රුපියල් 450 ට කැමරාවක් 1961 දී

[Monkey D Dragon]

USD - LKR rates + tax බැලුවම ඔය price හරි

High-end luxury Camera

• The "Luxury" Cost: At $168, this was a high-end purchase. For context, the average monthly rent in the US in 1950 was roughly $42. This camera cost nearly four months of rent for the average family.
• Production Years (1951–1954): The Retina IIa was only produced until about 1954, when it was replaced by the Retina IIc and IIIc. If you saw one being sold in the late 50s or 60s, it was likely used or "new old stock" at a reduced price.
  
  
  
• Lens Variations: The $168 price typically applied to the standard model equipped with the highly regarded Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f/2.0 lens and the Synchro-Compur shutter.

Why it was expensive: Unlike many Kodak cameras made for the mass market (like the Brownie), the Retina series was manufactured in Stuttgart, Germany, by Kodak AG. It was a precision instrument built to compete with high-end German rangefinders like Leica and Contax.



Based on historical camera databases and collector guides, here is the specific original pricing for the Kodak Retina IIa (Type 016) and how its value shifted through the 1950s and 60s.

Original Retail Price (Early 1950s)​

When introduced in the US market around 1951, the Kodak Retina IIa list price was exactly:1

$168.502​

(Equivalent to ~$2,000 in today’s money)

This price generally included the premium Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon 50mm f/2.0 lens.

Sources & Reference Points:

• Karen Nakamura's Photoethnography: Explicitly lists the retail price as $168.50 in 1951.3
  
  
  
• Original Catalogs: In 1951-1952, this was priced competitively against other German rangefinders. For comparison, a basic Kodak Pony 135 cost only about $35, meaning the Retina IIa was nearly 5x more expensive than the consumer-grade option.

---

Price in the Late 50s & 60s​

Since production of the Retina IIa ended in 1954 (replaced by the Retina IIc and IIIc), you would not have found it "new" on store shelves in the late 50s or 60s unless it was old stock.

• Mid-to-Late 1950s (Clearance/Used): Once the newer Retina IIc and IIIc models arrived in 1954 (which sold for ~$139.50 and ~$185 respectively), the price of a new-old-stock IIa would have dropped to roughly $100–$120 to clear inventory.
• 1960s (Used Market): By the 1960s, the Retina IIa was strictly a used item. In 1960s photography magazine classifieds (e.g., Popular Photography), used Retina IIa cameras often sold for $40 – $60, depending on condition.

Summary of Value Over Time​

Year	Condition	Approx. Price	Context
1951-1953	New (Retail)	$168.50	High-end luxury compact.
1955-1957	Clearance / Lightly Used	~$80 - $110	Displaced by the newer "c" and "C" series.
1960s	Used	~$40 - $60	Affordable secondhand German optics.

 

[Asmodeus]

I think that's a printing mistake. In those days 450 was three times the wages of an ordinary government officer. My father said his initial wages were about 160 rupees.

 

[helplesser]

I think that's a printing mistake. In those days 450 was three times the wages of an ordinary government officer. My father said his initial wages were about 160 rupees.

 

[handley]

In 1961, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar (USD) and the Sri Lankan rupee (then Ceylonese rupee, now LKR) was about 4.76 Sri Lankan rupees per US $1 on average for the year

so like 100 dollars

 

[Mali2009]

No its correct....

things like cameras are considered as luxury items.

 

[Monkey D Dragon]

In 1961, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar (USD) and the Sri Lankan rupee (then Ceylonese rupee, now LKR) was about 4.76 Sri Lankan rupees per US $1 on average for the year

so like 100 dollars

$4.76. meka 1961 kohomada danne naha 1960 wenakan LKR , INR, PKR thunama 1:1:1

 

[Asmodeus]

In 1961, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar (USD) and the Sri Lankan rupee (then Ceylonese rupee, now LKR) was about 4.76 Sri Lankan rupees per US $1 on average for the year

so like 100 dollars

Yes, these are disposable cameras.

 

[Monkey D Dragon]

I think that's a printing mistake. In those days 450 was three times the wages of an ordinary government officer. My father said his initial wages were about 160 rupees.

meka low end model ekak neme price wadi model ekak

 

[hirashgeff]

450 rupees in 1961 you can buy a good land in moratuwa bitches

 

[Monkey D Dragon]

Yes, these are disposable cameras.

this is a range finder
one of the smallest mechanical rangefinder cameras ever made

 

[Mali2009]

Yes, these are disposable cameras.

No ....

cameras were not disposable ... reals are one time use. and there were flash bulbs too ...

 

[Asmodeus]

No ....

cameras were not disposable ... reals are one time use. and there were flash bulbs too ...

"Disposable items" was a general term that was not intended to mean to be disposed of after one use. The term disposable cameras implies that it was so cheap that someone can throw it away after using it for a few shootings. But OP said it was a rare and expensive model and not a disposable camera, which is what I thought it was and was popular during the 80s and 90s.

 

[Monkey D Dragon]

"Disposable items" was a general term that was not intended to mean to be disposed of after one use. The term disposable cameras implies that it was so cheap that someone can throw it away after using it for a few shootings. But OP said it was a rare and expensive model and not a disposable camera, which is what I thought it was and was popular during the 80s and 90s.

USD - LKR rates + tax බැලුවම ඔය price හරි වගේ

High-end luxury Camera

• The "Luxury" Cost: At $168, this was a high-end purchase. For context, the average monthly rent in the US in 1950 was roughly $42. This camera cost nearly four months of rent for the average family.
• Production Years (1951–1954): The Retina IIa was only produced until about 1954, when it was replaced by the Retina IIc and IIIc. If you saw one being sold in the late 50s or 60s, it was likely used or "new old stock" at a reduced price.
  
  
  
• Lens Variations: The $168 price typically applied to the standard model equipped with the highly regarded Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 50mm f/2.0 lens and the Synchro-Compur shutter.

Why it was expensive: Unlike many Kodak cameras made for the mass market (like the Brownie), the Retina series was manufactured in Stuttgart, Germany, by Kodak AG. It was a precision instrument built to compete with high-end German rangefinders like Leica and Contax.



Based on historical camera databases and collector guides, here is the specific original pricing for the Kodak Retina IIa (Type 016) and how its value shifted through the 1950s and 60s.

Original Retail Price (Early 1950s)​

When introduced in the US market around 1951, the Kodak Retina IIa list price was exactly:1

$168.502​

(Equivalent to ~$2,000 in today’s money)

This price generally included the premium Schneider-Kreuznach Retina-Xenon 50mm f/2.0 lens.

Sources & Reference Points:

• Karen Nakamura's Photoethnography: Explicitly lists the retail price as $168.50 in 1951.3
  
  
  
• Original Catalogs: In 1951-1952, this was priced competitively against other German rangefinders. For comparison, a basic Kodak Pony 135 cost only about $35, meaning the Retina IIa was nearly 5x more expensive than the consumer-grade option.

---

Price in the Late 50s & 60s​

Since production of the Retina IIa ended in 1954 (replaced by the Retina IIc and IIIc), you would not have found it "new" on store shelves in the late 50s or 60s unless it was old stock.

• Mid-to-Late 1950s (Clearance/Used): Once the newer Retina IIc and IIIc models arrived in 1954 (which sold for ~$139.50 and ~$185 respectively), the price of a new-old-stock IIa would have dropped to roughly $100–$120 to clear inventory.
• 1960s (Used Market): By the 1960s, the Retina IIa was strictly a used item. In 1960s photography magazine classifieds (e.g., Popular Photography), used Retina IIa cameras often sold for $40 – $60, depending on condition.

Summary of Value Over Time​

Year	Condition	Approx. Price	Context
1951-1953	New (Retail)	$168.50	High-end luxury compact.
1955-1957	Clearance / Lightly Used	~$80 - $110	Displaced by the newer "c" and "C" series.
1960s	Used	~$40 - $60	Affordable secondhand German optics.

---

No its correct....

things like cameras are considered as luxury items.

+ this is a high end luxury Camera

 

[HKavinda]

ඒකාලේ විදිහට නම් ඉතින් ලක්‍ෂ ගානක්