Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
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Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Howdy,
After hearing good things about the BL Stereozoom 7 model, I bought a few "for parts or not tested" items from ebay, so I could (in theory) build a "working" one by swapping out bad parts. I have swapped out damaged bottom lenses with clean ones to realize that one eyepiece cannot come to focus by a long shot at 70x magnification. Interestingly, it is fine up to 20x. Just by looking at the replaced bottom lenses, they look identical. I have also replicated the same issue on a fully functional SZ7. I am guessing that the pair of lenses in question are actually from two different era with different designs. Anyone have any luck replacing just one of the bottom lenses on a SZ7?
Thank you,
ClassMSpecie
After hearing good things about the BL Stereozoom 7 model, I bought a few "for parts or not tested" items from ebay, so I could (in theory) build a "working" one by swapping out bad parts. I have swapped out damaged bottom lenses with clean ones to realize that one eyepiece cannot come to focus by a long shot at 70x magnification. Interestingly, it is fine up to 20x. Just by looking at the replaced bottom lenses, they look identical. I have also replicated the same issue on a fully functional SZ7. I am guessing that the pair of lenses in question are actually from two different era with different designs. Anyone have any luck replacing just one of the bottom lenses on a SZ7?
Thank you,
ClassMSpecie
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
I just picked up a B&L SZ5 and I also noticed that the focus gets a little odd at higher magnifications sometimes. I don't know anything about steroscopes either but maybe that means they're just a little finnicky at higher mags? Hopefully someone else can chime in with some helpful knowledge and/or resources!
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Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
That bottom plastic yoke has a few set screws that can adjust those.lnses dramatically. Have you played around with those at all? Be careful though, you have to loosen one to tighten the other or the plastic will break.
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination
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Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
There is an extensive service manual available somewhere online. Things are quite adjustable, much more so than in stereos today. That said while I have done it a few times now, and occasionally with successful results, I found working on sz7s kind of unrewarding oveeall. There are a lot of potential adjustments to get just right and the finer adjustments are a real pain to do, and it's really not that expensive to find one that's already in good condition.
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An
I have yet to make adjustments to the plastic piece. There are actually two lenses (4 elements-2x cemented) on top and bottom of the plastic housing. Can I make adjustment to both lenses or just the most bottom one? So does this mean that it is safe to assume that SZ7 lenses are pretty much interchangeable from different periods? I have noted that a more recent version has slits introduced on the lens housing to get the lenses out easier. If I were to do it again, I'll probably buy a fully functional one though I got these "for parts" units at bargain prices. I'll be on the look out for the service manual.
Thank you for your reply.
ClassMSpecie
Thank you for your reply.
ClassMSpecie
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Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
In case you haven't found it yet, here's a link to the service manual: http://doclibrary.com/MSC167/DOC/Leica- ... al2520.pdf.
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Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Thank you very much. Just saw this.
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
This link seems to be dead…anyone have the correct one for the SZ7?Sliding Focus wrote: ↑Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:55 pmIn case you haven't found it yet, here's a link to the service manual: http://doclibrary.com/MSC167/DOC/Leica- ... al2520.pdf.
Thanks
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Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Might have a copy of that one around here somewhere. I can look this weekend.
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Thanks…it would be appreciated.
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Still looking for that B&L Stereozoom 7 manual..
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
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Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Unfortunate that that link no longer works. It's also available here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/92685 ... oom-7.html.
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
The stereo 7 is somewhat complex, more so than the 4 and 5, and a dedicated set of tools is required to do the necessary alignment and parfocaling . There is a protocol, which I can only vaguely remember, but there is definitely more to it than a casual user may suspect.
lorez2
lorez2
Nikon 80i
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Thanks for the link..greatly appreciated!Sliding Focus wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2024 10:47 pmUnfortunate that that link no longer works. It's also available here: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/92685 ... oom-7.html.
Re: Refurbishing B&L Stereozoom 7
Thanks for the warning..I have been very busy and the SZ 7 on my bench has been delayed. From a quick assessment, it looked like there was a slight misgivings between the two optic paths..otherwise it looked okay. Since this was the flagship of the series, It deserves the proper attention.lorez2 wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:55 amThe stereo 7 is somewhat complex, more so than the 4 and 5, and a dedicated set of tools is required to do the necessary alignment and parfocaling . There is a protocol, which I can only vaguely remember, but there is definitely more to it than a casual user may suspect.
lorez2