In another thread
here, member Woof suggested starting a thread for reviews of interesting gear finds, and requested some photos from the Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 360/5.5 that I found at a local flea-market.
So - here goes. As mentioned, this was a good find at the local flea-market. The seller was happy to part with a Pentax-F 28/2.8 as well as the S-K 360/5.5 for the grand sum of $50. The S-K is M42 mount, so it can be used with the Pentax dSLRs with a M42 > K adapter ring. There is no auto aperture setting so the camera needs to be set in manual mode and stop-down metering triggered with the lens aperture set to the required value.
The lens was apparently made in about 1961, and is hefty and solidly-made. The focusing ring is long-throw and slow to adjust, but that makes for precise focusing as long as you are not in a hurry. There's a tripod mount under the lens which allows the rig to balance nicely on the tripod with the K10D attached.
The K10D is the ideal companion for this lens, with the shake-reduction turned on and set for 350mm (the closest Pentax lens length). I've not used the lens extensively, but can show a few samples shot hand-held. The 100% crop shows purple fringing that reflects the age of the lens design, but it remains a useful and reasonably good performer.
So - tell us all about your good finds!
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