Agfa Rapid
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Agfa Rapid is the name for a special 35mm cartridge film system.
Rapid film
Emergence
In 1963, Kodak successfully launched a new film format, the Instamatic system, the cassette of which was protected by several patents, so that Agfa was unable to develop a comparable system. That is why they remembered the cartridge of the Agfa Karat cameras and brought it out again, slightly modified, under the name Rapid . The innovation consisted of a nose on the cartridge for scanning the film speed, the exposure meter could be switched from ISO 50/18 ° to ISO 100/21 °. Apart from that, the cartridges were identical, Rapid cartridges could also be used in a Karat camera.
technology
The Rapid cartridge did not have a winding mandrel. The film tab, which protruded like in 35mm film, was cut straight and specially embossed in order to achieve a twist with which it should thread reliably into the take-up cartridge. This was the supply cartridge for the last film or an empty cartridge supplied with the camera. After inserting the film and closing the rear flap, the film wound itself frame by frame into the empty cassette as it was transported. The full cartridge was then given away for development, and the now empty cartridge was used for winding up the next film. So there was no need to rewind. Because it could happen that the film type and label on the cartridge did not match, the end of the film was labeled, which was done through small punched holes that formed letters. There was also an indication that exposure had already taken place.
Today the Rapid-Film is no longer available, but the cartridges can be filled with goods sold by the meter or with the film taken from an ordinary cartridge, whereby the strip may not be longer than 60 cm.
Comparison with the Instamatic system
differences
The Instamatic system was even easier to use. Inserting a rapid film was very easy, but changing the cartridges could cause problems for those with no technical knowledge. In principle, it was also possible to expose an exposed film again. In contrast, the Instamatic cassette was almost perfectly protected against incorrect operation. The Rapid film, on the other hand, was at this point between the ordinary 35mm cartridge and the Instamatic film. This also applied to the technical complexity of the camera. For example, a rapid camera required a counter and a somewhat more complex stop mechanism for film transport. With the Instamatic cassette, on the other hand, there was exactly one perforation hole available for each image; at Kodak, the image counting was done in the old-fashioned way via the printed paper back of the film itself.
The Rapid cameras had a film pressure plate for this, which ensured perfect flatness. This was not guaranteed with the Instamatic cassette, so that the distance setting, if available, sometimes did not give the desired result. However, this aspect did not play a role in the design-related low light intensities of the lenses of simple cameras, since the associated small aperture openings result in a large imaging depth.
In addition, the aspect ratio was not determined by the film. Most Agfa Rapid cameras also used a square format of 24 mm × 24 mm, but Japanese manufacturers also made half-format cameras that used Rapid film, and the Agfa Silette Rapid even came with the usual 24 mm × 36 mm in front. The square format used was created for the same reason as with Kodak: With the single-lens lenses in entry-level cameras, the image quality fell sharply towards the edge, and with a square the corners were less far from the center. Despite the simple optical technology, the lens was still able to deliver acceptable image quality, the negative used the existing image circle of the lens more efficiently, and it could also be made smaller and therefore simpler and, in relative terms, more powerful.
Similarities
Both types of film used 35 mm film, which made it possible to process it in conventional developing machines. In both cases, the exposed part of the film was kept protected from light. Opening the back of the camera would only result in the loss of the current, previous and subsequent image. The systems differed insignificantly in terms of the number of images: The Rapid film was the same length as the Karat at the time, so that again there were 12 images in the format 24 mm × 36 mm, 24 images in the format 18 mm × 24 mm or 16 images in the format 24 mm × 24 mm. Because the film did not wind itself up as tightly as with a driven spool, the film length remained far from that of the conventional 35mm film type 135 with its maximum possible three times the number of frames. The Instamatic cassette was available with 12 or 20 recordings, later 24 recordings.
Rapid Club
AGFA tried worldwide to swear other camera manufacturers in the so-called Rapid Club to its system, whereby it was also a question of market dominance as a film manufacturer over Kodak. Initially, there were numerous manufacturers who then increasingly switched to the Kodak system. After all, Agfa started building Instamatic cameras in 1967 and finally gave up Rapid cameras in 1972. Thanks to the numerous Agfa dealers, Rapid cameras were widely used: Agfa sold around 5 million of them.
Agfa Rapid cameras
Iso-Rapid
Agfa named the entry-level models Iso-Rapid , with Iso following a tradition from the prewar period - with the introduction of isochromatic black and white film, this name was added to some camera names. There were several versions, all of which had a single-lens fixed focus lens , initially with a speed of 1: 11, then 1: 8, which was called Isonar.
The Iso-Rapid I cost 26.50 DM and had an accessory shoe with center contact. For this purpose, there was a flash unit with a matching design for flash lamps, which also contained the required battery for ignition. The shutter release was originally on the side of the lens and thus directly on the shutter, later there was an elongated button on the top.
The Iso-Rapid F (the F stood for "Flash") had a socket for flash lamps instead of the accessory shoe, for which a semicircular reflector sheet could be pushed out of the housing. The 6-volt battery for ignition was accessible after unscrewing the base plate. The camera cost 49 DM.
Shortly after the presentation of the N-Blitzwürfel by Sylvania, the Iso-Rapid C appeared , whereby the C should mean "Cube". The camera corresponded to the Iso-Rapid F , only that there was a flash cube socket coupled with the film transport instead of the bulb holder and the reflector plate. It cost 63 DM.
Moto-Rapid C
In the Moto-Rapid it was essentially a modified Iso-Rapid C . It had a spring mechanism motor that was wound around the lens with the ring, with one winding being sufficient for a whole film. This facility was particularly useful for remote triggering. One application for this was the difficult-to-access installation in a glider in order to create photos of turning points as evidence. In newspaper advertisements, Agfa advertised this with a series of pictures of a playing toddler and the words:
"Rrrrrrrrrrapid! With this camera you can "shoot" while others are still cocking, turning, transporting ... This photo sensation is called Federwerk-Automatic! "
The camera caused quite a stir, as motor drives were still extremely rare in compact cameras, but because the surcharge in an automatic exposure system was usually more profitable, Agfa only sold a small number of them. This camera cost 98 DM.
Isomat Rapid
The Isomat had an automatic exposure control with a limited working range: While the control of the Optima Rapid adjusted aperture and time, the Isomat worked with a constant 1 ⁄ 70 s exposure time, this was only changed to 1 ⁄ 30 s for flash mode. This exposure control was taken over from the Isoly-mat. The diaphragm was adjusted between f / 4.5 and f / 22, controlled by a selenium cell. For the 89 DM sales price, this was a remarkable feature. As known from the Optima models, there was a red mark in the viewfinder when there was insufficient lighting, otherwise a green mark. Another thing they had in common was the three snap-in symbols on top of the lens for setting the distance, and on the underside there was a distance scale that began at 1 m.
Optima Rapid
The top model, the Optima Rapid 250, was added in 1965. Like the Optima models for 24 mm × 36 mm , it had an automatic program with red / green display in the illuminated frame viewfinder, and the release lever protruded on the right side of the lens. The quick-release lever was on the underside of the housing. Compared to the standard models, the 250 had a more elaborately shaped, chrome-plated housing. But it also had a three-lens lens, namely an Agnar f / 2.8, 45 mm.
At the Photokina 1966, a new case for the Rapid Optima came , following the general trend, more angular and with a trigger on the top. There were now four variants: The Optima 100 C had the Agnar f / 4.5. 38 mm the Isomat , the Optima 125 C for 179 DM an Apotar f / 2.8. 45mm - these were three-lens lenses. Both also had only one lightning cube connection, whereby the lateral, now functionless slots for the accessory shoe were retained. The top model 500 V had the four-lens Solinar f / 2.8, 35 mm, a shortest exposure time of 1 ⁄ 500 s and cost 298 DM. Its features exactly corresponded to the Kodak Instamatic 500 , which was also made in Germany. In contrast, the Rapid Optima 250 V for 228 DM has to be content with the three-lens Apotar f / 2.8, 35 mm.
Rapid model
In order to clearly show the customer how easy it is to insert film, Agfa supplied the photo dealers with the Agfa model demonstration camera . It had a plexiglass back wall under which the automatic threading of a demonstration film could be observed, and it did not have any lightning connection. The camera was delivered as a set in a plastic folding box, in addition to the demonstration film there were also Rapid sample shots in the form of two slides and a fanfold with 9 cm × 9 cm prints.
Silette Rapid
Agfa also built models for Rapid-Film from the Silette , but it was exposed as usual with the format 24 mm × 36 mm. These cameras were of little importance, however, since the Silette, with its manual exposure control , was aimed at more committed photo amateurs and they did not have any problems with inserting ordinary film.
See also
literature
- Günther Kadlubek, Rudolf Hillebrand: AGFA - History of a German global company from 1867 to 1997 . 2nd edition, Verlag Rudolf Hillebrand, Neuss 1998, ISBN 3-89506-169-7 .
- Heinrich Freytag: Taking photos with rapid cameras. Publishing the beautiful books Dr. Wolf Strache , Stuttgart 1965.