Schneider's Exakta 135 — the Tele-Xenar 135mm f/3.5 West German medium telephoto.
The Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 135mm f/3.5 is a medium-telephoto prime from the West German maker Schneider-Kreuznach, offered in the Exakta bayonet. The Tele-Xenar was Schneider's telephoto line, and the 135mm gave Exakta users a West German portrait and general tele as an alternative to the East German 135mm lenses. It carried Schneider's reputation for controlled, precise optics.
This is a manual-focus Exakta-mount lens with a 135mm focal length and a maximum aperture of f/3.5. It uses a Tele-Xenar telephoto optical layout. The aperture is set on the barrel and coupled through the Exakta mechanism on supporting bodies. Element count, filter thread and weight are omitted here where they cannot be confirmed for the specific Exakta build.
The Tele-Xenar 135mm f/3.5 gives good central sharpness that improves stopped down and controlled, smooth out-of-focus rendering. The 135mm focal length is a natural portrait length, placing subjects at a flattering working distance, and it doubles for travel detail and general telephoto use. Its West German rendering leans toward clean correction and good contrast in the Schneider manner.
Used Schneider Tele-Xenar 135mm lenses appear on the collector market, priced above the common East German teles. Inspect the glass for haze, fungus and separation, and confirm the aperture blades are dry and the ring clicks. Check coatings for cleaning marks and test the long focus helicoid for smooth travel. On mirrorless via an Exakta adapter it is a capable manual portrait tele.