Schneider Xenon FF series of five fixed focal length lenses (25–100mm) for full-frame sensors, known for organic rendering, soft bokeh, and warm color rendition.
Technical Details
Focal Lengths
| 25 | 35 | 50 | 75 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T2.1 | T2.1 | T2.1 | T2.1 | T2.1 |
| 0.80m | 0.80m | 0.80m | 0.80m | 0.80m |
| 2.1kg | 2.3kg | 2.5kg | 2.8kg | 3.8kg |
| 95 | 95 | 95 | 114 | 114 |
| 72° | 54° | 40° | 27° | 20° |
| ◀━━━▶ | ◀━━▶ | ◀━━▶ | ◀━▶ | ◀▶ |
PL · 95-114mm Front · 300° Focus · T2.1 · Full Frame
The Xenon FF series comprises five prime lenses: 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm, all with a T2.1 aperture. The flange focal distance is 52mm with a PL mount, and the front lens diameters range from 95mm (25mm) to 114mm (100mm). The lens construction uses 8-14 lens elements in 6-10 groups, depending on the focal length. A special feature is the symmetrical double-Gauss construction with Schneider's proprietary B+W MRC nano coating on all air-to-glass surfaces. The focus throw ranges from 0.8m to infinity for all focal lengths, with a constant minimum focusing distance of 80cm.
History & Development
Schneider-Kreuznach introduced the Xenon FF series in 2012 in response to the increasing prevalence of full-frame sensors in digital cinema cameras. The original Xenon design dates back to 1925, developed by Hans Harting for film cameras. In 2015, Schneider expanded the series with the longer focal lengths of 75mm and 100mm. A revised version with improved stray light suppression appeared in 2018, identifiable by the modified "Xenon FF mk2" marking.
Practical Use in Film
The Xenon FF lenses are characterized by a distinctive "organic" look with smooth bokeh and moderate sharpness. Christopher Doyle used the series for Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster" (2013) due to their special color rendition in the yellow-orange spectrum. The lenses are particularly suitable for portraits and emotional scenes due to their natural skin tone reproduction. At wide open aperture, they exhibit slight vignetting of about 1.2 stops, which can be used for dramatic effects.
Comparison & Alternatives
Compared to Zeiss Master Primes, the Xenon FF offers less sharpness but more character through slight spherical aberrations. Against Cooke S4/i, they are distinguished by warmer color rendition. The Leica Summilux-C series is positioned as a modern alternative with similar aperture but higher resolution. For productions with smaller sensors (Super35), Schneider recommends the more compact Cine-Xenar III lenses with identical color tuning.