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The top shelf of cameras brought to you by {name}

Rob ter Ellen

As an aficionado of (German) binoculars, I am by no means an expert on microscopes. But when I came across this solid black painted brass instrument bearing the name ‘Hensoldt Wetzlar’, I knew it was something special. When I screwed-off the rigid metal cover, I discovered it is a peppermill-sized microscope with two draw tubes to adjust the magnification. There is a single eyepiece and a single objective. The focusing control, with a fine grip, threads the optical tube through the support ring. The stage is made of glass with a fixed angled mirror in the base and stage clips are attached to the ring around the base. The design is simply perfect, and it works! I fitted an old microscopic slide of a butterfly tongue, fiddled a bit with the tubes, caught the light with the mirror and there it was – a clear and sharp image, handheld! 
 
Here are the basics: 
 
Hensoldt Wetzlar < Tami > field microscope
 
Marked with serial number 11470 and the Hensoldt Wetzlar logo on the top of the metal cover (please note it has the ‘old style’ logo with the dots on each side of the word WETZLAR). The instrument itself is also marked with the Hensoldt logo, the model name > Tami < and D.R.P. (meaning Deutsche Reichspatent). Magnification range: 35 - 225x. Dimensions: when fitted with the cover 100 x 27-47 mm (conical shaped; fits in a fist); when fully extracted it reaches a height of 195 mm. Weight with cover 450 g. 
 
Condition - The instrument is used and has some wear of black paint, especially down the stage and on the black tube rings. This gives a nice brass look. Stage clips are a bit corroded. Mechanically and optically it is in perfect shape and fully functioning. Although at least 70-year old, it is still a reliable and indestructible field companion and a sought after collector’s item.
 
Some history - The Hensoldt Tami was patented in Germany in 1921 and in 1922 in the United States. 'Tami' is an acronym of the German word 'Taschenmikroskop', meaning 'pocket microscope', also named ‘field microscope’ or ‘expedition microscope’. It is indeed an extremely small compound microscope for incident and transmitted natural light. The introduction of the 'Tami' was followed by the larger 'Metami' (from about 1923 to 1928) and the more advanced 'Protami' (from about 1925 to 1939). Although production of the Metami and Protami ceased in the second quarter of the twentieth century, production of the good old original Tami continued well into the 1950s and improved versions, that could be tilted, continued even longer. I am not sure of the age of the instrument for sale here, but it was definitely manufactured somewhere between 1920 and 1950, most likely before WW2. The serial number should be a clue to the exact age.

A notable microscopist wrote this recent review: 'The frosted ring on the stage is very helpful if you have to find an object on the slide quickly. You even do not have to carry along a slide as you can place the objects or a drop of water directly on the glass stage. So, the Tami is ideal if you do not want to carry along a lot of equipment, when you are at the beach or when you just want to screen some samples in order to decide whether it might be worthwhile to take them back at home.'


Very good

Microscope - Hensoldt Wetzlar Tami - Field Microscope

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