best 40 mm lens

The 40mm Sonnar would be my choice. It is ever so slightly softer than your other choices and can produce images of transcendent beauty. At f/2.8 it is a stop slower than the cron/rokkor, but speed isn't everything.

Richard
 
I didn't mean to head off further discussion.

FYI, the rokkor and cron are optically identical. The rokkor takes 40.5mm filters and hood, which are easy to find. The CLE version of the rokkor is multicoated. I have the CLE rokkor, and it is a fine lens, fairly small and very lightweight. Heavystar on ebay sells 40.5mm vented metal hoods which work nicely on the rokkor.

Richard
 
f/2.0 4cm Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar ... won't fit a Leica or equivalent, however.

Seriously though, it depends if you want the Leica look or the Zeiss look. The Rollei Sonnar is an excellent piece of glass.
 
In the latest "Viewfinder" magazine (from LHSA), Tom Abramsson (sp?--sorry) has an article entitled something like, "Is 40 the New 35?". He really likes the Nokton 40, both optically and ergonomically. He has both multi-coated and single-coated versions. My interpretation of what he said is that the multi-coated might be a wee bit better for most uses. If you read this Tom, please put me in my place.
 
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