Schneider Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 5.5 300mm

[harshan]

I am considering buying a Schneider Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 5.5 300mm

used. The compur shutter and glass seems perfect. I would like to

know if anyone out there has this lens and what your thoughts are on

it. How is the contrast and sharpness? Is it worth getting for $300

or should I look at a new version?

[colin carron]

How old is it? You can work out the age from the serial number by looking up the info at www.schneideroptics.com.

 

Can your camera use a 300mm non-tele lens or is bellows draw restricted?

[mark_cudworth]

I actually have one of these (they are rare when compared to the 360mm version). Unfortunately, I haven't used it enough to have a definite opinion on it. It seems as contrasty as my other lenses, but they are all uncoated, so take that for what it is worth. I intend to use this lens mostly for portraits, so sharpness isn't a big issue. I bought this lens at the same estate auction as my Linhof, so it was a fair deal at the time.

 

As someone else has asked, what do you intend to do with this lens? If you are shooting lanscapes and your camera can handle a 300mm non-telephoto lens, you might consider getting one of the small, coated 300mm lenses available.

[harshan]

I am considerng this lens because i use a Walker Titan XL (Mostly use wide angles)but sometimes i need the extra bit of focal length.The longest lens of non-tele design i can use is the 180.(Max bellows draw is about 180).I tried the 300 5.5 tele=-xenar and fits very well on my Walker. I shoot mostly architecture and very seldom do potraits.

[mark_cudworth]

I am at work at the moment, so I can't check this myself right now, but I think this lens may have some amount of pincushion distortion. While this may be easily overlooked in portraits and landscapes, it could cause problems for architecture. I might be wrong about this, so be sure to check other sources or, if at all possible, try the lens out before purchasing it. Other focal lengths of this lens are pretty common (especially the 360mm), so you may want to do a Google search on "tele-xenar pincushion" or something similar.

 

Also keep in mind that using front swing/tilt can be a real nuisance with this lens because of its telephoto design. I find my lens useful, but I think it may be a poor choice for architecture.

[colin carron]

I have a 270mm version of this lens and although it is quite old, single coated and in a non-synched shutter it works quite well. A modern telephoto would probably be better corrected and be a bit sharper but I find the Tele Xenar ok for my purposes. (mostly landscape & architecture). The books say the Tele Arton of about the same age is better corrected and sharper but whether this would be noticeable in practice I don't know. In the end you will have to decide whether you want the extra performance you would get from a more modern (and more expensive) lens such as the Nikon tele's. The price depends on the condition and what sort of guarantee you would be getting but assuming everything is ok it sounds a fair price to me.

[david_goldfarb]

I just had a Tele-Xenar 500/5.5 adapted for medium format use, and would presume that the design is the same as the 300/5.5. It does show a bit of pincushion distortion, but who is using a long tele for architecture that often anyway? More often one wants a wide lens for that purpose. I was surprised from the first couple of rolls at how sharp and contrasty this lens is even at f:8. Bear in mind that I'm using it for 6x6, so I'm using just the center of the image circle.

[harshan]

hi all

I finally got the lens and had an instant go with it!!..after all what i heard i wasnt expecting great results!!but ..i must admit i was pleasantly surprised!!..I used Provia f100 on a 6x9 roll film back.

The pictures were super sharp and the contrast was just right!!..i havent tried it on 4x5 as yet so wont know how it is across an entire surface!!...

Thanks for all you comments!! and when i have saved up enough i will get one of those New Nikkor ED tele lenses..have a heard a lot about them!!

Harshan Thomson