Schneider Tele-Xenar 5.5/360 and Xenotar 2.8/80?

apicius9 · Joined: 03 Nov 2009 Posts: 74 Location: Hawaii

Hello everyone,

just a few words to start: I have been lurking around here for a while and occasionally post over on getdpi.com. After a long time of point & shoot digital snapshooting, my old interest in photography has been rekindled by the entry of the Panasonic G1 and the micro 4/3 format. I love the idea of using old glass on the modern digital technology, and in a very heavy attack of GAS I have bought way too many c-mount cine lenses in the past year (don't even ask... Embarassed

), some Kodak cine lenses, a few Canon FDs, and I have reactivated some older Leica R lenses. All work great on the G1 and it is a lot of fun - and I have read many helpful comments here on manual lenses that have taught me a lot.

Now, today I, aaeehh, accidentally bought a lens on ebay. (I hope I can link to closed ebay auctions here?):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120489144726&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I just never thought it would go for that price. Its a Schneider Tele-Xenar 5.5/360. Of course, I am aware that this contradicts the whole idea of a small, portable system with changeable lenses like the G1, but I like Schneiders and on the G1 this becomes a reasonably fast 720mm lens. I live in Honolulu, and now I can take pictures of the surfers Smile

Anyway, unfortunately, that is pretty much everything I know about this lens. Does anybody have experience with it? The search function leads to a few Xenars but not this one. To be honest, I don't even know what mount this is - does anybody recognize that? Of course, I have mailed the seller, but haven't heard back, yet, and thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce myself here.

The second one I snapped up today - this time intentionally - was the Xenotar 2.8/80 in c-mount format with the bellows:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250524795362&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I did find a few, usually very positive comments, about this lens on the web, but if anybody has personal experience, I would love to hear about it. I also have no idea about a fair price for this lens & bellows combo, but the c-mount was too tempting because i can use it with all the other cine lenses I have.

Thanks for your comments,

Stefan

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

I was thinking about getting that Schneider 360.

I was plotting to snipe it, but the price went over my limit.

I happen to have one already, in M42 mount -

http://forum.mflenses.com/schneider-tele-xenar-360-5-5-m42-t9251,highlight,schneider+360.html

In a word, I think its a fantastic lens, one of those I am always choosing out of my collection for the sake of taking pictures as opposed to testing lenses.

I was thinking of putting an M42 mount on that one and reselling; you got it cheap only because its in a weird custom Photo-Sonics cine mount; the vendor is selling a pile of government surplus stuff for Photo-Sonics gear.

You will have to convert it to something. How to do so depends on the details of how they put the Photo-Sonics mount on it in the first place. There are many ways to skin this cat without going to a machinist.

I don't know about Xenotars. A lot of lenses for different purposes have carried that name apparently. It looks from the listing like this particular one was designed for macro work.

apicius9 · Joined: 03 Nov 2009 Posts: 74 Location: Hawaii

Thanks, that is very helpful already. I somehow missed your thread about the lens, that is very promising. Of course, I know nothing about modifying mounts, so should I have the lens sent directly to you? Wink

(only half-joking...)

When I google for Xenotars, they usually come up as Rollei lenses and get very favorable comments. But you are right, there seem to ve several versions out there with that name. I checked Schneider's website and they have specifics about older lenses in their archive, but they don't refer to different versions.

http://www.schneideroptics.com/info/vintage_lens_data/large_format_lenses/xenotar/

I was wondering if that just means that the main specs in all models are the same? Their statement 'A 5-element, 4-group design, giving a 60° angle of coverage. These are fast lenses compared to other lens designs of similar focal length, but with somewhat less coverage.' should not be too worrisome, I hope, because if the smaller size of the m4/3 sensor.

I have a few Schneider Xenars in c-mount and really like them, so I am hopeful.

Stefan

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

That old Schneider catalog was referencing the original large/medium format versions of this lens. These would all have the same optical formula with different focal lengths as shown, suitable to different film sizes or otherwise as coverage was required (camera movements on large format for instance) - for 6x6 roll film, 4x5, 5x7, etc. From the specs all versions gave a 59-60 degree angle of view, which would make these things moderate wide-angles or wide normals, the equivalent of something between a 35mm and a 50mmm on 35mm film.

Very fast wide angles actually. With few elements by modern standards for such a lens.

The Rollei Xenotars seem to have been "normals" for 6x6, 75-80mm, about a 50mm equivalent.

Yours seems to have been designed as a bellows macro lens for movie film, which is something else again. That would be quite a long lens for that format.