Purma Special

I remember reading about Purma Special on camerapedia. It was a featured article showing on the front page for half a year or something so one day I just started reading about this unpretty bakelite contraption guided by gravity. And that's when it happened: I fell in love. The camera simply lost its un-prettiness and became a beautiful work of a skilled and imaginative mind. I've always had deep appreciation for people who know how to create things that others can use. I know I can't. Without those wonderful minds -- no taking photos for me! If you're interested in the technicalities, you can read enough in this article from Living Image Camera Museum and I won't have to tell the same story. In short, the camera has three shutter speeds: slow (1/25), medium (1/125) and fast (1/450) that depend on the way you hold the camera. It takes sixteen 3x3 photos on 127 film that is currently produced by Maco/Rollei in a small variety. It's a British camera from the 1930s. 

When my own Purma arrived, only the "Fast" speed was working but I was so excited that I put a roll in it immediately anyway and shot it all at once. Then I spent an hour or two on making the other two shutter speeds working and they do for now. There is another roll inside now and as I was taking photos I learned that when I use the slow shutter speed my finger tends to go in the way of the shutter cocking lever which makes the shutter stop before it finishes traveling across the film gate. Some overexposure is bound to show, I presume. Other than that, the Beck Anastigmat 6.3/50mm lens is nice and sharp if you don't try anything closer than 2 meters. The 1/450 speed is a wonderful feature, allowing me to take silly photos my boyfriend jumping... only a bit too fast for 100 ASA film even in bright light. Too bad no one wants to make a simple decision of producing 400 ASA film in 127 format.

Purma has a brilliant Purma Guide that I advise you to pay attention to, especially to the introduction and illustrations. Camera manuals usually have photos or drawings of photo-like quality that show you how to use the camera but this one... it's got a soul of its own.