What is the rarest camera/lens you own?

Nokton48

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Reprint DII Rock Bridge 3 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Not rare but a 58mm Graflex Grandagon, mounted in a custom made Sinar Norma deeply recessed lensboard. This will produce passable 4x5" results if the lens is focused focused hyperfocally, if you look carefully you can see the edges of the circle in all four corners. But it works. I got this idea from an article that Steve Simmons did in VIEW CAMERA on this lens. 9x12cm is more like usuable but this does push the envelope with 4x5".

HP5+ D76 1:1 8x10 Arista #2 RC Multigrade dev
 

TheFlyingCamera

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While not in working order at the moment, I have a 12x15 (!!!!!) W. Watson & Sons. When I can get it back into working order, it will be a thing of beauty - I think it's mahogany, with gilt brass hardware. All the screw heads are aligned - every single slot points in the same direction. The maker's identification plaque on the front is ivory. It's from the 1880s.
 

lobitar

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Yes, I see your point. In the olden days they advised to 'close the corners'. The Grandagan seem to do that nicely for you. Like always a very nice B&W.
 

Nokton48

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lobitar said:
Yes, I see your point. In the olden days they advised to 'close the corners'. The Grandagan seem to do that nicely for you. Like always a very nice B&W.
Click to expand...


Thanks Lorbitar!
 

Dan Fromm

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lobitar said:
Yes, I see your point. In the olden days they advised to 'close the corners'. The Grandagan seem to do that nicely for you. Like always a very nice B&W.
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To follow up on this, for all that we carry on about coverage and cos^4 some images aren't much harmed, might even be helped, by dark corners.

FWIW, there's not strong agreement about f/5.6 Grandagons' coverage. I haven't tested -- remember, the largest format I've shot my 58 on is 6x12 and I haven't shot my 80 yet -- but I've decided to believe 100 degrees.

Dan, if you want to put a center filter on your 58, Schneider’s Center Filter III, Rodenstock’s + 1.5 E67/86 Center filter and Heliopan’s 67mm ND Center Filter 3X should all work properly on it. I recently lucked into a CF III for a reasonable price, haven't used it yet.
 

Nokton48

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Graflex Grandagon on Norma Board by Nokton48, on Flickr

Here is my custom made Norma 58mm Grandgon. At the time, the widest lenses that would cover were the 65's, I have a few of them. Needed something even wider and this was about it. Focused at fifteen feet of course increased the circle a small amount. Even then it dosen't cover the corners, A Watchmaker friend welded the aluminum board for me (absolutely perfect) and we used JB Weld to attach the release socket (it's only come off once and re-epoxied no probs. A somewhat fragile but satisfactory arrangement.

This was not an insignificant project for me. I was working for Architects at the time and need 4x5 chromes
 

removedacct1

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I don't know which of my cameras is THE most rare, but this one is likely one the rarest of the lot: a 1936 Kodak Retina No. 126, serial number 55160K. (apparently first sold to a customer in Switzerland) fitted with a CZJ Tessar lens, whose serial number indicates it was manufactured on June 8, 1936 (Information courtesy of Dr. David Jentz).



The shutter and film transport was serviced by me in February of 2019 and is in perfect working order. Sample photos made with this camera can be seen here:

https://flic.kr/p/2eEd9fi
https://flic.kr/p/SwG64q
 

Dan Fromm

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Ah. So you kept yours in the original infernal Compur #00. Mine came in that shutter. The control levers bent easily and were on the way to breaking. I had to have skgrimes extract the cells and calibrate another slightly less infernal regular #00 for them.

For those of you who don't know the Graflex XL's 58/5.6 Grandagon, it was mounted on a Graflex XL lens cone in a Compur #00 shutter that had long levers for setting aperture and shutter speed. They were needed 'cos the front cell is so large that reaching the normal short levers was very difficult. And the shutter used has no cable release socket or "T" speed. The cable release, such as it was, was part of the cone the lens mounted in. Separate the lens from the cone and away went the cable release.
 

Dan Fromm

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I never mentioned it even though until today I'd seen only the one I have, but years ago I bought a small barrel lens engraved Anastigmat 1:2.8/75 Germany from a seller on eBay. It appears to be a modified tessar type, with a biconcave element between the front pair of singlets and the diaphragm and a cemented doublet behind the diaphragm. It is coated. I've never been able to find out who made it. It doesn't cover 2x3 so I've never used it.

Today I saw its brother here https://www.japancamerahunter.com/product/burke-james-lens-vault-anastigmat-75-2-8/ Same lens, with a B&J label attached. Does anyone know who made it or for what application?
 

NortheastPhotographic

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Probably my Hy6 Mod 2 with the 80/2.8, 50/2.8, and 180/2.8. Sad that they're considered rare because they are still in production and can be bought new.
 

TheFlyingCamera

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Update to the "rarest" category. I now have an R. Beard marked Daguerrian lens made by T. Slater, London. CA. 1855. Not pretty, but amazingly enough it still has the rack and pinion gear intact, and working!. Hanging out behind it is my new-to me Cooke 10.5 inch f4.5 Series II, and the 11" f5 Hermagis Eidoscope #3.



And there's also the Voigtlander that I bought in the same auction lot as the Cooke. An 1864 Petzval, 11" f3.4. This thing is a veritable brass cannon, with the front element clocking in at 80mm in diameter and weighing something on the order of 5 lbs.

 
  • Ian Grant
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Ian Grant

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Rare as in I can't find anything on another, other than a vague description a Thornton Pickard "Time" shutter 2½" push on front fitting (to lens/hood). It probably dates to 1887/1890, although the Pickard on the name plate means it was made/sold after he joined the company in 1888.

This differs from any other Thornton Pickard roller blind shutter having an external spring rather than one inside the bottom curtain roller.





This is the unusual spring mechanism. It is working I replaced the loose piece of cotton thread, the knot had pulled through its locator, it has T and I, the shutter runs very smoothly more so than other TP models. The Instant speed is around 1/15 to 1/20, there is a small adjuster where the spring is located that makes a slight difference to the speed but not very significantly.



The air bulb release has perished, they always have, however I have spare release arms so can tap one to take a modern cable release. At some stage it's had a new shutter curtain. It fits 3 of my RR lenses.

So a rare shutter to go with vintage lenses.

Ian
 
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ic-racer

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Edixa Reflex (West Germany). With 24mm Lithagon. One of the first retrofocus lenses available.
 

jnk

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8x10 multi speed Graflex Focal Plane Shutter and a fan-front Hyperion
 

xkaes

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Cholentpot said:
Rarest thing I have is some rolls of Ektar 25 in my freezer. Everything else I own is pretty standard mass produced.
Click to expand...

I agree with you there. Mine is right next to my stash of Agfa Agfan 25 -- in 35mm and 4x5. My rarest camera is my Vanta G-5. Something doesn't have to be old to be rare - very hard-to-find.

 
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jimgalli

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jimgalli said:
Why, I have drawers full of RARE lenses! Either that or the ebay sellers were lying? Probably my 12" Struss.
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Since someone has revived this, perhaps my latest most rare lens would be an f3 Aldis Portrait lens of 12 1/2" focus.
 

Don_ih

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My rarest is likely a adapted Sonnar 1.5 - it's LTM. I got it screwed on a Leica IIIb that had probably been on a shelf for decades. I've never seen another like it online anywhere.

 
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Besk

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Beseler 4x5 Press camera. Not quite ready for prime time - although sold to the Army.
 
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