your "prime" lens?
I bought my LF equiptment on an extremely tight budget and I got pretty lucky when it came to buying lenses, but when I got my 8x10 I had come to realize that I'd probably only have one lens to cover the format for quite awhile and that a lot was riding on my selection. Still on a tight budget (hey a box of 8x10 Arista Pro was pushing $40!) I looked at what was available that I could afford. It would have to be used of course but I never had any qualms about used LF gear---if it hadn't been for pros going digital I'd never even have a LF kit.
I wanted a "normal" lens and my options came down to a 12" Dagor, 14" Commercial Ektar, 375mm Ilex, Wollensak 1A, or Schnieder double convertible.
The much respected Dagor and Schnieder were "pushing it" at the top of the price range (well "over the top" of my budget) The price for the Wolly was very attractive but the idea of a triple convertable seemed for me a bit overwhealming--I wanted something simple and while having the option of different focal lengths was very attractive the thought of swapping elements while out in the field was a wee bit intimidating. That left the Ilex and the Commmercial Ektar. Shortly after I had a talk with a local commercial photographer who raved about Commercial Ektars he'd used in the 40's and 50's and that sealed the deal.
Of course Commercial Ektars back then were all over the board when it came to pricing--anywhere from $325 to $675 and with the added cost of film, holders, heavier tripod, larger filters, more chemistry and a lens board thrown into the pot I was a little reluctant about the prospect of adding an obligatory cla to the bill. I opted for a $400(or was it $450) lens from Midwest Photo because I trusted Jim there. I figured it was worth paying a little extra to get a good lens than paying a lot of $$ on a gamble (I have to point out that no 8x10 LF gear was available locally---nearly all my 8x10 equipment came off the internet without me actually being able to physically inspected the stuff first.)
It was a good call. After over 10 years I still have and use that 14" Commercial Ektar and the old No.5 Universal it came with has yet to indicate that it needs a cla.
I've got a few more 8x10 lenses these days (including a 10" Wide Field, that much envied 12" Dagor, a beaut of a 19" Artar, 240mm G Claron and a nifty little 159mmWA Wolly (although I never did get around to using one of those convertibles)
If anything the 14" Commercial Ektar remains one of my "prime" lenses and in hindsight is worth to me far more than what I paid for it.
What are your "prime" lenses? Do you feel like you've received your money's worth? Are you happy with it or do your feel the urge to chase "magic bullets? Or if you bought it cheap, did you eventually have to replace it with a more costly lens?