The camera not so much, a Minolta 9000, but I have a bulk film back, have only seen a few for sale over the years. When I get time I will dig it out and take a picture of it. I've only used it once, ran a 100 foot roll of no name Ultrafine 400 speed though it, lost a bunch of frame as I had to cut the roll down to fit my unicolor 35mm reels.
I had: a first run Contax II with the 1-100th instead of 1-125th speed. I had no idea of it's rarity until long after I sold it.
A 355 Multicoated Kern Dagor, supposedly only 500 made (the range of serial numers I have observed so far supports this) however they seem easy enough to find if you can afford one.
I have: The fourth Deardorff V8 made with front swings, and a Contax II that is not only nearly unused, but has the original bill of sale from 3 July 1937, as well as all but one item (a roll of film) listed on the papers - also complete provenance from 1937 to present.
Very few things camera related is really rare. Sellers and owners will try to whip up a storm about it being rare though.
The oldest desirable consumer cameras are only a little north of a hundred years old.
Very few things that sold in numbers, in that time span, that warranted fame of any kind, is rare.
That said, most uncommon thing I got is probably a Minolta 7000 without cosmetic problems. The screen is fine (both) and the grips are whole and prestine.
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.
Its seriously tough to pick the rarest as they are all rare for different reasons.
First up a soft focus lens from Italy, not disimilar to the eidoscope in it an uncorrected rapid rectilinear with softness greatest wide open. Any Catalogue or adverts appreciated.
No, I actually meant Posterior's...
I was channeling the late comedian Norm Crosby and felt it appropriate under the circumcision. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapropism
I can think of a few reasons. The Compur shutter was new and had flash synch. The multicoating was absolutely first-rate, and with color transparencies it had smooth contrast and a neutral color balance. B&W yielded contact prints you looked into, rather than at, but then even an uncoated Dagor will do that.
Not sure how rare it is nowadays, but I'd think not many were sold with that lens on. An Ihagee 9x12 with a Meyer Gorlitz Trioplan 15cm 3.5. An unusually large lens for its type.
Happily it also takes a contemporary Rada back for rollfilm...
I also found an Ihagee Zwieverschluss (two shutters) some years ago. There don't seem to be many of these around, and the rear shutter still works fine after some attention. It was missing the front shutter, but I just use it as a focal-plane camera.
Shown above with a Eurynar 180 / 6.8 which happily screws in to the original shutter threaded mount.
I own a 28mm F2.8 Minolta MC lens with a Thorium element. It is INCREDIBLY sharp. Rarity and value, simply I don't know either, but until I bought it I had not seen another.
I also have what looks like a well worn Minolta XM in full working order that I had CLA'd just after I bought it. Apart from tightening a few internal screws, cleaning inside the prism and lubricating it, there was little wrong. For an SLR the mirror 'slap' is very quiet and like others I have read about is not de-silvering. Even the meter and shutter speed were within tolerance. That has to be rare in a camera that could be over half a century old.
No, I actually meant Posterior's...
I was channeling the late comedian Norm Crosby and felt it appropriate under the circumcision. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapropism
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The screen is fine (both) and the grips are whole and prestine.
