Lenses that make you go WOW for less than $500

The Elmar for BW, if you do not mind soft corners. The canon 50 f1.8, if you do. Or maybe it would just be easier to say that just about any LTM can be a pleasant surprise for anyone expecting them to be awful compared to M or R mount lenses.
 
I have had a few RF lenses and the one that makes me go WOW the most is the 40/2 M-Rokkor. I guess the 40/2 Summicron would be the same. There are a few on KEH right now for around $200-$300.
 
where do I start...

where do I start...

...thanks for all the suggestions. Since most of my research is done on the web, I understand that some lenses might perform better than the scans posted online.

However, I'm not blown over by the 90 Elmar... Uwe, do you use that more than the 90 Exanon? Speaking of which, I love your 50 Exanon images.

I like the idea of the 15mm. 20mm is my most used focal lens on the SLR, so it will make even more sense to go ultrawide on an RF. I'll look into it.

I also like the suggestion of the cv 21 f4 but the 15mm would probaly be more fun for me.

Plus, if I follow shadowfox's advice I could move to the skopar and add more to the lens budget.




BTW- Victor, my RF and SLR lenses are less than $700 combined, so I hear ya. :) I just never owned any lens worth more than a couple hundred dollars, and at least once I'd like to own a "nicer" lens (not that high price necessarily means better quality, but...) and even then, it will never be in the really BIG league...:D
 
LeicaTom said:
Yep!

I second that emotion with the "Japanese Sonnar" Canon 50mm f1.5 - a real WOW lens ~ and the Nikkor Nippon Kogaku Tokyo HC 50mm f2.0

Another one is a "uncoated" (pre 1946) Leitz Summitar 50mm f2.0 ~ and the greatly underrated Summarit 50mm f1.5 these are both WOW lenses!

Tom
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I third the recommendation on the Canon 50/1.5. That lens had the WOW factor for me. And, here's the deal, you could get one, and still have enough change left from your $500 to pick up a CV 35 skopar, per Roland's recommendation! :)
 
The only sub $500.00 lens that made me go 'wow' when I got one was my Canon 50mm f1.2 Not everyone's cup of tea I agree because it does have some limitations and it's damned heavy with an incredibly long focus throw ... but the 'wow' factor was definitely there for me when I first shot it wide open in low light. It suffers noticable edge softness at larger apertures but I don't care ... it's magnificent!

The next lens in this catagory would be my little collapsable 50mm f3.5 Red Scale Elmar ... very special also!

I also agree that the 15mm Heliar is spectacular ... though limited!
 
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Canon 50/1.4 M39(from what I've seen so far this lens is at least as sharp as the Summilux 50 pre-asph).

Summaron 35/3.5. I have come to really appreciate this lens, partly because, due to it's small size, it's always on the IIIf. It produces the classic "Leica look": smooth tonality, subtle bokeh, and high resolution with medium contrast when stopped down. Its color rendition is quite cold, but still accurate. For B&W with good light it's perfect. Obviously not a great low light lens for hand held shots.
 
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Lenses that make you go WOW for less than $500

My Contax G Planar 45 and Biogon 28... wow, wow and wow again!!! Both lenses are second to none....
Womby
 
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