Originally posted by Cuthbert Ouch! $2000 today? Were Spotties that expensive?
Yes, $340 was quite a pile of cash in those days, and yet the things sold quite well.
Since I was only a little kid back then, I can't relate entirely to how it was, but I get the idea that a young man with a good first job needed an apartment, a car, a tv and a hi-fi. After that, a good camera was definitely on the want list.
How could he contemplate spending $340 (I do believe it was possible to rent a decent small apartment for $50 a month or so at that time)? Well, he didn't need a new cellphone every few years, and a monthly contract to go along with his regular phone bill, cable tv bill, and internet bill (and Netflix account, Amazon account, HBO account, Playstation account, etc. etc.). He also wasn't buying a new laptop every few years. He wasn't buying Blu-Rays, DVDs, or video games, since they didn't exist either. He also didn't have a credit card, most likely, so no monthly bill there either.
I do get the impression that a lot of our modern conveniences come with monthly bills to nibble away at disposable income - which makes a $2,000 camera kit an insurmountable obstacle for many otherwise interested photographers.