Optic Classic 8x30 were produced in 1995. That year Bernhard Docter went bankrupt and the company decreased its production looking for a potential buyer. In 1997 they were bought by the Analytik Jena GmbH but it is a material for another story.
Carl Zeiss Binoculars Serial Number Date
A page from the Docter Optic catalogue with the Classic series binoculars. Source: H. Merlitz. |
During 75 years of almost incessant production, from the first 1920 models to the last 1995 Docters Cassic, several million of 8x30 devices found their way to shop shelves. Even if you don’t add the fakes to the numbers that volume undoubtedly makes them the most popular pair of binoculars in history. Its presence in the ‘Legendary binoculars’ series was obligatory and I am very glad this part was dedicated to that extraordinary product.
Docter Classic 8x30 binoculars. |
Zeiss Scope Identification Serial Number
The 1985 Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 8x30. |