Vintage lenses are often talked about as if their only value is “character.” That usually means lots of flare, low contrast, possibly swirly bokeh, spherical aberration, or some other charming defect that gives digital images a little analog grit. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. A flawed lens can be a wonderful creative tool. But the more interesting vintage bargains are not always the strange ones. Sometimes the best buys are lenses that are simply much better than their used …