Thanks for all of the responses. The lens info that Stan Halpin put together at http://stans-photography.info/ includes a fairly comprehensive set of comments on the merits of different 50's and the 43 LTD vs the 50's.
Most of the comments date from 2001 or earlier, however, and it seems that opinions sometimes evolve as time goes by. It seems that opinions of the 43 have stood the test of time, unlike, say, the FA* 28-70 F2.8 zoom. My collector-vs-user perspective came from looking at old Leica and Contax rangefinders. I was struck by the cost of "normal" 50mm old lenses like the Leitz Summitar and Sonnar F2 lenses. It's even more amazing when you consider that you can pick up a K1000 and 50mm F2 lens and have a relatively compact, really nice rig for so much less $$$. In the end, if you stand in the same spot and take two pictures, one with a Leica IIIF and Summitar lens, and one with a K1000 and SMC-A 50mm F2, how different will the pictures really be? --Mark
