A while ago got a hint on a Photomicroscope III and ended up getting it. Curious me, just to see if it is any good next to a Zetopan ;-) Came with good price & some fine glass, too, so it was a nobrainer really. Must say I've always liked its shape (I somewhat dislike angular scopes).
This is a late model, the Pol version, in excellent shape. All glass clean, no delamination, no slack and everything moves smoothly except the horizontal prism slider in the head. It is not completely stuck but much too stiff to use comfortably. I bet the scope has been used for a long time only in the visual mode.
So the question is: how do you open the head to clean and lubricate the slider? The prisms are clean and I don't want to risk them. I'm hesitant to try to do the cleaning job through top or front openings, just too tight to work.
When I got the scope I vacuumed all the related User Manuals from the net. Couldn't find any Service Manuals. Then contacted various Zeiss factory people around Europe but it didn't lead to much. They neither service Phomis nor have the Service manuals in any accessible location or scanned.
Is any of you Zeiss Gurus knowledgeable on this? A specific question is what is the screw underneath the tube for (left center in the second pic)? I wouldn't want take things apart without knowing when alignment etc is at stake.
Thanks for your help.
-Karl
Achtung Phomi Meisters!
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Achtung Phomi Meisters!
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Re: Achtung Phomi Meisters!
Hi Karl,
Shame I didn't see this earlier. Hope a reply is still useful...
I had the same problem with my Universal - the slider was very stiff between the first two positions, and didn't improve with use. After some fiddling I found my way in - the good news is you don't need to touch the screwdrivers. The end caps on the slider tube simply unscrew - try using the flat of your palm. Then the prism slider will slide out. It is made to be a very precise fit in the tube and I found mine was sticking due to a tiny ding in the tube (top left in first pic). I carefully filed the inner bump down with wet-and-dry paper, used wet to contain the filings, then wiped clean. It now works fine.
The screw in your photo holds the rail which stops the slider rotating. I don't think there is any lubrication, it relies on being a smooth dry fit. From the holes you can also see the tube is the same for the Universal and Phomi. See photos:
Shame I didn't see this earlier. Hope a reply is still useful...
I had the same problem with my Universal - the slider was very stiff between the first two positions, and didn't improve with use. After some fiddling I found my way in - the good news is you don't need to touch the screwdrivers. The end caps on the slider tube simply unscrew - try using the flat of your palm. Then the prism slider will slide out. It is made to be a very precise fit in the tube and I found mine was sticking due to a tiny ding in the tube (top left in first pic). I carefully filed the inner bump down with wet-and-dry paper, used wet to contain the filings, then wiped clean. It now works fine.
The screw in your photo holds the rail which stops the slider rotating. I don't think there is any lubrication, it relies on being a smooth dry fit. From the holes you can also see the tube is the same for the Universal and Phomi. See photos:
Re: Achtung Phomi Meisters!
Hi Adam,
Thanks a lot for an excellent reply! On your hint I went back to the endcaps. With some sticky rubber, gloves and brisk arm twisting I finally got the right side off. It's indeed on a fine thread, looks like 0.5mm rise per revolution. Got the piston carefully out. Nothing wrong with it or the tube as far as I could see. But I wanted a still better view.
The left end cap was completely stuck. After some hair scratching I noticed it was very slightly off. Started suspecting it might be off-thread. Very carefully with a wooden mallet got it back, moving and then off. I hope none of the body prisms minded.
Still no mechanical problem, groove or bump, visible. There was a exceedingly fine coating of grease on the tube & piston. No dry patches or clumps in it so I didn't start changing it. I'm a bit paranoid about lubricants releasing fumes which obviously don't ventilate out but may rather condense on glass. Anyways much better after all these years than e.g. with some Russians scopes that I've opened. Moved some tiny particles on the surfaces and blew some air on the glass. Voila, once back in the tube the piston moved all the way as it should and this annoying thing seems gone.
Thanks again for your most helpful advise.
Cheers, Karl
PS: Off-topic, I'm not yet sure to which direction this Phomi will evolve. Now it is my DF/pol scope. Might become a DIC scope eventually. Meanwhile I'll probably remove the electric cables and replace the base electronics with suitable weight slab. Perhaps "reprogram" the base buttons & dials. Hard to believe anyone would miss these. All these "optional things" annoy me slightly, the same way as all the unnecessary menu items and buttons in modern cameras. Just distractions.
A silly little project waits in the camera chamber. I noticed there is still film there. Curious me wants to spy the secrets in it! I still have my wet photolab stuff in store. Once I figure out which emulsion was likely used in these gadgets I'll develop the roll accordingly. Perhaps some cool images from Anonymous will appear in the Photo Section...
Thanks a lot for an excellent reply! On your hint I went back to the endcaps. With some sticky rubber, gloves and brisk arm twisting I finally got the right side off. It's indeed on a fine thread, looks like 0.5mm rise per revolution. Got the piston carefully out. Nothing wrong with it or the tube as far as I could see. But I wanted a still better view.
The left end cap was completely stuck. After some hair scratching I noticed it was very slightly off. Started suspecting it might be off-thread. Very carefully with a wooden mallet got it back, moving and then off. I hope none of the body prisms minded.
Still no mechanical problem, groove or bump, visible. There was a exceedingly fine coating of grease on the tube & piston. No dry patches or clumps in it so I didn't start changing it. I'm a bit paranoid about lubricants releasing fumes which obviously don't ventilate out but may rather condense on glass. Anyways much better after all these years than e.g. with some Russians scopes that I've opened. Moved some tiny particles on the surfaces and blew some air on the glass. Voila, once back in the tube the piston moved all the way as it should and this annoying thing seems gone.
Thanks again for your most helpful advise.
Cheers, Karl
PS: Off-topic, I'm not yet sure to which direction this Phomi will evolve. Now it is my DF/pol scope. Might become a DIC scope eventually. Meanwhile I'll probably remove the electric cables and replace the base electronics with suitable weight slab. Perhaps "reprogram" the base buttons & dials. Hard to believe anyone would miss these. All these "optional things" annoy me slightly, the same way as all the unnecessary menu items and buttons in modern cameras. Just distractions.
A silly little project waits in the camera chamber. I noticed there is still film there. Curious me wants to spy the secrets in it! I still have my wet photolab stuff in store. Once I figure out which emulsion was likely used in these gadgets I'll develop the roll accordingly. Perhaps some cool images from Anonymous will appear in the Photo Section...
Re: Achtung Phomi Meisters!
Karl,
That's great, glad to be of help!
Must admit I would be nervous of the impact of all those glass surfaces in the light path after 30+ years, maybe you could swap in a Universal head? The rest of the Phomi would be a great a source of prisms and mirrors for other projects (I already have the mirrors from an Optiphot). Or it must be possible to mount a digital camera in place of the 35mm?
Film in the camera is definitely intriguing! Guess you could do a clip test?
That's great, glad to be of help!
Must admit I would be nervous of the impact of all those glass surfaces in the light path after 30+ years, maybe you could swap in a Universal head? The rest of the Phomi would be a great a source of prisms and mirrors for other projects (I already have the mirrors from an Optiphot). Or it must be possible to mount a digital camera in place of the 35mm?
Film in the camera is definitely intriguing! Guess you could do a clip test?
Re: Achtung Phomi Meisters!
Yes, the light path of Phomi is pretty daunting. I don't much care about that byzantine maze in the stand and would have been perfectly happy finding an Universal, but this deal came my way. Whatever I do with the prisms etc. in there is open. As you say, could be a good source of spares. The thought of trying a small digital body in the film chamber occurred to me, too. Maybe some idle moment I'll try testing. Sony RX1 would be FF but maybe too big? Finding someone to align the prisms (at a reasonable cost) is probably a tall order. But their status is really rather irrelevant to me. I'll be using just the 20/80 split (bino/top, the red ring) or 100% straight to the top (external camera, colorless). And the slider optics having been removed didn't suffer any in this slightly "strong arm" repair.
This being a pol scope has full access to conoscopic image, too. That push-in optics is all in the neck. The block might be interchangeable with Optovar, dunno. But even if I change it, I first want to figure it out. Lots of things to investigate here.
Simplicity appeals to me, the Occam type. Especially when I feel that complicated tech distracts me from an interesting subject at hand, like seeing or photographing it. Then I usually choose the simpler scope. We'll see where this takes with this beast.
Cheers, Karl
This being a pol scope has full access to conoscopic image, too. That push-in optics is all in the neck. The block might be interchangeable with Optovar, dunno. But even if I change it, I first want to figure it out. Lots of things to investigate here.
Simplicity appeals to me, the Occam type. Especially when I feel that complicated tech distracts me from an interesting subject at hand, like seeing or photographing it. Then I usually choose the simpler scope. We'll see where this takes with this beast.
Cheers, Karl