[Outis]

I've been wondering-- how much did film camera bodies and film-era lenses originally cost, and, if you adjust for inflation, how do these prices compare to the bodies and lenses available now?

[MadMathMind]

My dad mentioned paying something like $250 for his M 80-200. It came out in 1979. That's $808 in today's dollars. He may have that price totally wrong, but that's what he remembers.

[SpecialK]

Canon EF with 50 1.8 was $300 in the Army PX, 1977-ish

[Not a Number]

From the Oct 1981 (Vol 88 N10) issue of Popular Photography the B&H ad lists

Pentax LX body $449.90 with the M f/1.4 50mm lens $543.90. The M 50mm f/1.2 lens is listed for $175.00.

MX body $154.90. Add $15 for black body.

According the the US Inflation calculator that 50mm F/1.2 would cost $454.57 in 2015 (159.8% inflation rate). The LX body would go for $1,168.65.

Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913-2015

[stevebrot]

Neither cameras nor lenses were particularly inexpensive. I have the invoice for my Ricoh XR7 with Pentax-M 50/1.7 around here somewhere. IIRC, I think I paid $225 for the camera with lens in 1982. At the time, I was making a little less than $8.00/hr. The inflation calculator does not accurately reflect relative purchasing power from that time in history. You could get a nice 2 bedroom apartment for $280/mo. According to the calculator that would be less than $700 in 2015 money. ROFL... So consider that a new Pentax ME Super SLR with fast normal lens would be almost a month's rent.


Steve

[mroeder75]

I received a Pentax ME Super in 1983 as a law school graduation gift. I think Steve's estimate is in the ballpark. My gift came with a Focal 28mm F/2.8 lens -- that was a KMart lens (I didn't know it was a KMart lens at the time -- it was a pretty good lens), and the gift included a Sigma 75-150mm zoom lens. And it came with a basic Pentax flash which I replaced later. I believe the total package was around $300, but it was a gift; and I don't know the price. I bought a much better Vivitar flash 5-years later for around $50. The old film cameras did not come with a built-in flash. They came with a hot shoe for a flash attachment. It was a heckuva a camera for producing 4 x 6 paper images. But now that we have digital photography what was one of the greatest 35mm cameras ever does not hold a candle to the K-5.

[From1980]

Neither cameras nor lenses were particularly inexpensive. I have the invoice for my Ricoh XR7 with Pentax-M 50/1.7 around here somewhere. IIRC, I think I paid $225 for the camera with lens in 1982. At the time, I was making a little less than $8.00/hr. The inflation calculator does not accurately reflect relative purchasing power from that time in history. You could get a nice 2 bedroom apartment for $280/mo. According to the calculator that would be less than $700 in 2015 money. ROFL... So consider that a new Pentax ME Super SLR with fast normal lens would be almost a month's rent.


Steve

My first K body was a Ricoh XR-2 in 1978 for $329 w/50 f/2. Prices in Canada were usually ranging 1/3 or more higher. The Pentax ME and MX I considered then were $299 and $349 for bodies. By 1980 I worked in a camera store and remember quite well some of the prices. ME Super came out at $389 w/50 f/1.7. 28 f/2.8 was $129, 50 f/4 macro $169, and 100 f/4 macro $269. My own Vivitar 90 f/2.8 1:1 I bought for $225 with employee discount. The LX was always $600+ when it first appeared and was my fantasy until just a couple years ago when I finally got a used body in great shape and CLA`d for $225 on line. Back before PCs and Internet my only chance for used equipment was usually newspaper classifieds or a small used section in some camera stores. A group of us from the store and favorite customers swapped and traded among ourselves and deals were found. K28 f3.5 for $125 and K85 f/1.8 for $150 were my favorites. LBA was a common affliction back then too. I spent a couple summers working in an auto factory at about $8/hour and my first apartment in 1982 was $260/mo. Considering inflation in Canada, the going prices for most new photo gear now seems like a bargain compared to the chunk of income top notch cameras and lenses took 30-40 years back.

[tim60]

You guys seemed to have cheap cameras way back then.


Here I paid AUD$215 for Ricoh XR500 + 50/2 in 1978, toay approx. $1100, and
AUD$320 for MX +M50/2 I early 1981, today approx $1250. Later that year the LX was introduced at roughly double the price.


I think my brother has the Ricoh and the MX is in my study desk drawer with a bunch of lenses.


More seriously, having collected many Takumar primes I would be interested in the historical new prices of them.

[stevebrot]

Considering inflation in Canada, the going prices for most new photo gear now seems like a bargain compared to the chunk of income top notch cameras and lenses took 30-40 years back.

Yep...


Steve

[stevebrot]

More seriously, having collected many Takumar primes I would be interested in the historical new prices of them.

Nesster (PF member) has a ton of old photo magazine ads from way back posted to Flickr. He may have ad sheets for those taks.


Steve

[TomB_tx]

I bought my "Honeywell Pentax" H1a with ST 55 f2 new in 1965 at list price of $149.95.

[p38arover]

My Spotmatic with the 55mm f1.8 lens cost A$180 in 1968 (at the time, the AUD was stronger than the USD and that amount was equivalent to US$200). I was earning less than A$100 per week as a qualified electronics tech at a satellite earth station.

That A$180 is roughly equal to A$1250 today.

[Cuthbert]

From the Oct 1981 (Vol 88 N10) issue of Popular Photography the B&H ad lists

Pentax LX body $449.90 with the M f/1.4 50mm lens $543.90. The M 50mm f/1.2 lens is listed for $175.00.

MX body $154.90. Add $15 for black body.

According the the US Inflation calculator that 50mm F/1.2 would cost $454.57 in 2015 (159.8% inflation rate). The LX body would go for $1,168.65.

Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913-2015

These prices are surpringly low, especially for the f1,2 and the LX in comparison to the current Canon and Nikon 1,2s...I think Canon wants £1200 (discounted) for the EF 50mm f1,2 L.

[aurele]

Pentax SuperA (Super Program) + A 50/1.7 + Takumar A 28/2.8 + Motor A was 2,100 fr in 1990, which was 3 month (170h each month) of minimum salary in France.

The body and the winder was 2 months already, the 2 lenses were 1 month.

If you translate it in € it's à round 4000€ nowadays !!

[Cuthbert]

These prices sounds a little more likely, I remember when I bought my first camera (an Exacta HS-10) in 1992 no way I could have afforded a Nikon, Canon or a Pentax.