Purma Special camera

Solid body camera for 127 rollfilm 1.25x1.25 inches; moulded bakelite type; beck f/6.3 anastigmat lens f:2.25 inches; metal focal plane shutter 1/25, 1/150, 1/450 sec set by orientation of camera; direct vision optical finder; in original box with two closeup lenses 7.5-10 feet, 32 inches; instructions.

Purma Special camera, made by Purma Cameras, in England, c. 1938.

The Purma is a bakelite camera, and was priced at 50 shillings (£2.50) in 1938. Adverts from the time claim that over 100,000 were produced. The Purma is a dual-window sixteen exposure cameras, using size 127 film. An unusual feature was the three shutter speeds, known as Slow, Medium and Fast, but with no shutter speed selector. Instead a weight attached to one of the two metal shutter plates controls the shutter speed. To shoot at Medium speed, the camera was held horizontally, for Fast speed it was held vertically, with the wind knob up, and to shoot at Slow speed, the camera was held vertically, with the wind knob down.