Seikosha-Rapid

The Seikosha-Rapid is a Japanese leaf shutter by the company Seikosha, inspired by the German Compur-Rapid. It was developed in 1941 and sold from 1946 in #00 size, with 1/500 top speed. A variant in #0 size followed in 1952 with 1/400 top speed. The Seikosha-Rapid was followed by the Seikosha-MX.

Variations and cameras equipped

Top speed 1/500

Early variant with T, B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 speeds:

• Minion III by Tōkyō Kōgaku

Usual variant in #00 size with B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 speeds:

• Olympus Flex A 3.5 by Olympus
• Zenobia C II, H II, R and R II by Daiichi Kōgaku

Unknown model:

• Fujica Six IS, ICS and IICS by Fuji

Top speed 1/400

Model with #0 size and B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 speeds:

• Koniflex by Konishiroku
• Olympus Flex I, BI, BII and A 2.8 by Olympus

Bibliography

• Kamera no mekanizumu sono I: "Hai! Chīzu" Shunkan o torae-tsuzukeru shattā-ten (カメラのメカニズム・そのⅠ・「ハイ！チーズ」瞬間をとらえ続けるシャッター展, Camera mechanism, part 1 "Cheese!" Exhibition of instant taking shutters). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 2002. (Exhibition catalogue, no ISBN number)