yo, welcome to the M club! honestly, jumping in right now is crazy expensive so i totally get the struggle. For your situation, I would suggest looking seriously at the Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2 v3. I have one and its probably the best bang for your buck in the cron family. It has that classic mandler glow but stays pretty sharp across the frame. Just be careful with flare tho... it can get a bit wild without a hood sometimes. If you prefer 35mm, the Leica 35mm Summaron-M f/2.8 is actually a masterpiece for street stuff. The rendering is so creamy and it feels way more solid than some modern glass i've used. But ngl, if you really wanna save cash, look at the Leica 40mm Summicron-C f/2. Its basically a tiny cron for half the price. Just make sure to watch out for haze in these old lenses!! gl!

> For someone on a budget under $1,500, which vintage glass do you think offers the best performance-to-price ratio right now? Quick reply while I have a sec! Honestly, for street stuff under $1,500, definitely check out the Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit-M. It's basically the budget king, usually around $1,200, and it's sooo tiny for street work. Or if you want REALLY old school vibes, the Leica 50mm f/1.5 Summarit is like $700 and gives amazing swirly bokeh. Both are fantastic values tbh!!

Story time: I went through this last year when I first got into Leica. I actually skipped the usual crons and grabbed a Leica 50mm Elmar-M f/2.8 collapsible for like 800 bucks. Technically its not as fast as f/2 but the rendering is super vintage and it makes the kit way more portable. Its plenty sharp stopped down to f/5.6 for street shots... a decent option that leaves money for film. Definitely worth checking out!!