Xenotar 150 2.8 Projector Lenses

[Bob Salomon]

Bob, thanks for the correction.

I was the US Product Manager back in the early 70s when the P66 was going to be produced. This was when Rollei had opened their factory in Singapore.

The first production prototype arrived just before we were going to introduce it at the PMA show in Chicago. The President, the Sales Manager, the PR Manager, the Marketing Manager and I gathered around the table where we unpacked it, set it up (special instruction was that you must not push the lens into the lens mount as this was an autofocus projector, the first for 6x6, instead you just placed the lens against the roller just inside the lens mount and the AF system would then position the lens).
We carefully did this and watched as the projector pulled the lens into the projector by itself. It then pushed the lens out until it fell out of the projector and onto the floor!

We did not introduce the projector itself, showed pictures of it at the show, along with the non functioning first SLX and a wooden model of the SL2000 with a rubber band making the shutter sound!

[Corran]

And so, is the projector lens in question the same design as a traditional Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar lens designed for 4x5 cameras??

[Bob Salomon]

And so, is the projector lens in question the same design as a traditional Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar lens designed for 4x5 cameras??

No idea, question never came up. But we sold the same lens for the Liesegang 66 projector and Kindermann also sold it. That question should be directed to the manufacturer, but there is probably no one there from back then.

[Corran]

I am pretty sure they are using Xenotar as a trade name, not indicative of design or heritage. I could be wrong.

[Bob Salomon]

I am pretty sure they are using Xenotar as a trade name, not indicative of design or heritage. I could be wrong.

Bare in mind, for several years Rollei was owned by Schneider before they sold Rollei to Samsung.

[Corran]

A quick look online shows Rollei was purchased by Schneider Kreuznach in 1987. The Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar was designed and made several decades earlier IIRC. It seems very likely that the Rollei Heidosmat 150mm f/2.8 was rebranded to AV-Xenotar when owned by Schneider. I've seen plenty of Heidosmat lenses online for sale and in person, but never seen a Schneider-branded one - likely because as you say, the company was resold less than a decade later to Samsung.

All this to say, again, it's very likely to have no similarity to the actual classic 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar from Schneider.

[Bob Salomon]

A quick look online shows Rollei was purchased by Schneider Kreuznach in 1987. The Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar was designed and made several decades earlier IIRC. It seems very likely that the Rollei Heidosmat 150mm f/2.8 was rebranded to AV-Xenotar when owned by Schneider. I've seen plenty of Heidosmat lenses online for sale and in person, but never seen a Schneider-branded one - likely because as you say, the company was resold less than a decade later to Samsung.

All this to say, again, it's very likely to have no similarity to the actual classic 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar from Schneider.

Now you have:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...rojection.html

[Corran]

No Longer Available. That was already linked earlier. It's clearly not in production, or has been re-rebranded.

Regardless, are you saying this lens is the same as a double-Gauss Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar? If not, I'm not sure what we are talking about and why.

[Bob Salomon]

No Longer Available. That was already linked earlier. It's clearly not in production, or has been re-rebranded.

Regardless, are you saying this lens is the same as a double-Gauss Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar? If not, I'm not sure what we are talking about and why.

I said to ask Schneider what it was. Schneider had a very large business, at one time, manufacturing projector lenses. What formulas they used was something we never looked into, nor did it ever come up at any Rollei factory meetings.

[Tracy Storer]

I have one of these Rollei 150 2.8 AV Xenotars, there is a long tube on the back (for focusing it in the projector body) which will vignette on formats larger than medium format, but it can be cut off. I am planning on trying it on my 3.25"x4.25 Graflex SLR when I can get time to work on the project.