MiniatureBinoculars.com

MANY BINOCULAR REFERENCE SOURCES (PETER ABRAHAMS), (this is a primary source compendium of binocular research resources). http://www.europa.com/~telscope/binotele.htm

VINTAGE BINOCULARS WITH HISTORICAL DATA & PHOTOS (ANNA & TERRY VACANI):

http://www.binoculars-cinecollectors.com/

VINTAGE MONOCULAR PHOTOS (ULRICH ZEUN):http://www.monocular.info

VINTAGE BINOCULAR PHOTOS (GARY HAWKINS):http://www.pbase.com/g_hawkins/binocular_pictures&page=all

VINTAGE BINOCULAR PHOTOS (TED BRINK): http://tedbrink.webs.com/usa.htm

VINTAGE BINOCULAR PHOTOS (SIMON SPIERS):http://flickeflu.com/photos/29616687@N05

VINTAGE BINOCULAR PHOTOS (FRANK FLAGORIO):http://www.flickr.com/photos/binocwpg/sets/72157623234405689/detail/

EXTENSIVELY RESEARCHED BINOCULAR HISTORY OF NIPPON KOGAKU & NIKON (HANS BRAAKHUIS):

http://www.hansbraakhuis.nl/history%20Nippon%20Kogaku%20Nikon.pdf

NIPPON KOGAKU MIKRON (NICO WESTPHAL and HANS BRAAKHUIS):http://www.box.com/shared/1ax0zo2dk1

VINTAGE JAPANESE OPTICAL CO DATA (CAMERAPEDIA ON WIKIA), 5,000+ pages of info, camera specific, but some overlap to binoculars makers: http://www.http://camerapedia.wikia.com

OPTICAL FUNGUS (RICHARD J KINCH) http://www.truetex.com/lens_fungus.htm

OPTREP UK (commercial binocular repair place, but interesting binoculars shown)http://www.opticalrepairs.com

Length of Objective Barrels of Binoculars or Telescopes . Länge der Röhre von Fernglas. Longueur du Tube de Jumelles. Длина трубы бинокли. 双眼鏡の管の長さ Längden på Röret Kikare. Longitud del tubo de Prismáticos. Lunghezza di Barili Obiettivi di Binocoli o Telescopi.

Miniature Binoculars with Sports Organization Endorsement. Miniatur-Ferngläser mit Sport Endorsement. Jumelles Miniatures avec Endossement Sport. Миниатюрные бинокли со спортивным одобрения. スポーツエンドースメント付きミニチュア双眼鏡. Miniatyr Kikare med Sports Endorsement. Prismáticos en Miniatura con Aval Deportes. Binocolo in Miniatura con L’approvazione Dell’organizzazione Sportiva.

Companies distributing and selling consumer products have long known that the obsessive self association of fans with their chosen sports organizations can be exploited quite effectively in selling products. Around 1971 Tasco Sales licensed an NFL (US National Football League) licensing endorsement for their binoculars. The boxes were marked with the NFL logo and “approved” marking. The binoculars themselves were normal models without any special markings, so the consumer sports fans really didn’t get much that was special other than a pasteboard box. In fact the 12 x 40 # 505 ringsider model pictured above left and sold with the NFL endorsement were actually Tasco’s German and European model binoculars that were not really intended for the US market, complete with their German markings. But perhaps the sports fans thought “ VOLL VERGOTET” mean “Go Team” and “WEITWINKEL” was meant “Quarterback Special?’ Actually, it is likely Tasco Sales saw it as a perfect opportunity to sell slow moving stock from one market in another market with that NFL endorsement and if the NFL saw the “VOLL VERGOTET” marking they just assumed the deal was fully coated in profits for them.

Tasco NFL licensed 12x40 binoculars Collection of Mark Ohno

Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars. VIRTUAL MUSEUM

MISC 2

- JAPANESE ORIGINS #1

- JAPANESE ORIGINS #2

- JAPANESE ORIGINS #3

- JAPANESE ORIGINS #4

- JAPANESE ORIGINS #5

- JAPANESE ORIGINS #6

- FUN ANALYZING BRANDS #1

- FUN ANALYZING BRANDS #2

- FUN ANALYZING BRANDS #3

- FUN ANALYZING BRANDS #4

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND A-B

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND C-G

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND H-M

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND N-Q

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND R-S

- BINOCULARS BY BRAND T-Z

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #1

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #2

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #3

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #4

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #5

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #6

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #7

- VINTAGE ADVERTISING #8

- ORIGINAL BOXES #1

- ORIGINAL BOXES #2

- CAN YOU REPAIR THESE?

- REPAIR SEIZED OCULARS IF

- COLLIMATE AND REPAIR CF

- SWAP SHOP & MISC

- MISC #1

- MISC #2

- INDEX

- RESEARCH MATERIALS #1

- RESEARCH MATERIALS #2

- DATA BINOCULARS BRANDS

Even the most casual observer of binoculars will have noticed the wide variation in the overall length of binoculars. The design of binoculars always involves an interaction between prism arrangement and distance between lenses and lens diameter and the resulting magnification and width (angle) of view) and amount of light passed. With design aspects subject to practicality of use. The intuitive assumption is that longer is more powerful. Usually this is so, but not necessarily proportionally. Above left are Japanese WWII ship’s 15x80 binoculars(15x magnification) whose length illustrates the double telescope origins of binoculars and are of a size that is normally mounted and not hand held. Above right are Japanese post war 6x15 (6x magnification) binoculars designed to be small. If all other design factors are the same (they aren’t above) then a simple, inexpensive, and common way to increasing magnification is to increase the objective barrel length to allow an increase in the distance between the prisms and the objective (furthest) lens. The relationship of objective barrel length to magnification can be illustrated by the following examples, which are quite similar in design and in components except for the objective barrel length and objective lens diameter.

The United Falcon 20x40 (20 x magnification) binoculars have an extended objective tube of around 125.7 mm

By comparison United 10x20 (10x magnification) binoculars have an objective tube length of around 40 mm

Dollands 8x20 (8x magnification) binoculars have an objective tube length of around 38 mm

United 7x18 (7x magnification) binoculars have an objective tube length of around 25.5 mm

Fata Morgana 6x12 (6x magnification) binoculars have an objective tube length of around xx mm

Telescopes, Spotting Scopes, and Monoculars of a Similar Design to the Miniature Binoculars. Teleskope, Spektive und Monokulare Ähnlicher Bauart wie die Miniaturferngläser. Télescopes, Longues-vues et Monoculaires d'un Design Similaire à Celui des Jumelles Miniatures. телескопы, прицельные прицелы и монокуляры аналогичного дизайна для миниатюрного бинокля. 望遠鏡、スポッティングスコープ、ミニチュア双眼鏡と同様の設計の単眼鏡. T eleskop, Spottskalor och Monokulor av liknande Design till Minikikaren. Telescopios y Monoculares de Diseño Similar a los Binoculares en Miniature. Telescopi, Cannocchiali e Monocoli di un Design Simile al Binocolo in Miniature.

The components used in the Japanese reverse external poro prism miniature binoculars were suitable for use in compact spotting scopes, telescopes, and monoculars, and various scopes and monoculars appeared under a variety of brand names in various markets around the world at around the same time as the binoculars.

Greenkat 30x60 telescope or spotting scope. UK market.

(missing tripod yoke)

38 mm

40 mm

125.7 mm

25.5 mm

United 20x40 spotting scope or telescope with yoke (USA market)

Mayflower 6x15 monocular distributed in the USA by Colonial Optical Co of Englewood California, with JB 231 manufacturer code indicating manufacture by Tochihara Optical Co of Japan, a prolific contract manufacturer.

Palley 20x40 spotting scope or telescope with yoke (USA market)

Tasco NFL licensed 8x20 binoculars

Collection of Mark Ohno

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I RECOMMEND THESE WEB SITES ABOUT BINOCULARS. Andere gute Website auf Ferngläsern. D'autres Bons Sites Web sur des Jumelles. Бинокли веб-сайтов я P екомендую. 私は双眼鏡については、これらの Web サイトをお勧めします。 JAG Rekommenderar Dessa Webbplatser om Kikare. Recomiendo Estos Sitios Web en Prismáticos. Raccomando Questi Siti di Binocolo.

In doing research for this website I have come across some other binocular oriented websites that I enjoyed and which I would like to recommend. They generally address vintage larger binoculars and similar optics topics. Listed in no particular order they are as follows. (you will have to copy and paste the web address).