Filling in the Gaps: The Purma Special

Filling in the Gaps: The Purma Special and 127 Day

When I was toying with the idea of trying film photography again, after years of using digital cameras, I looked at a whole range of analogue cameras, trying to decide which one to choose. One of these was the Purma Special, a 127 film, fixed focus Bakelite camera manufactured in England between the 1930s and 50s. 

I found this Purma Special on a trip to the UK a couple of years ago. Although I picked up a couple of 127 format films to use with the camera, I never actually put it to use, although I promised myself I would. I even referred to it in my intentions for the year back in December, hoping this would encourage me to use it. Then, the other day, I discovered that the 12 July was '127 Day' and I knew this was my best opportunity to get out with the Purma Special. 

The Purma Special is a 127 film, fixed focus camera with a two element lens, and a fixed aperture of f6.3. It was made between 1937 and the early 1950s, and is almost completely constructed of Bakelite. It has three shutter speeds, 1/50s, 1/150s and 1/450s, and uniquely these are controlled by the orientation of the camera. The Purma Special contains a weight that swings from side to side at different speeds depending on which way the camera is held. 

The 'normal' speed of 1/150s is achieved when the camera is held level to the subject and the weight swings too and from unencumbered. When the camera is held upright in the 'fast' orientation, the weight drops from top to bottom and the shutter speed is 1/450s. If the Special is orientated in the 'slow' position, the weight moves slower, against gravity, and the shutter fires at 1/50s.

Whichever orientation is chosen, the shutter fires with a camera-shaking 'clunk!', but this doesn't really matter as this is at the end of the shutter cycle, when it has already exposed a frame of film. Since the Purma Special produces 32x32mm square exposures, it doesn't matter in which orientation the camera is held, although the negatives do look a little odd with the images in all directions. 

For 127 Day, I loaded the film with a roll of Crossbird Creative colour film that I've had for a while. I also have some ReraPan, but the lab I use only processes C41 film. I realised that the Crossbird Creative film is rated at ISO 200, which is quite fast for a camera with a fixed aperture of f6.3. I had calculated that on a typical sunny Portuguese day the best film to use with the Purma Special is one with a speed of roughly ISO 50 at 1/150s. So what I did is take a 37mm ND4 filter and attach it to the lens with a step-up ring. This wasn't completely secure, and you can see on some of the images when the filter was in the way of the lens, but it worked.

After loading, the back of the camera was taped up securely to stop it popping open unexpectedly. It took ages to wind the film to the first frame, but eventually the number '1' appeared in the left window. The rear of the Purma Special has two windows. After loading the film, it's woind on until the number '1' appears in the left window. After taking the first image I have to wind the film so '1' appears in the right window for the second frame (and so on). This way we can get 16 frames put of a roll of 127 film.

I took the Purma Special around Oiã and Águas Boas. Once the film was completed I took it to our local film lab, Forever Blue in Aveiro. The developed film was scanned at home with an Epson Perfection v750 Pro flat bed scanner and Epson Scan software. I do think that I need a lot more practise with my scanning technique, but it was great fun. I've posted the whole roll in an album (https://www.flickr.com/gp/147583812@N06/88358HToe9) on my Flickr, light leaks and all, if you want to see the rest of the images.

I was really surprised how well some of the images came out, especially since with a couple of the frames I metered for an ND8 filter, and not the ND4 filter that I had taken with me. As mentioned, the filter got in the way of some images, and I nearly lost on a  couple of occasions. What I'm thinking about doing next time is rolling some 35mm film backwards into the 127 backing paper and trying some redscale photography at ISO 50, or thereabouts. 

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