Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dear LUG readers, I recently cleaned out closets, which is a traumatic experience in this household, and discarded a stack of old Popular Photography magazines. I thought it might be interesting to list some Leica prices over time and see what changes have occurred. Unfortunately, I did not have any advertisements from the 1970's - these would be most interesting today. ====================================================== LEICA PRICES From "Popular Photography" advertisements Source: Olden Camera (1982) B&H Photo (1990 to present) Item Nov82 Feb90 Jun93 Sep97 Aug98 ==== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== M4-black 700 M6 black --- 1735 2195 1995 1995 21 f/2.8 --- 1242 1995 2195 1495 28 f/2.8III 535 997 1595 ---- ---- 28 f/2.8 IV --- ---- ---- 1795 1895 35 f/1.4 540 1119 1795 1899 1299 35 f/2.0 470 796 1295 ---- ---- 50 f/1.0 890 2095 2695 2795 2895 50 f/2.0 ??? 537 795 845 945 75 f/1.4 ???? 1669 2495 2795 2495 90 f/2.0 ???? 995 1495 1595 1695 90 f/2.8 TE 345 703 1195 ---- ---- 90 f/2.8 Elmarit ---- ---- 1145 1345 135 f/4.0 ???? 1349 1595 1695 1695 15 f/3.5 R 4275 5595 ???? ???? 80 f/1.4 R 2075 2495 2895 2795 100 f/2.8 R APO 2195 2495 2795 2695 Notes: 1. The 1982 and 1990 prices are "gray market," meaning imported independently, not through Leica USA. These prices were lower than the official imports. June 1993 and later are officially imported with the USA Passport Protection Plan. 2. According to the B&H advertisements, "All items complete with all accessories as supplied by manufacturer." A translation for non-USA LUG readers: some of the New York discount houses used to strip packages of accessories like lens caps or straps and then try to sell them to the unwary consumer for extra money. Reputable dealers do not participate in this slimy practice. 3. 21 mm f/2.8 price is for the lens only - the finder is about $300 extra. Exception: the 1998 price is a close-out including the finder, making this a bargain price for a fine lens. 4. ---- means the item was not available. ???? means the price was not listed. Comments: On today's standards, the 1982 prices seem so low! Old (oops, I mean "mature") photographers will remember that in the the early 1980's, inflation was endemic in the industrial countries, and prices for everything were rising constantly. So, at the time, these Leica prices seemed quite high. The 50 mm f/1 and 75 mm f/1.4 lenses have always been expensive, and so have the R lenses listed above. Recently, some Leica prices have even dropped in price! I wonder if this is a harbinger of forthcoming worldwide deflation, something we have not seen in the U.S. since the 1930's. Maybe we could use Leica prices as an economic indicator? Andrew Morang Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA