Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!

SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Tele-Xenar 3,5/135 Schneider-Kreuznach
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:39 am    Post subject: Tele-Xenar 3,5/135 Schneider-Kreuznach Reply with quote

Once again a lovely lens, obtained by a trade with member Oldhand,Thanks so much!

F 8




PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wide Open




PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 7:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice.
I have had a few of these of different eras. The ones I have opened all seem to have been five-element types.
They also tend to be very well made and beautifully finished.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This one is beautifully finished, and still has its hood. When I have some time I will be taking some photos of the lens and post them here.The focus grip is the smallest I have seen and sits very close to the aperture ring.
It also has a threaded hole like what you would have for a tripod mount , but it's smaller than any tripod mount hole that I have seen....I am not sure what it would be used for.

I traded a Listar 135/2.8 lens,that is a bit of an odd bod,a lens I forgot I had. I hope Oldhand posts some samples so you guys can try and guess the maker.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice shots Mo. I have an old 1950s one of these for the Diax, modified to fit my NEX. It's a stunning lens, critically sharp even wide open at f4 and has very strong contrast. It's every bit the equal of my 1950s Zeiss Sonnar 4/135 for Contax.

IMHO Schneider lenses tend to be a bit underrated, I have quite a few of them, mostly for MF/LF but also for 35mm and all of them are the equal (or very close) to their Zeiss contemporaries I think.

Here's my Tele-Xenar next to a Jupier-11 copy of the Sonnar 4/135:


Here's a pair of samples, one from my Tele-Xenar 4/135 and one from my Zeiss Contax Sonnar 4/135, see if you can guess which is which, all are wide open at f4:

Lens A:



Lens B:



PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice photos! Happy to see the sunflower!
I have a Schneider Xenar 2.8/50 which I think is nice and looks
very nice too! I like those nice looking old lenses.

Thanks for the photo of the lens Ian. I can't tell from the photos
which lens is which, but I am not expert. Smile


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Funny you say that Ian, about the similarities with the Sonnar. As I found the Xenar images are very much like my MC S 3,5/135 Sonnar images ,the color,the OOF and the sharpness......to close to call.

You have some great lenses by the way very nice!


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mo wrote:
Funny you say that Ian, about the similarities with the Sonnar. As I found the Xenar images are very much like my MC S 3,5/135 Sonnar images ,the color,the OOF and the sharpness......to close to call.

You have some great lenses by the way very nice!


Is the Xenar a copy of the Sonnar?


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That question is way above my knowledge of designs,hopefully someone can answer it for you. I am just comparing the images from each lens.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mo wrote:
Funny you say that Ian, about the similarities with the Sonnar. As I found the Xenar images are very much like my MC S 3,5/135 Sonnar images ,the color,the OOF and the sharpness......to close to call.

You have some great lenses by the way very nice!


Yes, the differences are very minute indeed, I have a Zebra Jena Sonnar 3.5/135 as well and it is again, very very similar.

Cheers, I am patient to pick these things up when they appear cheap due to poor listings on ebay, the Tele-Xenar was a 99p purchase because of the well worn condition (but perfect glass) and arcane Diax fitting for which there are no adapters. The Sonnar 4/135 was 41ukp, one of the most expensive lenses I've bought but I needed it for my Contax collection. You can buy a Jupiter-11 copy that performs almost the same for much less, a few clicks in PP and it is virtually impossible to tell a J11 apart from the 'pukka' Sonnar.


PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

uddhava wrote:
mo wrote:
Funny you say that Ian, about the similarities with the Sonnar. As I found the Xenar images are very much like my MC S 3,5/135 Sonnar images ,the color,the OOF and the sharpness......to close to call.

You have some great lenses by the way very nice!


Is the Xenar a copy of the Sonnar?


You would think, with the name Tele-Xenar it would be close to the Tele-Tessar, but according to this diagram I found for the 3.5/135 Tele-Xenar, it is quite close to a Sonnar:



Sonnar 4/135:



However, the later Tele-Xenar 3.5/135 is quite different, 5 elements in a different layout:



So I think the earlier Tele-Xenars are close to the Sonnar in layout but later ones aren't.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here is the lens in question
#1

#2

#3

#4

#5


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mo. You lens is the later 5 elements version.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 7:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice lens in very nice shape! Congrats.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A later one than any I have had. This is a fully automatic M42 lens and I have only had Exakta mounts, presets and semi-auto types.
The threaded socket is possibly for a cable release, to stop the lens down.
I had another with this feature.
I believe it was in case it was to be used on older Edixa or Contax bodies with no mechanism to press the auto pin. One would use a double ended cable release to release the shutter and stop down the lens.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Beautiful lens!


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice shots and lens, Mo


Be careful Schneideritis is very contagious and almost incurable


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Luis it has an A/M switch just next to the little "cable release" hole. Thanks for all the comments, it is a lovely lens in above average condition,I am grateful to Oldhand for such a good trade.

Johnbar,its already to late for me, any good looking German,Russian lens is always going to attract me. Very Happy


PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

@mo
Your very lucky... i had to buy a couple of copies after Oldhand told me he would "never sell it" !

@iangreenhalgh1
Thank you for the diagrams

@calvin83
Thanks for specifying which ones are my copies

I didn't get a chance to shoot much with eather of them... but i saw that these Xenars are sharp !

Both copy will be back from repair/CLA soon !

Oh... and i will keep only one Wink


PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mir wrote:
@mo
Your very lucky... i had to buy a couple of copies after Oldhand told me he would "never sell it" !

@iangreenhalgh1
Thank you for the diagrams

@calvin83
Thanks for specifying which ones are my copies

I didn't get a chance to shoot much with eather of them... but i saw that these Xenars are sharp !

Both copy will be back from repair/CLA soon !

Oh... and i will keep only one Wink


Yes, I did say that......... bad memory I'm afraid - my apologies.
Be happy, you now have two to choose from.
....... and - oh - I didn't sell it.
Cheers
OH


PostPosted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No apologies needed, fact is, you did not sell it !

And I'll only be happy when the postman rings...