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Carl Zeiss DF and EDF Binoculars DDR Production
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DF 7x40 Carl Zeiss Binoculars
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DF 7x40 Carl Zeiss Binoculars |
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The DF 7x40 was produced during the 1960s/70's by Carl Zeiss Jena for the East German NVA. The DF is regarded by experts as the finest binocular ever made in Jena. The DF features an extremely robust and armored body, a ranging reticle which can be illuminated by a battery powered device and a detector for active infra-red sources, which is charged by the UV contribution during daylight. There are yellow filters for use under hazy weather conditions. These yellow filters are stored inside the of the plastic ocular cover. The eyecups are made of soft rubber and fold in so that the binocular can be used with gas-mask or glasses. The DF in service use, featured a leather strap attached to the central joint of the binoculars so the DF could be fastened to the soldier's uniform so there was some measure of stability while the soldier was moving. The DF binoculars were to be carried according to NVA regulation "at the man". It was forbidden for East German soldiers to rest the DF 7x40s on vehicles, indicating some measure of their value and the resources involved in manufacture. The EDF 7x40 was designed as the successor of the DF 7x40 and introduced in 1981. Carl Zeiss engineer's main aim in the EDF design was to build a binocular with same qualities as the DF, but at a lower weight and smaller size. The DF in NVA and Grenztruppen service was an optimal performer for watch tower surveillance but at 1.2 Kg, a challenge for soldiers to carry around under combat conditions. Carl Zeiss engineers came up with a more compact roof-prism design, employing a split doublet objective and a five lens ocular construction. The EDF was built in 2 versions: The standard EDF 7x40 was equipped with a radioactive reticle illumination, the EDF 7x40 oB without illumination. The EDF also contains a detector for active infrared sources. The Carl Zeiss DF and EDF was used by all branches of the NVA including the LANDSTREITKRÄFTE, VOLKSMARINE, LUFTSTREITKRÄFTE/LUFTVERTEIDIGUNG, GRENZTRUPPEN and the forces of the MdI. Carl Zeiss Binocular Production year /# produced /serial # 1956 57976 2830702 1957 71465 2914031 1958 63071 2977102 1959 55999 3033101 1960 57400 3090501 1961 59000 3149501 1962 96500 3246001 1963 68000 3314001 1964 86000 3400001 1965 17500 3417501 1966 57000 3474501 1967 6600 3481101 1968 60600 3541701 1969 98410 3640111 1970 154300 3794411 1971 88151 3882562 1972 93600 3976162 1973 70200 4046362 1974 164960 4211322 1975 128590 4339912 1976 149600 4489512 1977 178000 4667512 1978 153300 4820812 1979 164800 4985612 1980 471320 5456932 1981 204400 5661332 1982 11400 5672732 1983 373300 6046032 1984 22000 6068032 1985 220969 6289001 1986 158041 6447042 1987 190131 6637173 1988 260300 6897473 1989 156000 7053473 1990 187700 7241173 1991 5640 7246633 |