{"title":"Rare Cameras \u0026 Lenses","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis collection doesn't sit still. We're always hunting, and what's here today might be gone by the time you've talked yourself out of buying it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery camera had one job, and it was usually a strange one. Medical bodies built to peer into a body mid-surgery, motorized aerial reconnaissance optics that spied from cockpits, oscilloscope cameras nobody outside a lab has ever heard of. They weren't made to be loved, they were made to be useful, and then the industry moved on without so much as a thank you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe're not interested in the gear everyone already has three of. We hunt esoteric Japanese rangefinders, black-enamel variants with the brass to prove it, experimental manual focus primes, and the occasional beautiful failure, one that solved a problem nobody had, or created one nobody wanted. They're not necessarily better than the popular stuff, they're stranger, rarer, and considerably more interesting at a dinner party.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is bench-inspected and photographed in high resolution so you know exactly what your getting into. Most are backed by our 88-Day Confirmed Operation Warranty, a few are sold as-is, flaws and all, for restorers who enjoy a challenge more than a guarantee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eObsolescence isn't failure. It's just what happens when an engineer builds something worth remembering and the market forgets to buy it anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"canon-serenar-35mm-f-2-8-ltm-lens-rangefinder","title":"Canon Serenar E.P 35mm f\/2.8 LTM Lens, Viewfinder and Case","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"178\" data-end=\"582\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWHAT CONDITION THE CONDITION IS IN: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e88-Day Confirmed Operation Warranty. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eIn great shape. The glass is clean, haze free, and shows only normal dust for its age. Focus is smooth and the f-stops work properly, with light oil on the aperture blades. It includes the original case and front and rear caps. The accessory viewfinder is clear, and the parallax compensation moves freely. There’s minor paint loss on the top front edge and very light brassing. The design, performance, and backstory are covered below. Pour yourself a drink first. It'll help.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cb id=\"docs-internal-guid-c589e9da-7fff-8459-cb75-64d569988378\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"178\" data-end=\"582\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the awkward dawn of postwar occupied Japan, October 1951 brought a small marvel: the Canon Serenar E.P 35mm f\/2.8 LTM. All metal, it has a weight that feels honest in your hand, which is fortunate, as the E.P stamp was meant to keep it off the black market and in the hands of U.S. military members rather than Japanese citizens. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"178\" data-end=\"582\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSix elements in four groups might sound like dry optical jargon, yet they perform like a well-crafted sonnet. Each glass curve renders streets, cafés, and passing glances with a charm so intimate it practically leans in to tell you a secret.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"584\" data-end=\"871\"\u003eCompact, yes, but not so small that you’d mistake it for a trinket. Apertures from f\/2.8 to f\/22 promise versatility, though let’s be honest, you’ll mostly flirt with f\/2.8. Subtle background separation is the shallow-focus equivalent of whispering, and who doesn’t like a good whisper?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"873\" data-end=\"1177\"\u003eIts rangefinder friends of the time often lacked 35mm frame lines, nudging the Serenar toward companionship with an external viewfinder. A quirk? Perhaps. A charm? Absolutely. It’s the optical equivalent of a wry smile from across the room. “Yes, you’ll have to improvise, but isn’t that half the fun?”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1179\" data-end=\"1498\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis lens reminds you of a time when metal and glass were coaxed into shape with patience, not pushed around by computers, and when Japan was still figuring out who it wanted to be. Luckily, you can find it at Fox \u0026amp; Talbot and not on the black market.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Canon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47142406947003,"sku":"CAN-LNS-35-2.8-LTM-GD-100004","price":688.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/6960\/6331\/files\/CAN-LNS-35-2.8-LTM-GD-100004-canon-serenar-35mm-f2.8-rangefinder-ltm-mount-vintage-lens-used-0006-with-viewfinder.jpg?v=1762130600"},{"product_id":"voigtlander-bessa-ii-apo-lanthar-lens-rangefinder-camera","title":"Voigtländer Bessa II Apo-Lanthar Rangefinder Camera","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"742\" data-start=\"160\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWHAT CONDITION THE CONDITION IS IN: This very rare Bessa II APO Lanthar is remarkably clean and looks barely used. The shutter needs a CLA. The lens has some dust typical for a lens of its age. The bellows are free of holes and damage. It includes the 645 frame mask, though the viewfinder mask for it is missing and only has the standard 6x9 mask. Otherwise it’s complete, with the original box, leather case, instruction manual, and a signed inspection certificate in German.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"742\" data-start=\"160\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease note: Because of the high value of this item, we strongly encourage payment by bank transfer or Wise. Credit card payment requires prior approval. Please call or email the store to discuss payment options before purchasing.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"742\" data-start=\"160\"\u003eGermany, 1954. A Voigtländer executive stares at a folding camera prototype with the expression of someone who's just realized they're about to design something magnificent that almost nobody will be able to afford. Fewer than 300 Bessa IIs with the 105mm f\/4.5 Apo-Lanthar lens would be made between 1954 and 1956, making it one of the rarest medium format folding rangefinders ever produced. It's the photographic equivalent of German optical aristocracy: impeccably bred, exquisitely crafted, and so scarce that owning one feels less like a purchase and more like a coronation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1514\" data-start=\"744\"\u003eBuilt in Germany, the Bessa II combines precise engineering with a compact folding design that delivers large 6x9 negatives. Its coupled rangefinder ensures accurate focusing, while the rare six-element Apo-Lanthar lens, with its distinctive red, green, and black rings, provides apochromatic correction and exceptional sharpness thanks to lanthanum glass. Discovered in 1839 and first used by Kodak in the 1930s, lanthanum enabled sharp, colour-accurate lenses and powered Voigtländer's 1949 Apo-Lanthar for true apochromatic correction. Non-radioactive and safe, it marked a major advance in lens design and remains foundational to high-performance optics today. This is German optical pedigree at its finest: precision, innovation, and a touch of chemical wizardry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1926\" data-start=\"1516\"\u003eThe Bessa II could also use a rare 6x4.5cm mask, allowing sixteen smaller frames on 120 film instead of eight 6x9 frames. A full set included a metal film gate mask and a viewfinder mask, though original masks are scarce. This example includes the film gate mask, though not the viewfinder mask, which is a bit like owning a Porsche without the owner's manual. Annoying, but the car still drives beautifully.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2255\" data-start=\"1928\"\u003eComplete Apo-Lanthar Bessa II sets with the original box, leather case, paperwork, and inspector's card are even rarer. With so few cameras made, perishable materials rarely survived, and accessories were often lost. A full set such as this one, especially with the signed inspection card, is a unique and highly prized find.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2577\" data-start=\"2257\"\u003eIn the end, the Bessa II with Apo-Lanthar lens is what happens when German engineers decide rarity equals desirability and proceed accordingly. Fewer than 300 made. Apochromatic correction. Lanthanum glass. It's magnificently impractical and impossibly rare. Which, for German optical pedigree, is precisely the point.\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(179, 179, 179);\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Voigtlander","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47169172242619,"sku":"VGT-BES-RF-KIT-EX-100014","price":8888.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/6960\/6331\/files\/Voigtlander-Bessa-II-APO-Lanthar-medium-format-rangefinder-camera.jpg?v=1787943744"},{"product_id":"expired-kodak-ektar-25-film","title":"Kodak Ektar 25-35mm C41 Film No Expiry Date","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWHAT CONDITION THE CONDITION IS IN: AS IS.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSingle roll of Kodak Ektar 25, Kodak's slow-speed, fine-grain colour negative film. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProcess (not included) in C-41 chemistry for a colour negative. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kodak","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47356856139963,"sku":"KOD-35M-25-PHR-100177","price":48.88,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/6960\/6331\/files\/KOD-35M-25-PHR-100177-Kodak-35mm-ektar-expired-film-8275.jpg?v=1768365245"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/6960\/6331\/collections\/VGT-BES-RF-KIT-EX-100014-voigtlander-bessa-ii-apo-lanthar-rangefinder-medium-format-vintage-film-camera-used-0009-front-I.jpg?v=1788107077","url":"https:\/\/www.foxandtalbot.com\/collections\/rare-cameras-lenses.oembed","provider":"Fox and Talbot Cameras","version":"1.0","type":"link"}