Máistir Nádúraí: An Old 12x60!

8.26.2023

An Old 12x60!

"The beauty of artifacts is in how they reassure us we’re not the first to die."

― Simon Van Booy

A Vortex Optics customer recently brought this rarity in for me to take a look at. It's a Flak 12x60 binocular made Carl Zeiss Jena used by German Wehrmacht during World War II. Amazingly, the optics are still in really good condition, though slightly out of prism alignment. The little lever on the bottom-left controls inter-pupillary distance (IPD) and it's individual eyepiece focus, so no diopter. Apparently this optic was often used in conjunction with an EM 4m R40 rangefinder in artillery teams. Typically these don't have the armoring that was put on this one, which could have been done by a previous owner after the war. Perhaps coolest of all, the customer decided to give it to us so we'll have it on display in our showroom's museum section.

Here are a three of them (with sunshades) mounted to an EM 4m R40 rangefinder:

Bio:

Mike McDowell has been documenting southern Wisconsin’s flora and fauna since 1987 and began leading field trips in 2002. Prolific at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, other highlighted natural areas include Pope Farm Conservancy, Spring Green Preserve, and the Baraboo Hills. His nature photography has appeared in various publications, newspapers, magazines and was even featured on a Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate, a Capital Brewery beer label, and a National Geographic publication. He began journaling nature observations on this blog in 2005. He's the recipient of the 2012 Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or state to promote the field of ornithology. He was a finalist in Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year photography contest several times. His other interests include insect macro-photography (especially tiger beetles, treehoppers, and robber flies), fossil collecting, amateur astronomy, botany, natural history, and marksmanship with long-range rifles. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom Shop 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry.