The Purma Special is an unusual camera made almost entirely of Bakelite, apart from the glass lens, plastic viewfinder optics and shutter and spring mechanisms. The camera dates from 1937. It takes 127 roll film.

The focal plane is curved, with a solid metal, curved focal-plane shutter with three speeds, controlled by a weight, which varied the slit-width. The shutter is cocked using a pear-shaped lever on the top edge, above the lens; the slit width/shutter speed depends on which way up the camera is held. Horizontal gives medium speed, vertical with winding knob down gives slow, and vertical, knob up, fast.