best 50 for the buck....?

[mr_phillip]

Personally I own, or have owned, 50mm Jupiter 8, Industar 61 L/D, Nokton 50/1.5, Heliar Classic and the Canon 50/1.8. Both of the Soviet models were decent performers for the money, the Industar was sharper with better contrast and colours (although bear in mind that applies to MY J8 and MY 61 L/D – your experience may differ).

The Nokton was a lovely lens but really big'n'bulky, more of an SLR objective in its handling. I sold it for the Heliar Classic which is really compact and gloriously well-made – it's a joy to handle and use. Other than the speed, the Heliar seems a better performer than the Nokton in every area as well, albeit only marginally.

The Canon 1.8 I bought to go with my Canon P, and it's turning out to be an awesome little optic. It's really sharp, has nice bokeh and very decent contrast. Nicely built too. If the Soviets are too much of a lottery for you, then the Canon'd be my recommendation.

 

[peter_n]

Best value for money I think is the Jupiter-8. Dodgy though because of the sample variability, but if you are lucky enough to get a good one they are brilliant. Best bang for buck in the Leica stable (my only other experience) would be a rigid Summicron. Fantastic lens for the money - you need never get another 50 really.

 

[bellyface]

got my industar 61i, love it. Not super-duper sharp, but color rendition is good, it's all good enough for me really.

self portrait:

my other babes:

pointing out the UFO in the sky: