[guidoanselmi]

Probably use my 645N more than my K7. K7's pretty much reserved for light tests, snapshots, and aerial photography.

[Smolk]

I still have the 645 too and it looks more robust to me, and I agree, that viewfinder, it's lovely. The A lenses are all very good to excellent

[GeneV]

I'm a fan of the original 645 as well. I used it this morning for snow and ice shots in the back yard before dawn. It's terrific because it takes long exposures like the LX. It was also the only body that I could get some fast BW into quickly.

[GeneV]

Me - I resent the 645D because it went from vapor ware to actual camera faster than I expected - i.e. before I'd bought a wide angle lens Now due to the digital, the wide angles are snatched up...

It's a great camera and a lot of fun to use.

Everything got really expensive. The macro has doubled in price, too from last year.

[Smolk]

B&H May '86 mail order list:

645 body $640
120 or 220 insert $87
35/3.5 - $319
45/2.8 $255
55/2.8 $230
75/2.8 $152
150/3.5 $210
200/4 $255
300/4 $1,290
80-160/4.5 $539

Not sure what the dollar did back then, but these prices do not seem high if the dollar was roughly equivalent to what it is now. I mean, what did a 35mm slr of Pentax costs back in those days?

[Steinback]

...these prices do not seem high if the dollar was roughly equivalent to what it is now.

This is where inflation calculators come in. Going from 1986 US dollars to 2010 US dollars, you roughly double the price.

Inflation Calculator: Bureau of Labor Statistics

$640 for the body in 1986 comes to approximately $1277.68 in 2010. A basic kit (Body, 75mm lens, 120 insert) using those 1986 numbers comes to $879 before taxes and shipping, or roughly $1754.82 in 2010.

Living in Canada, I usually ignore differences in exchange rates and local pricing trends for items originally priced in US dollars when I calculate inflation. My local Canadian dollar prices could well have been 50% or more higher than the US $ price depending on the year, even though the Canadian and US dollars are hovering around par right now.

[Steinback]

Using the same 1986 B&H ad that Nesster did for his 645 pricing, a Pentax Super Program with an A 50mm f/1.4 and an ME winder II (Technologically similar to the 645, but in 35mm format) would have set you back about $316. An LX body with no lens is listed at $349.

All sizes | B&H Mail Order List May 1986 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Nesster's handy reference ads for other years: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nesster/sets/72157621778835031/