This is description of this part:
Zeiss microscope condenser without optics, P/N 465267, made by Zeiss (Oberkochen, West Germany), for microscopes of the Zeiss Standard series.
What is a condenser without lenses used for? When working with low power objectives (roughly up to 10x - 12.5x), a better image is obtained
- either without any condenser
- or with an iris diaphragm only
- or with a special condenser of very low numerical aperture N.A.
This solution is very often used in inverted biological microscopes - and that is exactly how the condenser shown here was used.
If this were a complete condenser with optics (which it is not), the Zeiss microscope condenser P/N 465267 (also written as 46 52 67) could be fitted with N.A. 0.32 top lenses, with DIC or polarization top lenses N.A. Apl. 0.63, or with others, because the top lens is an interchangeable element screwed into the condenser housing.
The item shown here can be described as:
- a Zeiss condenser housing
- a Zeiss iris diaphragm in a housing
- also (although not correctly) a condenser with N.A. of about 0.20
However, since this is not a damaged item, it has the thread into which a condenser top lens can be screwed.
In Carl Zeiss microscopes of the Standard series (except the Standard Junior school model), the condenser is not mounted in a round holder. It has a ring-shaped dovetail that slides into the dovetail guide of the condenser carrier.
The last photo in the gallery shows the Carl Zeiss ICM 405 inverted microscope, with an arrow indicating exactly where this particular condenser was mounted.
The Zeiss 465267 condenser has a mount in the form of a dovetail ring. This mounting interface is used, among others (this is not a complete list), in the following microscope models:
- Zeiss Standard 14 / 16 / 18 / GFL
- Zeiss Standard WL / WL 89
- Zeiss Standard 20 / 25 / 25 ICS
- Zeiss Universal
- Zeiss Photomicroscope I / II / III RS
- Zeiss Ultraphot
- Zeiss IM 35 / ICM 405 inverted microscopes
The mounting ring of the condenser shown here has a diameter of 41.6 mm. The ring also has a factory-made conical notch that fits the locking pin fixing the position of the condenser. This pin is located in the condenser carrier.
Note on the mounting diameter: over nearly 50 years of production of microscopes of this series, the dovetail diameter was always about 42 mm - but it was not perfectly constant. Depending on the year of production, the material (plastic, aluminium, brass) and the type of condenser (classic Abbe or phase contrast turret condenser), it can range from slightly above 41 mm to almost 43 mm. Such a large tolerance results from the design of the condenser carrier: it has return springs, a locking pin and clamping / centering screws. Thanks to this, condensers with a mounting ring diameter of 41 to 43 mm can almost always be mounted stably.
What is this part needed for?
- if you own a Zeiss 465267 microscope condenser with a damaged housing, mounting ring or - very often - iris diaphragm, you can use this item as a service part to repair your condenser
- if you have a top lens but are missing the housing with iris diaphragm to assemble a complete condenser
- if you have a complete condenser with an extra top lens and want to make two condensers out of it
- if you need such a condenser without optics to work with low power objectives
- if you need a precise iris diaphragm for your own DIY projects
