greg@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Gregory Nowak) (08/22/90)
Hi folks. Although I'm not a regular reader of rec.birds, I figured
you're probably the most knowledgeable group on the net about
binoculars, so I should bring my question to you.
I was recently lucky enough to find an old pair of Zeiss 12x30's in an
antique store for what seemed to me to be an incredibly low price.
After chatting with the owner, I realized that he didn't recognize the
Zeiss name, so it was likely that the low price reflected his
ignorance rather than any major defect. They seemed to be prewar in
design -- metal parts of brass, independent focussing eyepieces, and
the incscription "Carl Zeiss -- Jena". There were no scratches
apparent, but the viewing was a little cloudy, most likely due to what
appeared to be some sort of dust or film on the inside surface of the
objectives. After this evaluation, I decided to purchase, trusting
that I could have them cleaned professionally and bring them up to
snuff.
So, my question -- does anyone know of a good place to send my prized
antique Zeiss binoculars for cleaning and collimating? Any addresses
and/or stories about binocular restoration would be appreciated. Also,
if anyone happens to know the history of Zeiss and might have
information about this model, I'd be glad to receive email. (I just
got hold of the Zeiss address in Petersburg VA and will contact them,
but I got the impression they are a retail outlet and wouldn't have
any connection with restoration).
Many thanks for your expertise.
...!rutgers!phoenix.princeton.edu!greg
Greg Nowak/Phoenix Gang/Princeton NJ 08540