Pair of German Carl Ziess Jena, Rabbit Ear Periscope Binoculars

Pair of German Carl Ziess Jena, Rabbit Ear Periscope Binoculars

An excellent pair of “Carl Zeiss Jena” manufactured rabbit ear Periscope binoculars. Optical condition with grid scale in place but could do with a good clean. Original green -grey paint.  Good complete pair with original wooden handle . sliding covers for the top lenses.

In 1894, Carl Zeiss introduced a new and unusual type of prism binocular. Zeiss called its invention the Scherenfernrohr (scissors telescope) – an 8 x 10 power device fitted with adjustable twin periscopic extensions connected by a hinge. An observer could position the tubular “ears” upright and parallel to each other or splayed out horizontally for greater depth perception (stereoscopic vision), causing objects to appear in modelled relief, strongly distinct from the background and thus estimate the range. This hybrid between binoculars and a periscope enabled the observer to remain safely concealed in dug-outs, behind walls or even tree trunks with only the objective lens visible to the enemy.