New Schneider lens at photokina!

[Arne Croell]

Schneider just showed a new LF lens on their web site, the "Apo-Tele-Xenar 11/350mm compact": http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/news.htm

It has an image circle of 350mm, covering up to 8x10, and is intended as a "high-resolution, lightweight and affordable lens" for field cameras according to the German description
The name and description maybe somewhat at odds (in my opinion): despite the "Tele" designation, the description says it is an apochromatic, symmetric lens with 4 elements, best aperture f/16-f/22 - sounds like a close relative of the process lens family to me, like their former Apo-Artar? Note that the pic on their web site shows it with an optional extender tube for cameras with short bellows, if you click on their pictures link you get another one without extender as a zip file.
Despite the strange name, its quite exciting that they still bring us new lenses!

[Don Hutton]

What's exciting about that is a 360 in a Copal 1 shutter...

[BarryS]

You have to give Schneider credit for continuing to bring out new large format lenses. It can't be a true Tele with a symmetrical design--right? So Tele as in a longer focal length lens for 4x5 and 5x7.

[Arne Croell]

You have to give Schneider credit for continuing to bring out new large format lenses. It can't be a true Tele with a symmetrical design--right? So Tele as in a longer focal length lens for 4x5 and 5x7.

Yes - that is how I read it, "tele" just being the term for longer focal length, not the lens construction, like it is used in the 35mm world nowadays. They don't show the lens setup, but from the description (4 lenses, symmetric) and looks my guess is its a dialyte like the Apo-Ronar or Apo-Artar. This would be the 1st dialyte in production since the demise of the Apo-Ronar some years ago (and its multicoated!). Theoretically, it could also be a double Gauss like an Aristostigmat, but I doubt that.

[Brad Rippe]

Arne, Any idea on the price?
-Brad

[Arne Croell]

Arne, Any idea on the price?
-Brad

Sorry, Brad, the only hint is the "affordable" ("preiswert" in German) quote in their writeup, whatever that means.

[Arne Croell]

What's exciting about that is a 360 in a Copal 1 shutter...

I guess they did their market research - there is not much competition, including the competition from their own older lenses like the G-Claron - the 355mm G-Claron came in a size 3 shutter. The only real alternative I can think about is the long discontinued 360mm Fujinon-A, and it commands very high prices on the used market.

[Rick Olson]

Rough translation via the web:

The Apo Tele Xenar 11/350 Compact becomes fair the desires of ambitious amateur photographers for a particularly highly soluble, light and inexpensive objective for run ground cameras. It can for cameras of different offerers to including format 8" x 10" are used. The objective has a focal length of 350 mm with an opening of 11. The large picture circle of 350 mm makes the employment possible of the objective to 8" x 10" and/or 18cm x 24cm large size. The apochromatisch corrected objective, vierlinsig and completely symmetrically, shows already with full opening a very good imaging capacity and has with work screen 16 and/or 22 a homogeneous dissolution with very high contrast. For run ground cameras with short bellow excerpts up to approx. 320 mm a Tubus can be used as accessories, which shortens the plant measure of the objective around approx. 44 mm without mechanical Vignettierung and a bellow excerpt of 280 mm results in. The Tubus is back threaded of the catch size 3, so that it can be used into commercial objective plates with drilling for the catch size 3.

[Ole Tjugen]

An off-the cuff human translation from German to English through a Norwegian brain:

"The Apo-Tele-Xenar 11/350 was made to fulfill the wishes of ambitious amateur photographers for large format lens with exceptionally high resolution yet with low weight and an affordable price. It can be used with cameras from various suppliers up to and including 8x10" format.

The lens has a focal length of 350mm with a largest aperture of f:11. The generous 350mm image circle allows it to be used on 8x10" and 18x24cm large format cameras.

This apochromatically corrected lens, with its fully symmetrical four-element construction, gives very good image quality already at full aperture. At working aperture of f:16 to f:22 it has a very even resolution with exceptional contrast.

For field cameras with short bellows an accessory extension tube can be used. This extends the lens by 44mm without mechanical vignetting, and allows the lens to be used with a bellows extension of no more than 280mm.

The end of the tube has the same threads as a standard #3 shutter, allowing its use on lens boards drilled for standard #3 shutters."

[Skorzen]

hmmm looks like Schneider is trying to compete with their biggest competitor, their own old glass! I am curious to see just what "affordable" means though.