150mm/4.5 Xenar vs. Tessar

[richardman]

Hi Richard, this may be an interesting article for you.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/portrait-lenses/

Macolive: thanks! That's exactly the page where I got the idea of getting a Xenar from :-)

Currently I am leaning toward getting 150 Geronar since there are a couple available in US. There is a Tessar lens coming to my way that needs "resolution" (not image resolution, but somehow sell it or ship it back resolution), but that's another thread.

[richardman]

Depending on vintage and condition, you may have gotten a good deal, or not.

:-) Truer statement has never been made, thanks O-n-F.

I am 99.99% sure that I will not keep the lens. I have gotten the money back, so it's not an issue.

[Old-N-Feeble]

If you got your money back then the resolution is obvious... return it.

[richardman]

If you got your money back then the resolution is obvious... return it.

Yes, but it costs $40 to send from US to Europe, so it's now up to the seller on what to do. I feel bad for him too. I would probably offer him that I could act as a "middle man" and he can try to sell to a US buyer.

All of these were laid out in the original posts.... Now we have 2 pages of me regurgitating one line at a time.

[BradS]

I have both a 150mm f/5.6 Xenar and a 150mm Geronar (Caltar II-E). Both are in modern black copal shutters. Neither has seen much use. I prefer the 'look' of the Geronar but have little use for the 150mm focal legth.

I'd be happy to sell either for $150 + $10 domestic shipping.

[richardman]

Dang, and I just literally, 20 minutes ago, bought a Geornar, off the fleabay. Ah well, thanks for the offer Brad.

[BradS]

Dang, and I just literally, 20 minutes ago, bought a Geornar, off the fleabay. Ah well, thanks for the offer Brad.

You mean this one for $199 ?

I guess I should up my asking price.

[richardman]

Yes, THAT one. It's $20+#$40 (shipping) cheaper than the one from Korea.

[richardman]

I'm having phenomenally bad luck with this adventure :-)

[IanG]

If it's labeled "Tessar" then it's a Carl Zeiss Jena. If it's labeled "Xenar" then it's a Schneider Kreuznach.

Not correct, I own quite a few Tessar lenses including two f4.5 150mm Tessar lenses, both mine are coated one is from Carl Zeiss Jena the other is marked Carl Zeiss and is in a Linhof shutter and is one of the first from the West German company at Oberkochen.

I've also got a B&L Tessar in an Optimo shutter, before WWI Zeiss licensed their lens designs, they also had a factory in London, so you see the occasional Carl Zeiss (London) Tessars, Ross Tessars, and Krauss in France. There's also Ross, Mill Hill, Tessars made in the former Zeiss factory given to Ross by the British government during WWI.

Macolive: thanks! That's exactly the page where I got the idea of getting a Xenar from :-)

Currently I am leaning toward getting 150 Geronar since there are a couple available in US. There is a Tessar lens coming to my way that needs "resolution" (not image resolution, but somehow sell it or ship it back resolution), but that's another thread.

The Geronar is a Triplet so not a Tessar type lens. Good luck with the one you've bought.

Back to your original question I used to have a 150mm f4.5 Xenar, I now have a 150nn f5.6 Xenar and there's no noticeable difference to my 150mm f4.5 CZJ Tessar I've used both extensively.

Ian