The title of this article might be a bit misleading: we want to write about binoculars from Jena but we don't mention the name of the company connected to that city, Zeiss. It is done deliberately. Why? We are going to explain it in a while...
Let's start from the beginning. In 1846 a 30-year-old man called Carl Zeiss, opened in Jena his precision mechanics and optics factory. He focused on the productions of magnifying glasses and microscopes. The company was a success and, during the first 20 years of its existence, they produced as many as over 1000 microscopes. In the 60s of the 19th century, though, the Zeiss team was enlarged by a professor of physics called Ernst Abbe. In 1881 another professor, this time of chemistry, called Otto Schott, was employed. I think the names of both these gentlemen are well known to every fan of optics so they need no further introduction.
Carl Zeiss – a portrait published in 1907.
The Zeiss company's activity had been developped and their line-up soon featured also lenses and photographic cameras, along with observational optics such as spotting scopes, telescopes, and, of course, binoculars.
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It's worth mentioning here that in the second half of the 19th century the optics market was dominated by not especially handy Galilean binoculars, with weak optical quality and a very narrow field of view.
Around 1870 Ernst Abbe developped independently a reversing prism system, originally invented by an Italian, Ignazio Porro and soon, in 1873, a prototype of the first Porro pair of binoculars was created. Still, the production didn't start immediately afterwards because Crown glass, available in the company, was limiting such a construction; as a result the binoculars didn't meet high requirements of both Zeiss and Abbe. The situation changed in 1888, when Schott managed to produce a better type of Crown glass and Abbe was able to return to the idea of a porro-prism pair of binoculars. In 1893 he created and patented the first 8×20 instrument of that type.
The first porro-prism Zeiss pair of binoculars – the 8×20 model. Source: Zeiss.
The regular production started one year later and they launched as many as three models with the following parameters: 4×11, 6×15, and 8×20. Only in 1894 Zeiss released 205 new pairs of their binoculars; one year later their line-up was enlarged by the 10×25 model and the overall number of all instruments, produced in their factory, exceeded one thousand. In 1896 it was already 2700 and in 1897 they managed to produce over 4000 pairs of binoculars.
Technical limitations of that time didn't allow to produce bigger Porro binoculars so till the end of the 19th century the line-up of Zeiss consised of models with the objective lenses not bigger than 25 mm. The situation changed at the beginning of the 20th century when the continuous progress in production of new types of glass allowed to construct first 6×30 class models.
At the same time Zeiss scientists proved that, in case of a young person, the pupil of darkness-adapted human eye is able to dilate to even 7 mm so it makes sense to construct binoculars with such big exit pupils. What's more, at the same time the army started to look for instruments that might perform well in poor lighting conditions.
An excerpt from the 1912 Zeiss catalogue presenting the Noctar 7×50. Source: H. Merlitz
The Zeiss company noticed that demad in the market and already in 1911 they launched their first 7×50 instrument, called Noctar, equipped with Abbe-Koenig prisms. The binoculars were relatively long and heavy, weighing as much as 1170 grams. Its field of view reached just 5.8 deg, nothing to boast of. It meant the producers used eyepieces with apparent field of view of less than 41 degrees. The Noctar was produced from 1911 to 1919.
Abbe-Koenig reflecting prism system
Zeiss must have been aware of all flaws of Noctar because they started to develop a new 7×50 model when the Noctar was still being produced. This time they used Porro prisms in the construction and managed to offer a much wider field, that of 7.3 deg. First models, designed for the army, marked as D.F. 7×50, were manufactured as early as 1915 and their production was continued practically till the end of the Second World War.
The new pair of binoculars got a classic achromat objective lens (2 elements in 1 group), prisms set in the efficient Porro system, ensuring total internal reflection, and a 3-element eyepiece.
An excerpt from the 1923 Zeiss catalogue, presenting the Binoctar 7×50. Source: H. Merlitz
In 1919 the Noctar was withdrawn from production and its place took the civilian version of the D.F. 7×50 called the Binoctar 7×50. In 1931 the same optical system got a classic occular bridge – it also meant a central focusing system. The model, called Binoctem, would stay in the company's line-up practically till the closing of Zeiss factory in Jena, so to 1990.
An excerpt from the 1980 Carl Zeiss Jena catalogue presenting the Deltintem 8×30W and the Binoctem 7×50. Source: H. Merlitz
In 1935 Zeiss managed to design and patent first antireflection coatings called 'T' that allowed a significant increase in trasmission of optical instrument. It was done with the help of an engineer from Ukraine, Oleksandr Smakula. First binoculars equipped with single-layer coatings of this type were launched during the WW II.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Binoctar 7×50
As you know, Germany lost the war and Zeiss factory in Jena became occupied by the Americans. The US Army took all instruments and documents from the R&D section along with 250 major specialists. As the result of the Postdam conference Jena finally fell into the Russian occupation zone and then it became a part of the German Democratic Republic. Russians also dismantled and took away the rest of machinery from the factory but afterwards, in GDR, it was rebuilt as Carl Zeiss Jena VEB (people-owned enterprise). In the Federal Republik of Germany Carl Zeiss company was reactivated in Oberkochen, based on pre-war Rudolf Winkl factory in Goettingen and Moritz Hensoldt factory in Wetzlar.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Binoctar 7×50
Western German factory had to be rebuild basically from scratch. Their optics specialists had to design brand-new binoculars so the first specimen started to appear on the market only in the 50s of the 20th century. Eastern German Jena factory followed the path of the least resistance and simply continued the production of a part of pre-war models. As a result Jena binoculars were produced both in 1945, 1946, and the following years as well. Fortunately they didn't just focus on profiting from earlier projects, they also started to design new ones. As a result, in 1950 the first 15×50 Jena instruments were launched; it was the Pentekar with individual focusing and the Pentekarem, with a classic bridge.
An excerpt of the 50s of 20th century Carl Zeiss Jena catalogue presenting the 15×50 Pentekar and the Pentekarem
Right after the war not all Jena binoculars featured antireflection coatings but it changed very soon; already near the end of the 40s all optical eleements of the binoculars had that specific blue-purple hue, coming from one-layer coatings made of magnesium fluoride. At the beginning of 70s f the 20th century the best optical companies on the market started to use in their products much more efficient multi-coatings. In case of the Jena enterprise, such coatings, called T3M, were designed only in 1978 and from that time they could be find in their binoculars. The glass featured orange-pink-purple reflexes instead of blue-purple colouring, transmission and white ballance improved noticeably but still, for contemporary standards, these instruments offered you images with distinct yellow hue.
In the middle of the 70s of the 20th century a very strange decision was taken in Jena and it concerned the 7×50 class binoculars. In their line-up appeared the Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7×50 (but also the 8×30 and the 10×50). According to some sources it was supposed to be a successor of the Binoctem 7×50, according to others it was just the Binoctem's copy, designed for the civilian market, and some still said that the cheaper Jenopten, with inferior build quality, was supposed to be offered just in the Eastern Bloc countries. All these three hypotheses aren't grounded in facts. Firstly, the D.F. 7×50 model was still produced for the army and optically it didn't differ from the Binoctem, the Binoctar, and the Jenoptem. Secondly, Jena Zeiss catalogues from the 70s and 80s of the 20th century show both the Binoctem 7×50 and the Jenoptem 7×50. It didn't seem that one pair of binoculars simply replaced the other, as both were offered for many years, side by side. Mind you, that catalogue concerned the civilian market so it also wasn't true that the Binoctem was offered just for the army. Additionally, you might notice that it was a catalogue in English so aimed at the Western countries – it proves the Jenoptem, showed in the catalogue, wasn't just reserved for the countries behind the Iron Curtain.
An excerpt of the 1974 Carl Zeiss Jena catalogue presenting the Jenoptem line of products. Source: H. Merlitz
The catalogue does state a difference between the Binoctem 7×50 and the Jenoptem 7×50: some stages of the production process were different, but not the specifications. Unfortunately we don't know what differences they meant exactly.
The official history of the 7×50 Binoctar, Binoctem, and Jenoptem ended in 1990. The Communistic Bloc was destroyed, both German states reunited and Jena factory could not use the Zeiss logo any longer - they were taken over by Analytik Jena and they started the production of Docter binoculars. Still history repeats itself: before the new company managed to design new models of binoculars, in 1991-1994 they offered Docter Classic line, including the 7×50 model which optical construction didn't differ from the old Jena models. In fact they improved only coatings, replacing the classic T3M with good quality, more efficient multi-coatings.
An excerpt of the Anatytik Jena catalogue from the beginning of the 90s of 20th century presenting the line of Docter Classic binoculars. Source: H. Merlitz
It doesn't change the fact that the original 7×50 optical system we saw in the D.F. Zeiss models, produced for the army, the Binoctar, the Binoctem, the Jenoptem, and the Docter Classic, was present on the market for 80 years, from 1915 to 1994. It's a kind of longevity contemporary binoculars can only dream about.
That's why I didn't use the Zeiss brand name in the title of this article – the 7×50 model was offered also by Docter. Of course it is not the only reason; in order to find out why let's take a closer look at four 7×50 pairs of binoculars from my private collection.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Binoctem 7×50 from 1980.
I would like to start with the oldest one: the Binoctem 7×50 with serial number starting from 502, meaning it was produced at the beginning of 1980, the first years of binoculars with new T3M multi-coating on the elements. It can be checked by observing the colours of reflections on objective lenses and eyepieces. The producers still didn't include that information on the barrel. The binoculars were sold in a characteristic blue box and they added a very solid, genuine leather case for it.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Binoctem 7×50 from 1980.
My private specimen features all documentation, along with instruction manual, a warranty card, and an original, yellowish receipt. The signed, stamped warranty includes the date of purchase, 23rd October 1980, and it is in perfect accordance with the production year I inferred from the serial number. The receipt is for 358 Deutsche marks and 40 pfenigs– of course their Eastern equivalent, about 8-10 times less valueable than Western marks.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Binoctem 7×50 from 1980.
The second oldest model I would like to show you here is the Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7×50W. As you see, its name, compared to the Binoctem, features a letter W meaning a wide angle of view. Perhaps it would be completely justified in the 8×30 of 10×50 Zeiss models, here it's difficult to call the field exceptionally wide. You deal here with eyepieces with a very typical apparent field of view, amounting to 51.1 deg. It seems the W letter in the name of the Jenoptem 7×50 is a marketing gimmick, nothing more.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1980.
The serial number of this second pair of binoculars starts with 527 so it was produced in 1980 as well. Once again you deal here with the blue box and a very solid, genuine leather casing. You also get multi-coatings and this time not only the colour of elements is the proof but also the proud inscription, 'multi-coated', that you can find on the barrel.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1980.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1980.
The third pair of binoculars from my collection is once again the Jenoptem 7×50W but this time its serial number starts from 568. It means this instrument was produced in 1983. The carton box remains the same but the casing is another matter. It seems the company started to economize because you don't get the usual masterpiece of purse making, just a soft, leather pouch. Of course, when you compare it to contemporary canvass bags added to most of cheap binoculars you might consider it a very solid product but it is a clear step back if you take into account the beautiful hard case Jena had offered earlier.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7x50W from 1983.
The Carl Zeiss Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1983.
The fourth model is the newest and also the most interesting one as well. Its serial number starts from 686 and it indicates 1988 production year. Of course you see its name, Jenoptem 7×50W, but done differently. There is no Carl Zeiss inscription or logo on the box or on the binoculars' casing. The instrument is signed just by its production place – 'DDR' in one place, 'aus Jena' so 'from Jena' in the other.
The aus Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1988.
I personally think it's a mad idea to call a pair of binoculars 'aus Jena'. I suppose nowadays if a producer called their instrument just 'from middle of nowhere' nobody would take them seriously. Of course I am well aware that the Zeiss company from Jena was forced to do so. On some western markets they couldn't use the logo and name of Zeiss, reserved only for factories in Oberkochen. If they wanted to sell their products anyway, and to do so on markets where the customers paid with solid coin. After all it was highly profitable in those times, providing a very substantial income to any Eastern bloc enterprise so they had to think of a trick and, for example, call their instruments just 'aus Jena'
The aus Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1988.
As you see, the box was changed as well – you can't find any Zeiss logo or inscription. The model is called 'aus Jena Jenoptem 7×50W'. It was probably a bit of a shame to offer the cheaper version of the case on the western markets, so once again the producers added a very nice and pleasing hard case made of genuine leather – its build quality, appearance, even the smell, I can admire to no end.
The aus Jena Jenoptem 7×50W from 1988.
The 7×50 class of binoculars, so popular previously, now is slowly being forgotten. Well-put-together 7×50 models, currently offered on the market, can be counted on fingers of one hand. Still, as the production volume of Jena factories used to be very high, in some years amounting to as many as 200 000 binoculars, the secondary market offers you a lot of 7×50 models. However, these in mint conditions are fewer and fewer. You have to hunt for them.
It's interesting that these binoculars offer you very favourable price/performance ratio. Specimen in good, but not perfect, condition can be bought for less than 200 Euro and nowadays the superb leather hard case alone would cost as much. If you are interested in a collector's item, something that looks almost the same as it looked in the moment of its production, with a full accessory kit included, the prices might jump to 300-350 Euro, sometimes even higher than that.
Finally let me deal with my own business for a moment. This article I wrote almost by accident. I decided to put my private collection of binoculars in order – it' become a bit too large for my storing capacities. If you don't have an easy access to your collection, you won't enjoy it as you should. Looking at my Jena binoculars I thought that I hadn't written anything about 7×50 class on Optyczne and Allbinos so I decided to improve on that. I hope you enjoyed the final effect.
