Seikosha-Rapid

The Seikosha-Rapid is a Japanese leaf shutter, inspired by the German Compur-Rapid and made by Seikōsha, the manufacturing branch of Hattori Tokei-ten.

It is said that the Seikosha-Rapid was developed in 1941 and sold from 1946 in #00 size, with 1/500 top speed. The Minion III is mentioned with a "Rapid Seiko" shutter in the "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), listing the Japanese camera production as of April 1943, and it was perhaps already available at the time.

The Seikosha-Rapid was also developed in #0 size in 1952 with 1/400 top speed. The Seikosha-Rapid was followed by the Seikosha-MX.

#00 size

Variants and cameras equipped (incomplete list, and not all variants are concerned):

• Early variant with T, B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 speeds:
  • Minion III by Tōkyō Kōgaku
• Usual variant with B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 speeds:
  • Minion 35 by Tōkyō Kōgaku
  • Olympus Flex A 3.5 by Olympus
  • Topcon 35B by Tōkyō Kōgaku
  • Zenobia C II, H II, R and R II by Daiichi Kōgaku
• Unknown model:
  • Fujica Six IS, ICS and IICS by Fuji

#0 size

Only known with B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 speeds.

Cameras equipped (incomplete list, and not all variants are concerned):

• 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)
• "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7.