Has anyone seen a 150mm f/3.5 Xenar?

[Scott Sharp]

I just purchased a vintage Schneider 150mm f/3.5 Xenar in a nice Linhof Compur shutter. Serial number on the lens is 2816XXX and the red triangle on the inner face indicates it is coated. I went to the Schneider website and their serial number list shows this lens dated 1951 to 1952. However there is no mention or listing of this 150mm f/3.5 Xenar in their vintage lens section. Was this released as a fast lens prior to the Xenotar? This may not be a valuable lens but it doen't seem all that common either. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks,

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

I have used a number of f/3.5 Xenars and their Zeiss brethren, the Tessar. These f/3.5 lenses were produced in fair numbers, shortly after and before WWII, although nowhere near the production of f/4.5 Xenars and Tessars. I think you will find that at f/3.5 these lenses are not terribly good performers, but by f/16 they should be as sharp as anything else out there, within an image circle of about 60 degrees or so. In terms of other speed lenses, the Xenotar (or the Zeiss Planar) were designed almost 40 years after than the Xenar and Tessar, and are in general are much better performers, especially at f/3.5, but their prices reflect this.