1991 USA Price List for Rollei, Linhof, other brands

Hi Everyone,

In my stuff, I found a 1991 GSA (General Services Administration) price list for Rollei, Linhof, and other brands sold by HP Marketing Corp. GSA prices were contract prices for US government agencies. The prices were similar to open market in USA, but some items may have been higher or lower. Beyond the curiosity value, I think the big value of this list is to show what a spectacular number of accessories and lenses were available at the time. Wow, those were the days for us film photographers.

Some of the lenses are quite spectacular. For example, the 1000mm ƒ/5.6 Zeiss Mirotar lens for Rollei 3003 was $51,138.75. I wonder how many were sold on earth? The Rolleiflex SL66SE camera with back and 80mm lens was $4,850.00, a serious price back then.

I will not post all the pages, just the ones for cameras and lenses. Enjoy; I hope this is useful if you are looking for an accessory, hood, filter, or lens.

The film companies had huge sums of capital, seems only Fujifilm chose correctly. I have a few good Darkroom Photography magazine back issues. I was looking at some from spring and summer of 95 and was stunned at the advertising and as you have noted the range of what Rollie was offering. Zeiss and Schneider lenses, everything under the sun. I don't know where the money came from to capitalize these ventures?

It's like on the analog side that the thought was there was plenty of time to adapt.

Interesting to see GSA prices, When I purchased a Linhof Profi-II ballhead with Quickfix QR base in the early 1990s, I recorded that replacement cost was $400 MSRP, and I paid $329 new...GSA price shown was $360 !

Simlarly, in early 1990's again, my Rodenstock Grandagon-N 75mm f/6.8 lens for large format was recorded as $1000 MSRP, I paid $625 new...GSA was $697

I had looked at a Linhof Kardan GTL yaw free 4x5 monorail, but its pricing reflected it was made of Unobtainium, as the GSA price shows.

That brings back memories: Around the early 1990s, I owned a secondhand Rolleiflex SL66, got some support from Mr. Salomon, and recall how I longed for a new SL66SE, 6008 or Rolleivision 66 slide projector, but it was all made of the finest unobtanium as far as my budget was concerned! There are some things I miss about the past, but being perennially broke isn't one of them.

It would be interesting to see a GSA list from the years when the US Navy was buying Topcon SuperD bodies and lenses. I was a teen when the Super D was launched, at it had a US$420 MSRP, with 58mm f/1.4 lens and cameras were all 'Fair Trade Pricing' (no discount), and in the day the median household income was $6600