The Lens details of a series of images taken by Steve Cushing on mirrorless camera.

Fitting has no mount and has a 44mm Flange Distance - this lens will fit and achieve focus to infinity mirrorless cameras and on DSLRs.

Lens History

1965 Schneider-Kreuznach Edixa-Tele-Xenar 135mm f/3.5

First things first, I’ll just call this lens the Schneider or SCH in my picture file names, since Schneider-Kreuznach Edixa-Tele-Xenar 135mm 3.5 is quite of a mouthful. The Schneider is a telephoto prime lens for 35 mm SLR cameras with the M42 screw mount.

Schneider-Kreuznach is the abbreviated version so they name is actually longer still it was made by Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH. They are a manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics. The company was founded on 18 January 1913 by Joseph Schneider as Optische Anstalt Jos. Schneider & Co. at Bad Kreuznach in Germany. The company changed its name to Jos. Schneider & Co., Optische Werke, Kreuznach in 1922, and to the current Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH in 1998.

In 2001, Schneider received an Oscar for Technical Achievement for their Super-Cinelux motion picture lenses. It is best known as manufacturers of large format lenses for view cameras, enlarger lenses, and photographic loupes. It also makes a limited amount of small- and medium-format lenses, and has at various times manufactured eyeglasses and camera rangefinders, as well as being an OEM lens maker for Kodak and Samsung digital cameras. It has supplied the lenses for various LG devices and the BlackBerry Priv. It also supplied the lenses for the Kodak Regent camera in the 1930s and other classic cameras such as certain models of the Rolleiflex starting in the 1940s, the Kodak Retina and Kodak Retinette camera series in the 1950s and 1960s, and certain specialty lenses for Hasselblad. In 1961, it created Feinwerktechnik GmbH, a manufacturer of electrical-hydraulic servo valves.

Today the lens is rather expensive and popular. Its optical design is different from that of the analogous lens for the Rollei SL35 system, which is the later enhanced lens. Despite the fact, the M42 version is more appreciated because of a larger compatibility with modern cameras and is more expensive.

It consists of 5 elements in three groups.

The lens comes in three basic modifications different in appearance.

A thick "zebra", with massive ribbed rings - most common version, manufactured from about 1960 to 1965

The lens I have which has thin "zebra", plain rings - this is the rarest version, manufactured for a year from 1965 to 1966

An all black, artificial leather coated ring, manufactured from 1966 to the late 1970.

It is most likely that it is not only the lens' exterior that had been changing, the optical scheme had slightly changed as well. But the exact information is difficult to find now.

Lens in Use

• It’s a beautiful made lens, sleek and solid, while still retaining a small package.
• The focus and aperture on the Schneider are well positioned and easy to grip. For a 135mm this lens isn’t that long and albeit on the heavy side, is a pretty compact little gem.
• Sharpness wise, I think it’s good, centre is sharp and corners catch up nicely by f8.
• Contrast is mediocre, I caught myself bumping it up a bit more than I usually do in processing.
• Vignetting is very noticeable wide-open and you have to stop down all the way to 5.6 to see good improvement.
• Some Chromatic Aberrations

Summary

It’s a mixed bag of optical pros and cons and while it is nice to use and compact, I doubt I will reach out for it when picking a 135mm lens to shoot with.


For images using this lens click HERE

For general information on lens design and lens elements go to the homepage HERE