Agfa Rapid (1964)

Proprietary 35mm cassette-to-cassette film system introduced as a rival to Kodak's 126 Instamatic.

Overview

The Agfa Rapid film system launched in 1964. It was a proprietary 35mm format meant to make loading simpler and more reliable. Agfa-Gevaert N.V. made it. It used special metal cassettes with no central spool, and it moved film from one cassette to another, so you needed a full cassette and an empty one to run it. The mechanism was simple. Right after exposure, geared sprockets fed the film from the supply cassette into the take-up cassette, so there was no rewinding. Agfa brought it out as a direct competitor to Kodak's 126 Instamatic film. It came from a September 1963 collaborative agreement between European and Japanese companies, the first German-Japanese camera collaboration. Half a million Rapid cameras were sold in Europe within the first ten weeks of release.

Specifications

Film Format	35mm film
Film Supply	Supplied in special metal cassettes
Exposures per Cassette	12 exposures for full-frame cameras; 24 for half-frame cameras
Exposure Format	16 square exposures of 24×24 mm per roll
Shutter Settings	Two settings: "Outdoors" and "Flash"
Flash	Uses AG-1 type flashbulbs
Flash Battery	Originally a mercury 6v type PX-23 battery
Tripod Mount	Tripsod thread in the middle right of the underside
Strap Attachment	Metal loop on the right side of the camera
ISO Setting	Set automatically by cassette's metal tab; no manual setting
Loading Method	Requires two cassettes – one full, one empty; cameras have no takeup spool
Film Speed Communication	Cassette metal tab length mechanically communicates film speed
Exposure Count (modern adaptation)	About 14 exposures using about 76 cm (30 inches) of film

Design

The Rapid camera used a standard film pressure plate and a squared-off, mostly plastic body. The full cassette went on the right and the empty one on the left, and film wound into the empty cassette after each exposure. A small sliding piece on the right edge opened the back. The bottom cover came off easily with a coin or fingernail. A film counter window showed a dial counting down from 16 to 1. A vertical thumb-wheel raised and lowered a metal flash reflector, and flash guidance was stenciled on the camera back. Two interlocks checked that the rear door was closed and that film was present. The ASA tab sensor was a spring-loaded forked metal piece that read the film speed tab on the cassette. Film ends were stiffened to make loading easier. The ISINAR lens was labeled "Made in Germany," with fixed focus and fixed aperture. There was no selenium light meter.

Context

Agfa developed Rapid as a modernized version of its 1930s Karat film cartridge system, and the two shared interchangeable empty cassettes. The East German "SL System" (Speed Loading) used plastic cassettes but was functionally interchangeable with Rapid and Karat. By 1967, Agfa also made cameras for Kodak's 126 film. Rapid models include the Iso-Rapid I, Isoflash-Rapid, Isomat Rapid, Silette Rapid, and Optima Rapid series.

Market

Rapid cameras turn up very cheaply in thrift stores and garage sales. Typical prices circa 2012 were described as "a few cents." The special film cassettes are no longer commonly available, so users reload bulk 35mm film into empty cassettes by hand, and adaptation instructions exist for this. Contemporary users call it a "charming little bugger" and a "funny little camera to experiment with." They say it takes more effort than most cameras but is rewarding.