Vintage lens original pricing - 1960's through 1980's

[guardian]

I stumbled across this list of several vintage lenses. Their original list prices are provided by year, I assume in US$:

http://web.archive.org/web/20021101165015/http://medfmt.8k.com/third/table3.txt

The 1998 price column appears to represent a straightforward adjustment for inflation. Further upward inflation adjustment would need to be done to see today's dollar equivalent:

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

For example, the first-listed lens, the 1970 Spiratone 7.5mm, is listed at $300 in 1998. That would be $422.35 today.

As interesting to me as anything else is the ability this list provides to compare the original list prices of many of our MF lenses against one another. I think this is more interesting and revealing than trying to adjust the price of a lens to today's dollars. And especially when you compare the price(s), at least the list prices, of two or more lenses which sold, back in the day, at roughly the same time.

The list does not deal with discounting, even though that surely went on all the time when our lenses were sold new. So I guess it's necessary to accept that the list prices stated form a starting point for any discounting activity.

[err0r]

nice find!! thanks a bunch for sharing!

[fermy]

I have to say that these prices look insane. For example, a crappy Soligor 28/f2.8 cost $178 in 1977. I wonder how much a good 1st tier lens then cost, e.g. my Nikkon-N 35/1.4.

[Pancolart]

[Nesster]

These are "list" prices - I see in an Executive Photo ad from '77 the Soligor fixed mount 28/2.8 is $78.50, and a C/d 28/2 is $119.50

They wanted $289.50 for the Nikon 35/1.4


I've collected some mail order ads here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nesster/sets/72157621778835031/

[fermy]

Yeah, that makes a lot more sense, in today's money it's $1100 for a professional grade 35/1.4 and $300 for a budget third party 28/f2.8. While not all 28/f2.8 Soligors are crap, let's face it, none of them ever was considered anything more than OK.

On the second thought even at $78 Soligor seems too expensive. Canon L 35/1.4 is $1400, Canon 28/f2.8 is 260, so third party lens has to be under $200 in today's money or about $50 in 1977 currency. Or put another way, compared to 3rd party lenses, Nikkor was an incredible deal.

Jussi, that's super info. Could you upload a larger version though, these are a bit hard to read. I've already went shopping and bought Canon FD 35/f2 for just $76 in 1985. Wow, what a deal!

[Nesster]

Sorry - I'm too lazy. I did post them to flickr usually at 150 DPI scan, so if you go for the 'original' size you can read a-plenty, or even print them in a readable form

[fermy]

Sorry, my bad, on my screen I saw "Large" as the biggest size, I had to scroll to see "original". "Original" is easily readable.

[Pancolart]