Schneider Announces 3 New High-Performance Lenses for Nikon and Canon DSLR

Schneider Kreuznach, the world-renowned German lens maker, has announced three new fast prime lenses, all of which will be available in Nikon F and Canon EF mounts. They feature a striking contemporary style to complement late-model DSLR cameras and they’re beautifully made and elegantly finished in black. The Nikon versions are equipped with a preset aperture ring, a mechanical automatic aperture control, and an electronic interface to the camera. The Canon versions have a motorized aperture controlled exclusively by the camera body and an electronic interface for the EOS system. According to Schneider, the optical formulas for all three lenses have been “recalculated for full-frame DSLRs on the basis of the latest optical advances.”

The Xenon 35mm f/1.6 (left, in photo) is an 11-element 10-group design with internal focusing, nine aperture blades, and a minimum focusing distance of 17.7 inches. It’s said to provide outstanding imaging performance with beautiful bokeh. The Xenon 50mm f/1.4 (center) is a classic eight-element, six-group design with external focusing, nine aperture blades, a minimum focusing distance of 23.6 inches, and a maximum magnification range of 1:10. The Makro Symmar 85mm f/2.4 is an eight-element, six-group design with internal focusing, nine aperture blades, and a minimum focusing of 15.7 inches, which corresponds to a 1:2 magnification ratio. It is said to deliver excellent performance wide open, and will get down to 1:1 (life size on sensor) with an accessory close-up ring. Schneider says all three new lenses are slated to go on sale in the first half of 2015.