Many thanks to Igor Tihan for the opportunity to review the Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar f: 4 / 135mm lens.
Review Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar f: 4 / 135mm DKL
The Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar f: 4 / 135mm has a DKL mount. For installation on Nikon cameras, you need a DKL to Nikon adapter. This adapter is quite rare and can cost about half of the lens itself. Attention: when I used Tele-Xenar on my Nikon D700, when focusing on infinity, the camera mirror clung to the rear lens of the lens.
DKL adapter - Nikon to Tele-Xenar lens
Schneider optics are shrouded in legends and pathos. My Tele-Xenar turned out to be just a good telephoto fix. The lens gives a good image, wonderful bokeh, copes well with backlight. But there are a couple of serious drawbacks - small aperture F / 4.0 (especially for a fixed lens), not the most pleasant minimum focusing distance (MDF is already 4 meters), and only 5 lobe aperture.
Tele-Xenar Lens Rear View
A large MDF interferes with convenient lens operation. Even shooting a shoulder portrait turned out to be an impossible task for this lens, although this lens is often credited with good portrait properties. On the crop, the discomfort from such an MDF is noticeably less.
Lexar 135mm F4.0 with clad hood
The lens itself is very beautiful, with a matte black front and a white-metal back. There is a nice inscription on the lens Lens germany. Manual focus is very smooth, the focus ring rotates as much as 270 degrees, the front lens does not rotate, and the trunk of the lens travels about 1 centimeter. Sorry, MDF is already 4 meters. The depth of field scale is made in the old style. The depth of field scale the first time you can not find it.
DOF on Tele-Xenar
The lens hood is screwed into the lens.
Enlightenment of the front and rear lenses of the lens
Sample Photos
All photos without processing. Reduced size to 3 MP.
Personal impressions
When using the lens, my camera Nikon D700 constantly mistaken in measurement exposure in aperture priority mode. There was constant overexposure, it got to the point that I started shooting with manual tuning excerpts. The focus ring is not the most convenient. In general, I did not like the lens.
Two portrait lenses
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Conclusions:
Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar f: 4 / 135mm DKL is a fixed telephoto lens, for use on modern digital cameras requires an expensive adapter. Has a nice picture, but focuses only from 4 meters.
You can also look into the review of such a lens - Schneider-Kreuznach Edixa-Tele-Xenar 1: 3.5 / 135
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
In this photo https://radojuva.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/sg/schneider-xenar/schneider-kreuznach-tele-xenar-f4-135mm-dkl-sample-6.jpg Super volume and the lens is lovely.
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More beautiful than Jupiter 37. There is nothing at all for the MDF mirrors smaller and more small and more beautiful and more beautiful and more than 5 years old. IMHO. I want tsikavo bulo b try u taku miracle yak tsei schneider
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And Jupiter is 37 brighter :)
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) True) Yakby Jupiter is less afraid of backlash, which will be bi bi-mabut one of the most beautiful portraits. Dorech yak to the competition contest portrait portrait not only to the VIP of the USSR, but to zagalі? Zrobiti golosuvannya on nikrashny portraiture (not for crop).
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I would like to review the MC Vega-28 120mm. For a rough comparison with J37. Is it worth the money that is asked for it, or the price is increased more due to its rarity. But since it is rare, then getting it is a problem. ))) Arkady for the reviews - another Thank you!
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If caught, of course, I will write a review. I myself am interested, especially now they are breaking a huge price for it.
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Aperture at f / 3.5 differs from that at f / 4 by 25%, a quarter stop. But this is geometric, and the real one is generally equal due to the difference in light transmission.
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Another baraneuskas, who doesn’t know, has a power of 3.5 more than 4 times 1/2 of an exhibition croc. Between the numbers, diaphragms, which are shown in the size of the “dirka” by 2 times, the value is shown as the square root of 2, that is 1.414. And the same: 1.4; 2; 2.8; 4; 5.6; eight; eleven; sixteen.
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No, not 1/2 and not 1/4 but 1/3 stop (one third of the stop). The difference in geometric aperture is considered as the ratio of the squares of the diaphragm number: (4 * 4) / (3,5 * 3,5) = 1,3 For this, it is described here https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/02/diafragma/ and here https://radojuva.com.ua/2014/01/pro-svetosilu/
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So much for Schneider Kreuznach.
Thanks for the review.
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Arkady, good afternoon!
You are very interesting to write. Your site is very useful for beginner photographers!
You find information on lenses, their types, design features, production sites ...
I would like to see 2 things on the pages of your project:
1. Classification of lens manufacturers - by country of production with their brief history and general information.
2. Classification (maybe I have not read everything on your site yet and have not found) the main models in lens construction and their differences (for example, differences in the designs of Biotar / Sonnar / Flektogon lenses and others, as well as their purpose)
I think these two articles would be extremely interesting and informative!
Thank you.
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Yes, Schneider-Kreuznach is a really small brand
Moreover, here I came across a book by L. D. Kurskiy "The work of a photographer in a pavilion", M., 1979, he describes portrait lenses there. Some of the names on which he emphasized especially did not tell me anything at all ...
Here is the link - I could not resist, I digitized :)
http://fotoyarsk.forumgrad.ru/t55-topic
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Schneider-Kreuznach little-known brand ??? For photographers, this is one of the most famous brands, they came up with, in principle, almost all schemes / designs of lenses, which were then released by the whole world ...
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Wow! And I have ISCO-Gottingen Berolina-Westromat 1: 3,5 / 135, though only a couple of days, but so far only positive emotions. Maybe on the D700 it will not be very good, but on the D40 everything is OK: the camera is not mistaken, the picture is pleasant and the lens itself looks nice. Is Schneider-Kreuznach “merging” ISCO-Gottingen? Funny :)
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Although looking at the photo that still loaded you can’t say that :)
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Maybe this one.
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Crazy photo.
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Hello Arkady! I accidentally saw such a lens Jos. Schneider & CO Kreuznach Germany # 1501696 Tele-Xenar F: 3,8 f-7,5cm DRP I tried to find some information about him, but there is nothing. Can you say what for this lens. Thanks.
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Dial in Google: Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 75mm F3.8
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Almost all English-language sites. There is a description but other models are more recent but there is none. Here is his image.
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Here is a larger view.
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Dark early German Tessar. Most likely, in terms of image quality and artistry - complete rubbish, but “spiritual”. Schneider is the same. And ancient. I do not recommend purchasing for sure ...
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And you can also use a helicoid adapter to reduce MDF and focus at a closer distance to the object (like using macro rings, only without constantly reinstalling rings of different sizes).
To a greater extent, this is of course relevant for the BZK.
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