New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

What equipment do you use? Post pictures and descriptions of your microscope(s) here!
Post Reply
Message
Author
viktor j nilsson
Posts: 760
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:12 pm
Location: Lund, Sweden

New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#1 Post by viktor j nilsson » Sat Jun 26, 2021 11:17 am

I just recieved this beautiful Leitz BS 48/92k microscope. Serial number in the 435,000 range should date it to around 1952 or so.

Image
Image

To be honest, I mostly picked it up for the Leitz Heine condenser, and in particular the Heine oil cap, since I already have a Heine without a cap. And the price was too good to pass it up.

1.6x binocular head, rotating stage. Objectives are a 10:0 NA 0.25, and and a 62:1 0.85, plus a 40mm Milar objective. The Milar is a real bonus, as it turns out to be a fabulous objective for photomacrography:
https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/ ... highlight=

I had thought about keeping the Heine and selling on the microscope, but now that I've had a chance to familiarize myself with it I don't think I can. It's beautifully made, and in almost perfect condition. I didn't mean to, but I guess I will need to start a modest Leitz black enamel microscope collection...

perrywespa
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:13 pm
Location: Georgia

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#2 Post by perrywespa » Sat Jun 26, 2021 1:12 pm

Beautiful instrument.
Perry
Insatiably curious.

ScienceMatters
Posts: 109
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:46 am

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#3 Post by ScienceMatters » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:08 pm

Very cool! Amazing that it came with the Heine. Where did you find it?

ScienceMatters
Posts: 109
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:46 am

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#4 Post by ScienceMatters » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:11 pm

And what’s that silver lever or clamp thing below the head? Does the tube somehow slide vertically for some reason?

viktor j nilsson
Posts: 760
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:12 pm
Location: Lund, Sweden

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#5 Post by viktor j nilsson » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:13 pm

ScienceMatters wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:11 pm
And what’s that silver lever or clamp thing below the head? Does the tube somehow slide vertically for some reason?
Yes! It's a clamp for the binocular head. Release it, and you can slide the head up and remove it. The nosepiece slides on the same dovetail and can be removed after taking off the head. Very well machined, and totally solid when clamped.

ScienceMatters
Posts: 109
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:46 am

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#6 Post by ScienceMatters » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:18 pm

Interesting! It’s fun to see the different approaches they took in earlier years. That one looks really nice.

MichaelG.
Posts: 3976
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:24 am
Location: North Wales

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#7 Post by MichaelG. » Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:48 pm

That’s a wonderful find, Viktor

MichaelG.
Too many 'projects'

viktor j nilsson
Posts: 760
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:12 pm
Location: Lund, Sweden

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#8 Post by viktor j nilsson » Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:05 pm

ScienceMatters wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 8:08 pm
Very cool! Amazing that it came with the Heine. Where did you find it?
On a local swedish classifieds site. It was actually available for sale for several months just over a year ago. I tried to buy it then, but the pandemic prevented me from traveling to meet the seller. I even mentioned it in a thread on here at the time. The ad eventually disappeared and I took for granted that it had sold, but then the seller suddenly listed it again a couple of weeks ago, and this time I was able to buy it. Kind of hard to believe that no one else grabbed it. It didn't say in the ad that it had a Heine, but it was fairly clear in the pictures if you knew what you look for.

viktor j nilsson
Posts: 760
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:12 pm
Location: Lund, Sweden

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#9 Post by viktor j nilsson » Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:07 pm

I've heard people say this before, but it's really true: the black horseshoe stands looks really small in photographs, but are much bigger, and a lot heavier, in real life than what you expect. Even when I'm looking at my own photos it looks a lot smaller than it really is.

ScienceMatters
Posts: 109
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 1:46 am

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#10 Post by ScienceMatters » Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:27 pm

That’s so cool that you got it, having recognized the Heine!

I know what you mean about how these vintage scopes can look smaller in photos. My Zeiss GFL looks like a toy in some photos but is surprisingly full-sized in person! Slightly taller than my BHS, in fact. You can see there’s definitely some metal there on yours! Any plans to rig up a camera? I’d love to see photos using the Heine. I wonder if the mirror will give enough light. Maybe if you have a strong light source in front of it.

BramHuntingNematodes
Posts: 1538
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:29 am
Location: Georgia, USA

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#11 Post by BramHuntingNematodes » Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:59 pm

someday i will perfect my axicon phase condenser but until then I think the Heine must be the next best thing
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination

apochronaut
Posts: 6272
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 12:15 am

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#12 Post by apochronaut » Mon Jun 28, 2021 3:51 pm

This was most likely used as a photo microscope. I am not familiar with your particular stand but the quick change optical tube feature on other similar stands I am familiar with, allows for a rapid interchange between the binocular tube assembly and a dedicated photo tube assembly with mounted camera. The camera would either be parfocal or often have a beamsplitter to a viewing port in order to frame and tweak the focus. Usually the photo tube was of a larger diameter than the optical tube.
That is a very beautiful old stand. Hard not to keep to use. I use similar old stands off and on. I love the old apochromats. Spencer #5 or 3 or the Bausch & Lomb model GGBET stand , similar to yours also with the pronounced V horseshoe and similar quick change viewing head.
They were the trinocular head of their day.

viktor j nilsson
Posts: 760
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:12 pm
Location: Lund, Sweden

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#13 Post by viktor j nilsson » Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:53 am

apochronaut wrote:
Mon Jun 28, 2021 3:51 pm
This was most likely used as a photo microscope. I am not familiar with your particular stand but the quick change optical tube feature on other similar stands I am familiar with, allows for a rapid interchange between the binocular tube assembly and a dedicated photo tube assembly with mounted camera. The camera would either be parfocal or often have a beamsplitter to a viewing port in order to frame and tweak the focus. Usually the photo tube was of a larger diameter than the optical tube.
That is a very beautiful old stand. Hard not to keep to use. I use similar old stands off and on. I love the old apochromats. Spencer #5 or 3 or the Bausch & Lomb model GGBET stand , similar to yours also with the pronounced V horseshoe and similar quick change viewing head.
They were the trinocular head of their day.
Thank, apo! The GBBET is a beautiful stand. I might pick up some 170mm apos or Pv objectives if I were to stumble upon them.

Leitz certainly did intend for it to "quick change" between binocular and monocular tubes, and made "wide" (30mm) monocular tubes:

Image

I still haven't really figured out the difference between the 47/92k and 48/92k models, if one is the 30mm version, or of its just the graduated mechanical stage that differs. Mine has a rotating stage, so would then be undefined as to its model designation...

apochronaut
Posts: 6272
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 12:15 am

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#14 Post by apochronaut » Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:15 pm

Look at those prices! , yet only 6.00 to add graduations to the XY axes.
I have some Leitz 37mm parfocal objectives of you are interested. I can send a list, if you like. I think there is an 8mm(24:1) apo. Maybe some condenser stuff.

viktor j nilsson
Posts: 760
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:12 pm
Location: Lund, Sweden

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#15 Post by viktor j nilsson » Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:04 pm

apochronaut wrote:
Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:15 pm
Look at those prices! , yet only 6.00 to add graduations to the XY axes.
I have some Leitz 37mm parfocal objectives of you are interested. I can send a list, if you like. I think there is an 8mm(24:1) apo. Maybe some condenser stuff.
It's kind of silly that they gave it a different model designation, really!

I'm not really in a spending mode right now, but if it's not too much work for you I'd love to see what you got!

User avatar
Rossf
Posts: 363
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2020 12:39 am
Location: Victoria Australia

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#16 Post by Rossf » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:31 am

Very cool viktor j Nilsson! The heine looks in very nice condition. Funnily enough I got a second heine just the other day on eBay from Romania-yet to arrive-for my travel scope-it’s got the filter holder and filters-I wonder if it performs best with the frosted filter close to the light entry-do you find at around 10x setting the illumination is a bit uneven? The irony is you changed a dovetail version to round clamp only to end up with a nice condition round clamp version as backup!
Try get a 25x Pv at least-they seem to be the most common and they have a unique look and a good all round magnification.
Have fun
Ross
Apochronaut your welcome to send me your Leitz 37mm list after viktor has perused it!

MichaelG.
Posts: 3976
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:24 am
Location: North Wales

Re: New to me: early 1950s Leitz BS 48/92k with Heine

#17 Post by MichaelG. » Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:55 am

Viktor

You may find it useful to look at the manual for the early Leitz Panphot
… I believe the interchangeable tubes are the same design.

MichaelG.
.
https://cameratique.com/ebay/opticxchan ... ochure.pdf
http://museovirtual.csic.es/coleccion/t ... n-book.pdf
Too many 'projects'

Post Reply