Older(?) Mitutoyo objectives (w/ red lettering)
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Older(?) Mitutoyo objectives (w/ red lettering)
I've been eying some Mitutoyo objectives on eBay lately. I noticed that some specimens have the objective name printed in red (e.g. "M Plan Apo 20x"), the rest of the objective specs are printed in black. Looking at listings/images for current objectives, the lettering seems to be all black. So I wonder, if these objectives are older versions? The specs appear to be identical to the recent objectives, but these red versions are considerably cheaper (make that: less expensive). Does anyone know, how they compare?
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rjlittlefield
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Some caution is required.
If you're looking at something similar to item 301657985191 (a 2X with red lettering), that's not a Mitutoyo and the objective doesn't say that it's a Mitutoyo. It just looks like a Mitutoyo in general design of the barrel.
The accompanying item description in that example does say "Mitutoyo", but it also says "M Plan Apo NUV 50", which is clearly not correct because markings on the objective say 2X NA 0.055 . The item's title is wrong also, since it lists "0.55", missing a zero. In general, anything said in a text description that differs from what's shown in the photos is probably wrong and (in my opinion) is a bad sign in any case because it indicates a sloppy seller.
The specs listed for those off-brand objectives are identical to Mitutoyo's, but the performance is not. I'm not sure that I've seen head-to-head comparisons. My expectation is that central performance would be OK but fall off a lot quicker toward the edges.
Looking specifically for 20X objectives with red lettering, I find for example item number 391188832877. In that case the text says Mitutoyo and the vial says Mitutoyo, but there is no photo that shows Mitutoyo printed on the objective itself. In that case the seller has a huge number of reviews with 100% positive feedback and returns permitted, all of which of course is a good sign. Before purchasing that objective I would specifically ask whether Mitutoyo is printed on the objective itself.
Even for a real Mitutoyo, it is very important to test the objective on receipt to see if it gives an appropriately good image. It is not uncommon for those objectives to have been dropped, shocked, or even disassembled so as to cause an internal element to shift position. This can significantly degrade the image even though the objective looks fine from the outside. My personal example is discussed HERE. Note that it's hard to tell in isolation whether the objective is good. If you don't have a good 20X to compare against, then sometimes it's possible to find another forum member (not me) who will do the comparison for you.
--Rik
If you're looking at something similar to item 301657985191 (a 2X with red lettering), that's not a Mitutoyo and the objective doesn't say that it's a Mitutoyo. It just looks like a Mitutoyo in general design of the barrel.
The accompanying item description in that example does say "Mitutoyo", but it also says "M Plan Apo NUV 50", which is clearly not correct because markings on the objective say 2X NA 0.055 . The item's title is wrong also, since it lists "0.55", missing a zero. In general, anything said in a text description that differs from what's shown in the photos is probably wrong and (in my opinion) is a bad sign in any case because it indicates a sloppy seller.
The specs listed for those off-brand objectives are identical to Mitutoyo's, but the performance is not. I'm not sure that I've seen head-to-head comparisons. My expectation is that central performance would be OK but fall off a lot quicker toward the edges.
Looking specifically for 20X objectives with red lettering, I find for example item number 391188832877. In that case the text says Mitutoyo and the vial says Mitutoyo, but there is no photo that shows Mitutoyo printed on the objective itself. In that case the seller has a huge number of reviews with 100% positive feedback and returns permitted, all of which of course is a good sign. Before purchasing that objective I would specifically ask whether Mitutoyo is printed on the objective itself.
Even for a real Mitutoyo, it is very important to test the objective on receipt to see if it gives an appropriately good image. It is not uncommon for those objectives to have been dropped, shocked, or even disassembled so as to cause an internal element to shift position. This can significantly degrade the image even though the objective looks fine from the outside. My personal example is discussed HERE. Note that it's hard to tell in isolation whether the objective is good. If you don't have a good 20X to compare against, then sometimes it's possible to find another forum member (not me) who will do the comparison for you.
--Rik
Just wanted to follow up on this eBay item: I ended up asking the seller about the labeling and he send me a photo, showing the Mitutoyo label on the back. A day later, however, the objective was delisted. The same seller listed another 20x (with all black lettering) a few days later for $100 less ($400) - which I ended up buying.
Seemed a little risky, but it looks like, I ended up with a decent specimen:
M3 screw - 200 frames stacked in Zerene (PMax)
And here is a 100% crop from near the corner
Btw: for lighting, I used two LED lamps I put together based on Charles Krebs' recent post
Seemed a little risky, but it looks like, I ended up with a decent specimen:
M3 screw - 200 frames stacked in Zerene (PMax)
And here is a 100% crop from near the corner
Btw: for lighting, I used two LED lamps I put together based on Charles Krebs' recent post