Schneider Xenon 0.95 25mm c-mount lens

LyleBright · Joined: 05 Jun 2018 Posts: 22

I would appreciate your thoughts on the SCHNEIDER XENON .95/25mm C-MOUNT for use on 4/3rds camera (Olympus P2 in my case) vs any other f0.95 in the same 25mm focal length.

I have 25mm Dallmeyer and Cooke 1.5 lenses that are marvellous, but I seek a really precise lens with very high image quality and interesting bokeh. In film cameras I had always used Leica and Hasselblad lenses. I hope to find something similar for use in 4/3rds format.

One review I read seemed to prefer the ‘cinematic’ bokeh of the Angenieux .95 and the Ange is less costly.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience!

For fun and interest a few shots with my Cooke 25mm, wide open as always:

wolan · Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Posts: 576 Location: Zurich

LyleBright · Joined: 05 Jun 2018 Posts: 22

I looked over your images Wolan. I saw many I liked. This one caught me especially:

wolan · Joined: 30 Jun 2015 Posts: 576 Location: Zurich

Thanks. I am glad you liked it.
This was taken with a Biotar. It is a unique lens, but to shoot WO and nail the focus one must sweat blood...

Cheers

Ichidomo · Joined: 20 Jun 2018 Posts: 16

I have a Schneider Kreuznach 25mm F0.95 in c-mount.

Very sharp lens on my gh5, at f1.4 the centre is pinsharp even at close range, the edges are less sharp at medium range but start to clear up from f2.8 and up but still very impressive cover for a 1 inch c-mount. The vignette is minimal in m4/3, at least no hard edges or borders. I did a test video a while back, the first part at daylight is with the cooke kinetal 17,5mm the night shots are with the Schneider. I also have a cooke kinetal (speed panchromatic design) in 25mm but haven't uploaded anything yet, also a very fine lens.

please note that YT compresses the hell out of it, the original files are pinsharp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSElY6nXvSU&t=119s

LyleBright · Joined: 05 Jun 2018 Posts: 22

Hello. Thank you for that information. I had come across that video when I was researching the Schneider interestingly enough.

I don’t have any experience with video so it does not help me to get a sense as to how the lens will behave for my use in still photography. Or, it helps only to a certain degree.

The Cooke Kinic is I think my favorite lens but I have also been gaining appreciation for the Dallmeyer Anastigmat 25mm 1.5.

Any other thoughts on the lenses you like and why you like them would be very appreciated. (I am B&W analogue shooter and used Leica, Hasselblad and Mamiya (6) cameras. Now, I am trying to get more familiar with digital.)

Shot with Dallmeyer:

Ichidomo · Joined: 20 Jun 2018 Posts: 16

I guess it really depends what you're looking for and personal taste. For me they have to be sharp enough to use wide open and have a certain character in rendering. I have about 25 vintage lenses in all sort of varieties. The cooke kinetals are different from the kinics, they were designed to cover 16mm by Gordon Cook who designed the famous speed panchro's ser II, so they should cover a larger sensor area than the kinics (correct me if I'm wrong).
What's you preferred focal range (on smaller sensors)?
At the moment I'm eyeballing a Kodak cine Anastigmat 50mm f1.6, looks like a great match for m4/3.

LyleBright · Joined: 05 Jun 2018 Posts: 22

Ichidomo · Joined: 20 Jun 2018 Posts: 16

As I understand you are looking for certain imperfections and you don't mind the lenses being soft? The 25mm Schneider is the only C-mount lens I have, the cooke are in arrive standard mount and most of my other lenses are in the regular nikon C/Y Olympus M42 and Canon mount. There are so many lenses and an equal amount of flavors out there so it's hard to recommend just from my point of view.

LyleBright · Joined: 05 Jun 2018 Posts: 22

I got hold of the Schneider 25mm f0.95. Very precise lens. I include some still shots for anyone who might be interested:

kds315* · Expire: 2021-03-09

I had a few of those high speed c-mount lenses, tried them and sold them all later on (with profit)
as I was not really convinced about them. Consider the Canon and Fuji 25mm high speed versions,
as they are good, but somewhat difficult to mount. Also the Kern (Paillard Bolex) Switar f1.1 26mm
is a fine lens.