Are 1960s & 70s glasses worth the money?
I need a spare 7x35/8x40 for general countryside use (conservation work).
I've seen a Nippon Kogaku 7x35 (7.3deg) and a Bausch & Lomb Zephyr 7x35 (poss. military) at rather attractive prices (<£100 GBP). Both are in excellent condition; however, there's a possibility that either may need cleaning, and this would add around £40.
In addition, I own a pair of quite light-weight Pentax 7x35 CF porros that are pretty good and very 'handy', but they ideally need cleaning - they cost me half a days' wages in 1976.
Two key questions are:
- are such old 'non-premium' glasses worth this sort of money (£100/$150) nowadays, especially when new models, such as Nikon Action EX, would cost about the same?
- do the better class of older binoculars have redeeming qualities that compensate for the lack of modern features?
Certainly I'd like to
own the Nippons, but I do use Nikon Action EX 7x35 daily and they are really good for general countryside use. Sadly, I can't justify a premium brand glass for my needs.
Do you have any thoughts please? Many thanks, Alan.
