Does anybody know this vintage Zeiss?

[Marco68]

Hi, i have seen it in ebay . How much is it worth ? It has also a Apo

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bSfijt ... p=drivesdk

It has :

1 x Carl Zeiss Plan 40/0.65 160/0.17 Objective
1 x Carl Zeiss Planapo 100/1.3 Oel 160/- Objective
1 x Carl Zeiss Plan2.5/0.08 160/- Objective
1 x Carl Zeiss Plan 10/0.22 160/- Objective

3 x Carl Zeiss Kpl 8x Eyepiece

[Hobbyst46]

A nice-looking Zeiss standard with trinocular 100/0 0/100 head. Apparently without a light source and condenser. I do not recognize the part on the left, whereas the black vertical-horizontal clamp adapter on the right does not belong to this microscope.
The value depends on the mechanics - focus mechanism, stage control, and on the optics - the eyepieces and objectives should be carefully checked to verify that they are not delaminated.

[Marco68]

Thanks. Can you pls help to understand what means 100/0 0/100 head? Sorry i am not expert at all.
Unfortunatelly i can not check. It come from a stock from an english università
About the condenser, i see something under the table.isn't It the condenser ?

https://www.ebay.it/itm/Carl-Zeiss-Trin ... ba698fa997

Thanks

Marco

[Hobbyst46]

Sorry about being too brief. The trinocular head includes the photo-tube (the vertical tube) and the two viewing tubes that are inclined at an angle of 45 degrees. A 100/0 means that depending on the position of the push rod (the end of which is a small ball), 100% of the field of view (FOV) is directed to the viewing eyepieces (so a camera installed on the photo tube sees nothing), 0/100 means that the viewing tubes see nothing and the camera sees 100% of the FOV.
There are three 8X eyepieces in the offer, two of them should fit into the viewing eyepieces; the third can be installed in the photo tube, for certain photomicrography setups.

Now I see the eBay listing and photos. A condenser is not included in my opinion - under the stage there is a condenser carrier only.
The part on the left of the microscope in the image shown in your first post, the one that I did not recognize, now appears to me as collector optics, a tube fitted with lenses that should be inserted into the base from behind, and acts as a receptacle for the light bulb. However, all illuminator parts are missing and are not listed.

[viktor j nilsson]

Hi again, Marco. It's Viktor from Facebook.

I do think I can see a condenser top lens below the stage. Maybe something like this swing-out condenser? https://www.bmisurplus.com/products/300 ... rlier-type

The straight-up 100/0 vs 0/100 trinocular head should be very good for photography, as it shouldn't have any optical surfaces between the objective and the projective eyepiece when set in photo mode. A trinocular head that also has a 25/75 split or so (25% to the eyepieces, 75% to the camera) is more convenient, but the light needs to go through a beam splitter that can deteriorate the image if it is delaminated or dirty.

You have gotten good feedback so far. You should ask the seller about:

1) if there is a light source that is not shown;
2) if there is a condenser, as if so, what type;
3) do the optics show any signs of delamination?
4) Does the coarse and fine focus run smooth throughout its range?
5) Does the stage move smoothly in both x and y?


Delamination can be hard for the seller to see sometimes, but if they guarantee that there is none, you should at least have a good case to send it back or get a big discount if some of the optics turn out to be delaminated. Google 'Zeiss delaminated optics' or something like that to see some examples. It could be good to send some instructions to the seller so they know what to look for.

The missing light source might not be a huge deal as long as all the optics are there (i.e. the packaged tube Hobbyst46 pointed out). DIY'ing LED illumnation is not very hard and might be something you had wanted anyway.

I know the 2.5x objective quite well, and it is very nice. The 10x and 40x Plan achromats I haven't used, so I don't know how well they compare to the more highly corrected Neofluar's and Plan Apos. But I would be surprised if they were not as good as or better than the Plan achromats you get with new chinese microscopes today (if you pay extra to get Plan objectives!). Someone more familiar with the Zeiss universe can probably give their opinion about these objectives. The 100x PlanApo should be exquisite, as long as it is not delaminated. But I am not sure if you will be looking at such fine detail (i.e. Diatoms) right now. You would probably find 10x, 20x and 40x objectives to be most useful for quite a while.

[MicroBob]

Hi Marco,
I think that there is a condenser, I can see the top lens in the images. But I wouldn't buy this microscope and would look very carefully at all other offers of this seller. Nearly 1000€ is a lot of money for a Zeiss Standard in untested and uncomplete condition. There is no lamp and transformer, and who knowd how the general condition is. These are very long lasting microscopes but they need a full service from time to time. And a couple of the optical components are usually delaminated or otherwise damaged on such an untested item.
Thilo Immel: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... z9gwjVtF36 has a very good reputation as a dealer mainly in Zeiss Standard microscopes. I think you will be able to get a fully serviced and tested microscope from him for this price.

Bob

[MicroBob]

The Zeiss plan objectives are calculated for a 25mm planar field of view, much more than typical chinese "plan" optics of today. These are very good objectives and they were very expensive, more expensive than the (semi plan) Neofluars. I recently bought a Planapo 100 (from an english seller, too). It was delaminated in multiple layers.

[ImperatorRex]

Hi,
like Bob stated, delamination damage for the PlanApo 100/1,3 is extremely common. Difficult to argue on later price discounts for complete sets that are sold as not tested. And without any light source you cannot even blame the seller, since the microscope was not in working condition.

[Marco68]

Hi All,

Thanks for the reply and help !

All in all, considering :
1. The Sellers has no technical competence and can not provide any further info, as you were suggesting
2. The risks of delamination
3. My limited technical competence to fix any issue, in case the configuration is not complete

I have decided not to make an offer. Thanks for highlightin the risks !

I am now targeting a second hand Zeiss Axiostar, fully working/tested. Let's see if i have a better chance