Fujica Rapid S2

[johnbear]

Here's a recently acquired camera - the stylish Fujica Rapid S2 - a Rapid film system model introduced in 1965.





The S2 is a zone focus camera with a bright-line viewfinder. Exposure is fully automatic via an around-the-lens Selenium meter, and features a viewfinder red flag low light warning. The camera appears to set an aperture and shutter speed combination, which cannot be overridden by manual selection of either. The shutter speed steps are a bit of a mystery, although the range is 1/30th to 1/250th. There is a aperture selector ring around the lens, with an A (auto) setting, and apertures from f/2.8 to f/22. These f-stops are only used with flash, where exposure setting is fully manual. It has an accessory shoe and PC socket. The camera shoots a 24cm x 24cm square format of 16 exposures. The frame counter counts down from 16 to 0, at which point the shutter locks, although the film advance winder continues to operate (so the exposed film can be pushed into the receiving Rapid cassette).



After loading with film and closing the back, the film advance lever must be advanced three times before the shutter tensions and the winding lever locks, ready for the first exposure. There's a small lever in the top light seal channel, in line with the axis of the wind crank, which can be depressed with a thumbnail to "trick" the camera into operating as though a film had been inserted. This enables the metering system to be observed, by firing the shutter while looking through the lens from the open back.

Sadly my camera does not respond to light; the aperture opens to a constant f/2.8, and the shutter speed sounds like a 1/30th (or thereabouts).

I bought this camera simply on the basis of its styling, and I think it looks fabulous.

It's another of those models for which there is little information on the Net (so if anyone has insights, please do share).

Fujica Rapid S2

[Stephen]

It was the Rapid film from Agfa that was the kiss of death, super film system, but locked to Agfa brand only, and in the mid 1960's in the UK Fuji was unknown as a major brand. The early Fuji models generally were good and only let down by Hanimex, the importer in the UK.
Most Kodak processor labs hated printing Agfa, they just treated the negs as Kodak, and then they had a blue cast to them. When properly corrected, they were fine colour prints.

Stephen

[philbirch]

A super looking camera indeed. It sounds like it has the exposure system that the Olympus Trip uses. The Trip switches between 1/40th and 1/200th depending on the light. The ASA range is the same (later Trips went to 400).

When Trips don't 'red-flag' its a simple repair, usually the meter needle has slipped - normally as a result of a drop or knock.