Gifts
Purma Special 1930s Vintage Art Deco Bakelite 127 Film Camera
Taunton, United Kingdom
£25 per item
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Item details
Wear conditions
Good
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
This is a Purma Special, an all Bakelite snapshot camera produced by Purma Camera, Ltd., England starting in 1937.
The Purma Special shoots sixteen 32mm x 32mm images on 127 roll film. It is a simple fixed focus camera with a unique gravity controlled metal blade focal plane three speed shutter that changes speeds depending on the orientation of the camera.
The Purma Special was a capable and inexpensive camera, allowing it to remain in production until around 1951, making it one of the longest produced cameras built in England.
The Purma Camera company was founded in 1935 by British painter and commercial poster artist, Tom Purvis, and inventor, Alfred Croger Mayo with funding provided by David Brock of Brock Fireworks. The company was formed in London with the intent to build a camera around a unique focal plane shutter concept designed by Mayo in 1933. The name “Purma” is an amalgam of the last names of both Purvis and Mayo.
Mayo came up with the idea of a focal plane shutter that used two curved metal curtains both with rectangular openings which allowed light to pass through them. The inner curtain was connected to a rotating brass weight, that depending on its orientation, would change the inner curtain’s position, creating a slit between it and the outer curtain. This allowed for three different sized openings that would allow an increasing amount of light through, depending on the orientation of the camera. At the fastest speed, the slit was about 1/16″ wide, 1/8″ at the medium speed, and 1/2″ at the slowest speed. The wider the slit, the more light came through.
The brass weight served a second purpose as its weight also affected the speed at which the curtains would move. With the camera held sideways in the slow speed position, the weight was nearest the ground. When firing the shutter, it would have to move up against the force of gravity. This motion would slow down the movement of the shutter curtains, resulting in a shutter speed of approximately 1/25. With the camera held sideways in the fast speed position, the weight was nearest the top so that firing the shutter would cause it to fall with the force of gravity, speeding up the movement of the shutter curtains, resulting in a shutter speed of approximately 1/450. Finally, an in between speed could be obtained with the camera held horizontally where the brass weight neither had to overcome gravity or being assisted by it, resulting in a shutter speed of approximately 1/150.
Despite its unorthodox design, Mayo’s shutter worked really well and because of its simplicity, was very reliable. Barring physical damage, the shutters found on these cameras rarely failed. Another benefit to the simple design was that it could be produced cheaply. Most of the parts were made of stamped metal, not requiring any precision machining like in more complex focal plane shutters. The number of individual parts was kept to a minimum requiring less raw materials. Finally, since speeds were changed automatically based on the orientation of the camera, no additional parts like a shutter speed dial were required, further keeping costs low.
Condition report:
I sell vintage items and accurately describe the cosmetic condition,
please use this information in conjunction with the photos to satisfy yourself of the condition of this item. If the item is required to work in any way I will give a separate description of the performance in this area to the best of my ability
Additional dimensions information:
Please request dimensions from seller
Cancellations
We offer free cancellations and full refund for orders cancelled before dispatching. View full policy.
Returns
We have a 14-day return guarantee for orders from individual sellers, within the UK and European Union. View full policy.
Estimated delivery time
Less than one week
Free collection available
No
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2022
- 507 sales
- Ships from Taunton, United Kingdom
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Cancellations and Returns
Last updated: 17th October 2024
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Consumers can return the goods due to a change of mind. Once a return is requested, the buyer is in charge of shipping the goods back to the seller and should organise it as soon as possible. Shipment costs to and from buyers are non-refundable.
Item not fit for purpose
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Vinterior must be informed of any damage in transit. If Proovia delivered the items, Vinterior will then raise an insurance claim on behalf of the Vendor with the delivery company. If the seller organised a delivery, they would be asked to raise a claim with their courier. Once the claim is resolved and any relevant decision regarding the insurance has been made, any applicable refunds will be processed.
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Once the item is returned to the Vendor in the same condition, the Vendor will confirm receipt of the item, and Vinterior will refund the original payment method.
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As with cancellations, the right to return an item does not apply to the following types of Goods, which are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to the Customer's specific requirements.
Please note that vintage items are not sold as new and are likely to show signs of wear and tear. This is not sufficient grounds for a refund.
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