Spring Forward

The fine Spring weather has brought the old cars back to the Plaza Vieja in Old Town.

The pretty red '40 Ford is a newcomer to the informal weekend car show in Old Town.  I asked the owner about it and he said he had bought the car recently from a fellow in Rio Rancho for the modest sum of twenty thousand.  

The stylish little Bilora Bella offers some basic controls over aperture, speed and focusing, and it makes maximal use of the 127 format, producing negative images that measure 4x6.5cm.  That is nearly three times the size of the 35mm format, although the camera is no bigger than a compact 35.

+That is nearly three times the size offered by the 35mm format though the camera is no larger than a compact 35.  

I am able to shoot my 127 cameras using some old bulk Portra 160 which I roll into backing paper from a couple defunct film brands.  I am always a little surprised to get eight mostly ok images from such an effort as fumbling in the dark through the process of getting the film properly onto the little 127 reels seems a real hit-or-miss project.

Bilora Bella

I've always liked the sporty style of the Bilora Bella.  Since I have a good supply of 127 film available now, it seemed like a good excuse to indulge my interest, and I found one easily on ebay for twelve dollars and shipping.  The Bella line of cameras made in Germany from the mid-1950s to the mid-'60s included models that used 120, 127 and 35mm film formats.  My 3c model produces an image measuring 4x6.5cm on 127 film.  There are two apertures, probably f8 and f11, and a self-cocking shutter with speeds of 1/50, 1/100 and B.  The lens can be focused by estimation from 3.5 feet to infinity.

I did a poor job of loading the film in the camera and managed to fog several of the frames, but the ones toward the end of the roll of eight exposures were ok.  I don't think the lens is coated, but it seems about as sharp as that on other simple cameras and the choice of apertures, shutter speeds and full focusing does offer a bit more versatility than the average box camera.