Karat/Rapid cassettes - how to extract exposed film

[CMarkW]

Hi, I am new to this forum but I am seeking guidance on how to use Agfa Karat/Rapid film cassettes.  I am trying to assemble a collection of usable cameras which reflect a range of types, formats, manufacturers etc.  The best Agfa Karat format is obviously a significant film format but I am currently stymied as to the use of the cassettes.  I have found a great deal of information about loading the cartridges and using them in an appropriate camera - but I can find nothing that tells me whether the receiver cassette ends up with a film stub still outside the cassette or, if not, how to extract film from the cartridge.  I will not be doing my own film development and I will probably have to advise my film processor.  Any advice would be very welcome. 

Mark 

[John Seaman]

No real experience of using these, I had a camera and a few cassettes a while back but never put a film through. If I recall correctly, the system works by the film being pushed into the receiving cassette by the sprocket wheel. So once the tail end of the film passes the sprocket, the film advance stops, leaving a short tail of film. The pushing action can only support a relatively short length of film, hence some Karat cameras were square format  to enable more frames to be packed in.

The system was briefly resurrected post war and renamed Rapid, which had the same cassettes but with a method of communicating the film speed to the camera. It was adopted by a number of Japanese makers like Minolta.

And Mark, welcome to the Classic Camera forum.

[John Seaman]

I just realised from the title of your post that you already know about the Rapid system. My bad.

[rick_drawbridge]

From recollection, the sprockets that move the film are situated in the middle of the film gate, and after the last sprocket hole on the film passes over the sprocket no further film will be loaded despite further movements of the winding handle. This leaves about an inch of film protruding from the receiving cassette. The original 12 shot cassettes contained enough film after the final frame to load a short length of blank film into the cassette following the final exposed frame.

There's quite a good description of the system here:

http://www.artdecocameras.com/resources/using-rapid/

[CMarkW]

Thanks for the comments. I have bought an Agfa Karat to try out and I have my eye on a Penti (a half frame camera). I appreciate the reassurance that a stub of film will remain for the lab! The Art Deco Cameras link has useful info on loading cassettes so I will give it a whirl.

[John Farrell]

My first camera was an Isomat Rapid, more than 50 years ago. The receiver cassette does have a stub of film protruding after the roll is finished. I used to load my own cassettes, from 36 exposure standard cassettes.

Edited April 24 by John Farrell

[Rick_van_Nooij]

I think if do run into problems of the film disappearing into the cassette you could use the same tricks you use to get the film leader out of a cartridge again, i.e. with a film picker or a moistened strip of old film.
 

[bernard_lazareff]

On 4/24/2024 at 7:55 PM, CMarkW said:

I appreciate the reassurance that a stub of film will remain for the lab!

Make sure to tell the lab you want the cassette back !