Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar · 360mm f/5.5

{"overview":"The Schneider-Kreuznach 360mm f\/5.5 Tele-Xenar is a long telephoto lens from the German optical maker's Tele-Xenar line, intended for large-format and medium-format use where a compact telephoto design was preferred over a conventional long-focus lens. The telephoto construction keeps the physical length shorter than the focal length, making 360mm manageable on studio and field cameras.","market_narrative":"UK auction hammer results for this lens are limited but low: the two recorded sales landed at £62 and £175, giving a median of roughly £118 and showing how much condition and completeness drive price at saleroom level today in 2026. Because these are wholesale hammer figures rather than dealer retail, buyers asking what a 360mm f\/5.5 Tele-Xenar is worth should expect clean, shutter-mounted copies to sell for materially more once commission and dealer margin are added.","buying_guide":"Inspect the glass carefully for fungus, internal haze and cleaning marks on the coatings, all of which are common on Schneider telephotos of this vintage and dull contrast quickly. Check the aperture blades for oil, confirm the iris opens and closes crisply, and if the lens is in a shutter, test every speed; also look for signs of element separation around the cemented groups and make sure the focus or barrel movement is smooth rather than stiff or gritty.","specs":"Key specifications from the supplied data are limited to the headline figures: a 360mm focal length at a maximum aperture of f\/5.5, branded Tele-Xenar by Schneider-Kreuznach.","faq":[{"q":"How much does a Schneider 360mm f\/5.5 Tele-Xenar sell for at UK auction?","a":"Recorded UK hammer prices sit between £62 and £175, so most copies sell for a low-to-mid three-figure sum depending on glass and shutter condition."},{"q":"What is a 360mm f\/5.5 Tele-Xenar worth if the glass is clean?","a":"With only two sales on file the sample is small, but the £175 top result suggests clean examples command the upper end of that range at saleroom level, before buyer's premium."},{"q":"Why is the price range so wide?","a":"The gap between £62 and £175 reflects the usual condition spread on vintage Schneider telephotos — fungus, haze, sticky apertures and shutter faults push value sharply downward."}],"confidence":35,"reasoning":"Only two unverified sales records and no SPECS, variants or facts were supplied, so confidence is capped well below 50 per rule 8."}