BNU5 Russian Binoculars

[Lux1]

I have a pair of the former USSR 8 x 30 binoculars, the views are superb. I think they are a copy of the Carl Zeiss Jena 8 x 30's. The views are brighter than a cheaper 10 x 42 I have and rival a pair of good 10 x 50's. They are very heavy, I don't think there is very much plastic at in in them, - in fact none that I can see.

Whats the best way to clean dust of the objective and eyepeices without removing the coatings. I hope to test them tonight.

I brought them for a fiver at a car boot sale complete with case, I think they are about 25 years old. The seller said, useless foreign rubbish, - I suspect otherwise, I have heard that some of the older Russian Binoculars where actually quite good.

[John]

I had a pair of Russian 20x60's which were excellent as well. They were about 10- years old I think. The only hitch with them was that they did not have a photo tripod screw socket.

I'm a big fan of Russian optics, both binoculars and scopes

[NGC 1502]

Hi, I too have the Russian BNU5 8x30s, and also recall they are a Zeiss copy.

The serial number will tell you when they were manufactured. The first three numbers

are the year and month. Mine are 848232, so were made in 84 August.

You can clean the outer optical surfaces by carefully flicking any bits of grit away,

then a soft cloth (a microfibre optical cleaning cloth is best) and isopropyl alcohol

from the chemist. Dont pour the alcohol directly onto the lens, as it may seep inside,

just put a little on the cloth. You may need more than one try, and if a few minor

smears are left, it won't affect the performance.

Nice binos ! enjoy them, Ed.

[Lux1]

Thanks for the info, Ed mime where made in 1989, they have superb optics, so much better than other small binoculars. I reckon they could outperform a cheap pair of 10 x 50's.

[Everton]

I recently acquired a pair of BNU5 8X30 binoculars...and the views are incredible! Stars are pin sharp and numerous, as good a view as a pair of 10x50s and certainly better than any 7x50s I've owned! I'm having a lot of fun looking at the Milky Way starfields in Cygnus late at night through these at the moment.

[F15Rules]

Hi Everton,

I've got the same pair, made by Zomz in Russia. A clone of the CJ Jena. They are excellent value for money (mine cost me £13!) and do deliver very nice views.

The genuine Zeiss are better though. I had a pair until recently and the German bins are brighter with better natural colour ( the Russian ones when directly compared impart a slightly yellowish tint to the views).

But I love my Zomz for a quick grab and go view, also garden birdwatching, and at that cost I don't have to be too precious about them getting the odd scuff etc!

Dave

 

[surfindogg]

My Dad had a pair when we were kids. They were great. I didn't realise how good they were until I got to look through a pair of Zeiss bins. Sadly got dropped many times and went the way of all things! I still have one of the objectives on my desk that I use as a magnifying glass. Really worth a fiver!