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Thread: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

  1. #1

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    300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    I've got a barrel mounted 300 Xenar 4.5 (from a forum member) that, with great hardship, I have managed to mount to a board. I notice that the lens is constructed a lot differently than the older 300 xenars mounted in a compound. No brass. Different size flange, or at least the outer diameter of the flange. And interestingly this baby only goes up to F/32. Was it maybe used as a copy or enlarging lens?

    Do you think there are any image quality differences between this and the older version?

    The serial is: 11 984 208

    Thanks

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  2. #2
    mandoman7's Avatar
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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    I have one like that that's a 360mm. I believe they were used by the military in aerial cameras, but others know more. Quite nice, I think, in both stopped down and wide open modes.
    John Youngblood
    www.jyoungblood.com

  3. #3
    loujon
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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    To tell you the truth I don't see much difference from one high quality Tessar f4.5 formula lens to the other. Zeiss Tessar, Xanar, Radar, Vellostigmat II, Paragon, Glyptar, B&L Tessar, Xpres and so on. They all seem to do what they do well no matter who manufactured them.

  4. #4

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    I have the 480mm Schneider Xenar its also marked only up only to f32 but can close it up to f45, I like it much its sharp full open but not harsh and gets really sharp at f8 up to the corners of my 8x10. The number on mine is 6445400 and it looks like new!
    Mine is made from alu so its not so heavy like my 360mm Universal Heliar!

    Cheers Armin

  5. #5

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    Quote Originally Posted by amilne View Post
    I've got a barrel mounted 300 Xenar 4.5 (from a forum member) that, with great hardship, I have managed to mount to a board. I notice that the lens is constructed a lot differently than the older 300 xenars mounted in a compound. No brass. Different size flange, or at least the outer diameter of the flange. And interestingly this baby only goes up to F/32. Was it maybe used as a copy or enlarging lens?

    Do you think there are any image quality differences between this and the older version?

    The serial is: 11 984 208

    Thanks

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	photo.JPG 
Views:	44 
Size:	99.8 KB 
ID:	81057Click image for larger version. 

Name:	sideflash.JPG 
Views:	60 
Size:	124.0 KB 
ID:	81058
    If anything, it will have better coatings even if single coated. Schneider went to multicoating around the time this lens was made, it may or may not be multicoated.
    Why was it so difficult to mount?
    One man's Mede is another man's Persian.

  6. #6

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    Here you can see mine 480mm!

    http://www.fototalk.de/album_pic.php?pic_id=77950

    Cheers Armin

  7. #7

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    Quote Originally Posted by E. von Hoegh View Post
    Why was it so difficult to mount?
    Live in an apartment. No space to do anything, and certainly no drill press.

  8. #8

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    Quote Originally Posted by amilne View Post
    Live in an apartment. No space to do anything, and certainly no drill press.
    Aha. Been there.

    Here's one way to do it.
    Find the center of the board by connecting the opposite corners with pencil lines (on the back!).

    Mark a circle the size you need to clear the flange. With a hand drill, drill a series of holes just inside the circle, each hole touching the next, until the center (waste) piece is free. Take a medium-fine half round wood rasp and smooth the ID of the hole until you reach the fircle you drew. Do the drilling with the lensboard resting on something you can drill into, say a stack of old magazines, a board, phone book, etc..
    One man's Mede is another man's Persian.

  9. #9

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    Hey, that's a good idea. I bet that's how things used to be done back in the days before electricity, and all that jazz.

    I had a board that was already drilled to a mm or two smaller than I needed. So I spent two and a half hours whittling away with a carpet knife. I very well could have slipped and bled to death on my kitchen floor. The upside to that would have been the look on my roommates faces when they got home.

    I have another lens to mount. I purchased a hole cutter in the right diameter and started down on a scrap piece of wood with my $22 corded drill, but almost lost my leg when it kicked back mercilessly as soon as I touched down. I'm going back to the hardware store to get one with a "pilot bit" because I think that may help.

    Quote Originally Posted by E. von Hoegh View Post
    Aha. Been there.

    Here's one way to do it.
    Find the center of the board by connecting the opposite corners with pencil lines (on the back!).

    Mark a circle the size you need to clear the flange. With a hand drill, drill a series of holes just inside the circle, each hole touching the next, until the center (waste) piece is free. Take a medium-fine half round wood rasp and smooth the ID of the hole until you reach the fircle you drew. Do the drilling with the lensboard resting on something you can drill into, say a stack of old magazines, a board, phone book, etc..

  10. #10

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    Re: 300 Xenar 4.5: Old school Vs new school

    Christ. Don't use a hole cutter in a handheld drill!!
    One man's Mede is another man's Persian.

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