Hello,Am looking for a recommendation for a compact 50mm 2.8 or about M mount lens thats more cost effective than a Summicron.Would consider a 50mm f/2.4 Summarit but used ones seem to be in short supply and therefore expensive.The 7artisan etc have low cost f1.4 but that does look large and possibly would block the viewfinderThanks

Fujiukian wrote:Hello,Am looking for a recommendation for a compact 50mm 2.8 or about M mount lens thats more cost effective than a Summicron.Would consider a 50mm f/2.4 Summarit but used ones seem to be in short supply and therefore expensive.The 7artisan etc have low cost f1.4 but that does look large and possibly would block the viewfinderThanksYou just need to be patient if you want the Summarit, I found a very nice Leica Summarit 50mm f2.5 on FM for just over $1000. They are out there but yes, there are not many. For a faster 50, I bought a used Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II MC Vintage Line from CameraQuest. I love it.CamerQuest currently has a used one for $699, tough to beat.

Planar 50/2, one of the best 50/2 ever but very contrasty and not more compact than a Summicron. Can be found new for interesting prices on e**y. Elmar-M 50/2.8, tiny when collapsed, a lens to fall in love with if you like the IQ of triplet lenses. Summarit 50/2.5, little character but excellent performances besides flare in special circumstances (typically at 10:00 under the sun). Best, LCT

Here is a Summarit 50/2.4 for $1150 on FM

And a Leica 50mm Summarit-M f2.5 Black for $995

Thanks for all the links, I am UK based so probably won't risk the shipping and duty / tax

Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 II Aspherical lens is a good choice. Reviews:https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/Voigtlander-Nokton-50mm-1.5-II-VM-reviewhttps://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1669693Comparison of 10 50mm lenses:https://www.47-degree.com/focus-shift/leica-m-50mm-lens-comparison-part-4

Fujiukian wrote:Thanks for all the links, I am UK based so probably won't risk the shipping and duty / taxYeah, I didn't know where you were, maybe someone else will be interested, not bad prices.

I agree with the Voigtlander 50/1.5 v ii recommendations.  It's an excellent lens, not too large, and gives excellent results.  I got it to replace a TTA 50/1.4 and a Zeiss Planar, and have no regrets.

I have always liked the V1 and V2 50 Summicrons. Small the V1 is good to excellent try to find a late copy. The V2 (especially the DR that doesn't play well with digital Leicas) are excellent lenses, there are V2s without the DR feature.

My suggestion may be a bit out of left field but here it is anyway: a Topcor-S 5cm f/2.I bought one this past spring after coming across an article on Topcon cameras where the lens got a brief mention. Paid ~US $250 on eBay plus shipping from Japan. It's seriously well made. Mechanically everything about it is smooth, snug and precise. I didn't know what to expect from it optically other than as a Topcon product it'd be pretty good. Well, in fact it'sverygood.A couple pics taken with it on my M10 back in August:f/5.6f/5.6The only negative IMO is its 1 meter minimum focusing distance. Otherwise at current prices I'd rate it an absolute steal. In an alternate universe some well-known Vietnam war photographer would've got hold of one, talked it up in interviews and it'd be selling for 10x the price now.-Dave-

The Voigtlander 50mm f2.5 Color Skopar is a really well-regarded, tiny lens. It's hard to find and the price is elevated over similar lenses (such as the also-excellent 35mm f2.5), but it's still considerably better than Leica money.

From my experience the ZEISS ZM 50/2 is a close to perfect lens for the price and beyond!

Lens at f/5.6. High contrast and punchy color for a mid/late 1950s lens:Bonus pic: the lens mounted on my M10-R:-Dave-

Thanks for all the comments, in the end I purchased a Leica 50mm f2.4 I found on eBay, excellent solution.Then I decided that a Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 would be a challenge so also got one of these as well, the temporary stop gap 7artisans was recycled on eBay.So I am now challenged with rangefinder focusing at f1.2 and f1.4 !  Time will tell if I have the patience for this in the long term.