Some 1980's legacy lenses prices

[kievuser]

Hello everyone,

When I was hunting used vintage lenses, I always wanted to know their original prices as it was an indication of their quality and production cost then.
I have collected many old photographic magazines from early 1960's to the end of 1990's, and I think it would be interesting to post those lens listings as a reference for lens collectors.

Here are some pages from a copy of June 1981, 'Popular Photography'.

If you want to know the price of a particular lens, Please let me know, and I will see if I can find it on those magazines.

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[Teemō]

Wow, I have one of those Tokina 35-105 F3.5-4.3's -- $239.39! What a ripoff!

[cooltouch]

I was actively buying cameras, lenses, and accessories from the NY deep discounters during the 1980s, specifically from 1983 until about 1989. Those were close to the "golden years," IMO, where many of the decade's best products were available. Many of the best products ever, in fact. I had several favorite dealers. Executive, Smile, Adorama, B&H, and a few others that I can't think of at the moment. But not Focus. I got ripped off by them. Never trust anyone who calls himself "Honest Abe."

So because of my own experiences, I'd be interested in seeing ads from any of the above from about 1986 or so. Especially images of ads that include the major aftermarket makers as well as the big camera makers.

I wish I would have kept all the magazines I had back then -- especially Modern Photography.

[Mr G]

Blimey, the Yashica and Canon 50mm f1.2's at �170ish are absolute bargains for the time in comparison to the zoom prices, my how things have changed....

[Mr G]

Actually, I've just realised that my Canon 50-135mm f3.5 is worth more than the 50mm f1.2, would anyone like a straight swap!

[kievuser]

[kievuser]

[kievuser]

[guardian]

I love these trips down memory lane. Those prices are all the more remarkable when inflation is factored in. The US dollar was worth SO much more years ago.

"Back in the day", when I was young, my dad and I enjoyed photography together as sort of a "father and son" thing. We took, developed, and printed our own photos. My dad built an enlarger from scratch, and it worked really well. I even did color developing and printing, which fascinated me back then. I lost interest in the very early 1960's, but my dad continued on with photography.

One of my special memories, here on this forum, was several years ago when calvin83, a prominent and very knowledgable poster here, was kind enough to take his time to explain to me what an automatic lens was. I did not know because back when I was doing photography as a young person, all lenses were preset lenses . . . at least certainly all lenses we owned were preset lenses. And to this day I still have a distinct preference for preset lenses.

[Mr G]

[kievuser]

[kievuser]

[cooltouch]

[devinw]

[kievuser]

[luisalegria]

New York was loaded with camera stores, and audio stores, and appliance, computer and all sorts of other gadget stores. That was in the 50s-90s.
The bottom dropped out of all these retail businesses in the 90s, killed by chains I think. The biggest one I think was 47th Street Photo, that closed in the late 90s.

The last old camera store in San Francisco, Adolph Gasser, closed just last week. It once also sold branded products in the magazines.

[kievuser]

[kievuser]

I found images of Nikon 35-70/3.5 zoom lenses. It has two versions. It was imported into China, and used perhaps only by professionals then. I heard that it was very expensive for almost RMB 5,000 yuan. But I don't remember ever seeing them in stores.

And an image of a Canon FL 55-135 zoom lens. It was for sale for about 100 dollars USD. The image it takes appears very sharp.

The last one is my Pentax SMC zoom lens with an uncommon focul length 45-125mm F4.

[cooltouch]

[Lloydy]

I remember those New York stores in the 70's, they had guys outside on the sidewalk that would drag you into the shop, where you'd be held hostage until you bought something - anything - it didn't matter if you actually wanted it or not, there was no choice.

[kievuser]

Now those early standard Nikon zoom lenses are on my hunting list. These usually sell at a much lower price today than their Canon FD counterparts. Today I caught two of them, a Nikon 35-70/3.5 with a 72mm filter ring for less than $100.00 and a 43-86/3.5 for about $35. Now I will hunt the elusive 25-50/3.5. A friend of mine caught one not long ago.A Canon FD 35-70/2.8-3.5 could sell for 4-5 hundred $$$, but it was cheaper in the 80's. Those early zoom lenses also have a historic value IMO.

A Japanese ebay seller provided more interesting information for this 35-70/3.5 zoom lens. Thanks.


Detailed item info
Product Information
Nikon NIKKOR 35-70 mm F/3.5 Ai Lens offers a professional mid-range zoom for pleasing shots. It has a constant f/3.5 aperture at all focal lengths for maximum light entry, and the diaphragm has seven traditional straight blades. Zooming is achieved by moving the elements inside the lens barrel. This NIKKOR equipment offers capable performance for both normal and infrared shooting. In fact, Nikon NIKKOR 35-70 mm F/3.5 Ai version is compatible with many different Nikon cameras. The lens construction supports 10 elements in 9 groups with a minimum distance focus of only 1 meter with no macro modes. A compact dimension of 2.9 by 3.6 inches and a weight of only 19 ounces make it extremely portable. In addition, the Nikon MF quality construction ensures safety. Similarly, designers have incorporated several traditional features, making it easier for both amateurs and professionals to quickly get used to working this lens. A traditional spherical design on the zoom lens, multi-coated optics, and front-group focusing are all offered. For sharp results, this zoom lens aims to perform even in the most challenging environments. It provides good results for center and corners. You may need to slightly adjust the 35 mm, 50 mm, and 70 mm focal length when shooting; sharp results can be achieved almost immediately under normal circumstances. Just like other traditional Zoom-NIKKOR brands, you can easily zoom in and out of the subject by moving elements inside the barrel. When zooming, the inside ring will start to move, forcing the glass up or down. The mechanism increases the safety of the equipment because a glass protecting the optics shields any direct hit. The focus can be achieved using a fingertip to zoom from 3 feet to infinity. The barrel is designed to incorporate all the zooming functions. While the exterior of the lens remains stationary, the front and rear groups operate inside the barrel. The great design of this zoom lens is enhanced by its compatibility with numerous hardware and software. On D-series products, such as D2, D3, D200, and D300, it provides a full matrix reading and the EFIX data. It will automatically adjust to either the aperture preferred or manual mode on the camera. The lens will also work with F-series products, including F and F6. It should also fulfill requirements of many modern manual focus brands. Regarding software compatibility, owners can use Photoshop software to correct and filter any distortion in this type of zoom lens. Professional photographers can also use it as a handheld, and the two-zoom ring function will specifically come in handy using the tripod. The Nikon Zoom-NIKKOR 35-70 mm f/3.5 version is a professional-grade Nikon hardware that was introduced in 1977 and replaced by Ai-s four years later. Nikon only produced 50,000 of these professional mid-range lenses, which also means that you are likely getting your hands on a rare masterpiece. The exceptional quality of engineering used in these lenses is also practical for infrared shooting as they have a huge focus shift at 35 mm.

[cooltouch]

I'm a big Tamron fan, so I find the Tamron prices interesting. A few years back, you could buy the SP 60-300 on eBay for a cheap as $20. Nowadays, you find it for quite a bit more, but you can also still find it in the $35-40 range. According to the above ads, that lens sold for $200. The ad shows a few other Tamrons with interesting prices, as well. Like the SP 300/2.8 LDIF sold for $1250, the SP 80-200/2.8 LD sold for $500, and the SP 200-500/5.6 sold for $900. And the SP 28-135, a lens I recently bought off eBay for $30 including a Nikon mount and with free shipping, sold back then for $300.

You know what, these were cheap prices for the most part. With respect to those premium Tamrons I listed above sometimes you see people advertising them on eBay for these amounts. Too much, and I doubt they're selling at those prices, but people are asking that much. Looking at the Canon F-1N and Nikon F3, and they were both selling for $400-something. You still see folks asking that much for minty examples in the box.

I don't recall exactly when it was that Reagan devalued the dollar against the yen, but I don't think it had happened yet. These are pre-devaluation prices. Because I remember paying over $300 for my Tamron SP 60-300. Once the dollar was devalued, everything changed, and suddenly all the gear made in Japan was quite expensive.

[stevemark]

[kievuser]

[kievuser]