Xenar Tele 180 f5.5

[archer]

Can anyone tell me something about this lens? I just received it and it is very small and mounted in a Synchro-Compur shutter that has a self timer and no preview lever but does have B setting to 1/500 and x/m flash synch. Is the Schneider Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 180 F5.5 designed to cover 4X5?
Denise Libby

[Peter K]

The Tele-Xenar 1:5.5/180mm is a lens from the mid-fifties for 6.5x9cm, 2x3", for press- and other hand-held cameras as you can see here (http://www.schneider-kreuznach.com/archiv/pdf/tele_obj_56.pdf). For ground-glass viewing one needs a cable-release with fixing-screw.

Peter

[Sascha Welter]

I have a lens like that on my Arca-Swiss 6x9. My lens is serial 457xxxx, which according to the lists I've seen on the web puts it somewhere between 1954 and 1957. It doesn't allow for a lot of movement, but is workable on 6x9. Don't think it would work for 4x5". It appears sharp enough, no visual observable "softness" in my eyes - sorry for not having anything more scientific. At the end of the 80s I did a few comercial images with this lens and the clients didn't complain about softness.

It really is a "tele" lens design, needing much less bellows than the focal length would dictate. Dunno why the original owner bought it for this camera, as this AS has a 27cm monorail. I can't imagine someone wanting to do macro work with a tele lens either. I guess some of owners of 6x9 field cameras or press cameras could like a lens like this tele.

My shutter is the same configuration that you describe. Mine currently needs a very good cleaning. I hadn't used this lens/shutter in a very long time and it appears that things got sticky. The 1sec time gets about 6 seconds, improves a bit after using the shutter 10-20 times with the higher speeds, but always gets changing times. Due to the shutter problem I'll probably leave this lens at home when I get around to finally take my camera for a hike - the back element of my convertible Schneider 1:5.6/100 will have to suffice for a "long" lens for the moment :-) Some day I'll unslack enough to get the good old lens to the local camera repair guys in town.