Tele-Xenar 5,5 - 800mm

How much should I have asked for a mint Tele-Xenar 5,5 800mm in the 10,695,xxx range? (It is sold already)

Does this lens cover 8x10 well?

I typed it wrong! It is a 500mm !

Sorry : (

Hi Paul,

the longer Tele-Xenars are a little bit rare. Your 500mm was made for Technika 5x7'' with little movements possible. I paid 100$ for mine in Compur 5 electronic without control unit and changed the shutter to a Compound V I alreday had. I consider this buy as a bargin, in working shutter app. 400$ are a fair price.

Thanks Thomas. I thought it would cover 8x10 but you are right about 5x7. I bought it at a bargain price too in a buy it now auction, kept it for a couple of years, used it a bit for landscapes with the Tech 5x7 (easier to focus at dusk than the Fujinon 450C f1:12,5 !), and despite loving it, I sold it at a bargain price with all my 5x7 gear when I turned fifty (which says a lot on the weight and hassle of carrying that kind of gear)... But besides being contrasty and sharp, the lens was beautiful. Would I have been been a collector, it would still stand on my top shelf.

What was the price tag of this lens when it was sold new?

Another look at the Schneider website has confirmed that the lens is tight on 8x10 but will cover. Image circle is 312mm at f16.

Hi again Paul,

you are right about the coverage of the Tele-Xenar 500, Schneider claims 8x10'' but I've never tried and actually the lens isn't on hands. I don't know former prices in the US but have found some advertising from 1956 in Germany (prices in Deutsche Mark): the Technika 5x7 with RF was 1490, without 1195, the Tele-Xenar 500 = 916, the Symmar 210 = 421, the Angulon 120 = 227.

Interesting to see the prices then! I came across a pay check established in that year a few years ago. A monthly wage for a worker with bed, board and laundry done was around DM 100 equivalent! Those prices doesn't say much now!