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Homare UCE

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 11:53 pm
by blankenship
Hi all -

I've come across an Olympus UCE microscope, and am having a hard time finding info about it -
The Olympus museum site mentions a Harare UCE model, but specifies it as monocular.
https://www.olympus-global.com/technolo ... ogy_museum
Mine has a production date of 1955 but is binocular.

Anyone shed any light on this particular model?

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:02 am
by MichaelG.
That's a fine looking instrument, Lee

My guess is that, being from 1955 [i.e.just two years before the launch of the DF], it might be an 'Archaeopteryx' of microscope evolution.

MichaelG.

https://www.olympus-lifescience.com/en/ ... icro/1957/

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:06 am
by MicroBob
Hi Lee,
the inspection certificate states that it is an UCEBi. Bi for Binocular.

Bob

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:30 am
by MichaelG.
MicroBob wrote:the inspection certificate states that it is an UCEBi. Bi for Binocular.
... but the mystery is: What does the suffix IiI mean ?

MichaelG.

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:58 am
by MicroBob
It might be "III" for 3.
From the design this microscope looks like as if it were inspired by pre WW 2 Zeiss microscopes.
It was for sure a model at the expensive end of the range.

Bob

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:01 am
by MichaelG.
MicroBob wrote:It might be "III" for 3.
Yes it might, Bob
But [going by the photo] the middle character is different to the others.

MichaelG.

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:04 am
by MichaelG.
IMG_3284.JPG
IMG_3284.JPG (18.45 KiB) Viewed 10171 times

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:58 pm
by zzffnn
MicroBob wrote:It might be "III" for 3.
From the design this microscope looks like as if it were inspired by pre WW 2 Zeiss microscopes.
It was for sure a model at the expensive end of the range.

Bob
Yes, it looks that way to me as well. Higher end Zeiss copy/clone.

Maybe the condenser and head dovetail mounts would have the same diameters as those of early Zeiss and LOMO (and therefore can use those parts) too.

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:28 pm
by apochronaut
The post W.W.II Japanese companies, and not just those related to optics were quite schizophrenic when it came to their designs. While they freely swiped whatever designs they could from the Germans during that period when patent restrictions applied to them, they were also flooded with American goods during the Showa period of occupation. Design influences were many.

The early designs of Shintaro Terada, for M & Katera, used either total knockoffs of Leitz objectives, or they were made outright by Leitz; such is their similarity, right down to the upside down logo and stamped specs., a unique feature of Leitz at the time. When he started designing for Olympus around 1919, the objectives on their early microscopes appear to be identical. M & Katera, eventually became Tiyoda but Shintaro Terada was the chief engineer for both of those startups.

One odd feature of post W.W. II Olympus , is the weird 36.5+ mm parfocal distance, which that UCE probably has. There is no doubt that Bausch & Lomb microscopes were pretty common in Occupied Japan and they curiously had a parfocal distance of 1-7/16" until the flat field era came out of Rochester. 1-7/16" is just over 36.5mm.
I am guessing that a close examination of the early post W.W. II microscopes from many companies would show a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Re: Homare UCE

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 6:13 pm
by blankenship
Thanks for the info, everyone!
I've decided not to keep this one. Any ideas as to value or relative desirability?