Nikon & PZO Microscopes

What equipment do you use? Post pictures and descriptions of your microscope(s) here!
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Mike E.
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: California / Wales

Nikon & PZO Microscopes

#1 Post by Mike E. » Tue Jul 14, 2020 5:55 pm

I'm relatively new to Microscopy, and have two microscopes; a Nikon stereo model and a PZO compound microscope. The Nikon SMZ-2 is mounted on an industrial type articulated stand and came with two pairs of 30mm diameter eyepieces (10x and 20x), which with the scope's zoom feature can provide magnifications from 8x to 80x . The PZO came complete with matching phase contrast optics and accessories. I was fortunate that each seemed to have had little use or were very well looked after by the previous owners.
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MicroBob
Posts: 3154
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:11 am
Location: Northern Germany

Re: Nikon & PZO Microscopes

#2 Post by MicroBob » Tue Jul 14, 2020 6:48 pm

Hi Mike,
welcome to the forum!
You've got nice microscopes there! The Nikon is very versatile and the PZO an especially beautiful microscope in my eyes. It's an MB-30 model and can be equipped with variable phase contrast, DIC and a trinocular tube too. I habe one in a nice yellow beige. The nosepiece of mine is exchangeable which is very useful when you have more objectives. The objectives are 45mm and the eyepieces expect the intermediate image 10mm down the tube so the more modern Zeiss West and later Leitz 160mm objectives and eyepieces fit nicely.

Bob

Mike E.
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: California / Wales

Re: Nikon & PZO Microscopes

#3 Post by Mike E. » Tue Jul 14, 2020 7:29 pm

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the welcome and info about compatible optics. The PZO microscope is superbly made, a fine piece of craftsmanship for sure.
It came with 10x Phz, 20x Phz, 40x Phz, and 100x Phz (oil) objectives and 10x eyepieces. Except for the main frame, all objectives, both
eyepieces, binocular viewer and the condenser have the letters " C.B.U.N. " engraved on them. Would you know what this stands for ?

Regards, Mike

MicroBob
Posts: 3154
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:11 am
Location: Northern Germany

Re: Nikon & PZO Microscopes

#4 Post by MicroBob » Tue Jul 14, 2020 8:03 pm

Poland is an agricultural country and they must have been very proud of such a nice optics company in their country. The mechanical quality is not far from Zeiss standards and it is a comprehensive system. I don't know what the engraving means, the U might stand for "university". Those markings on all parts were usually a means of protection against spntaneous ownership change. Some importers or distributers also signed their instruments in a way, but unlikely all parts.

apochronaut
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Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 12:15 am

Re: Nikon & PZO Microscopes

#5 Post by apochronaut » Wed Jul 15, 2020 12:40 am

very nice well cared for scopes. I was hoping PZO would be able to survive moving into a capitalist system but alas they could not. They had around 700 employees and made some wonderful optical instruments. True old world craftsmanship.
Do you by any chance live in southern California or is it possible the PZO came from there?
I see now you are in Wales. Just a thought about an institution in California that could have those letters stamped on equipment.

Mike E.
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: California / Wales

Re: Nikon & PZO Microscopes

#6 Post by Mike E. » Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:04 pm

I'm currently located in South Wales, where my Wife and I have been remodelling an old stone house as a retirement project and future home. The PZO microscope came from an ebay seller located in London.

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