C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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compact-35mm
The Bilora Bella is a West German 35mm viewfinder camera produced from approximately 1955 by Kuerbi & Niggeloh (Bilora), a small camera manufacturer based in Radevormwald, North Rhine-Westphalia. It uses standard 35mm film and produces 24x36mm full-frame negatives, placing it in the consumer mass-market tier that dominated the German export camera trade in the mid-1950s.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
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Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
A postwar West German Bakelite viewfinder with a single achromat lens, built for the budget-conscious 35mm beginner.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm, 24x36mm |
| Mount | Fixed (non-interchangeable) |
| Year introduced | ~1955 |
| Lens | Single achromat, ~45mm, fixed aperture |
| Shutter | Leaf: ~1/25s - 1/100s + B |
| Flash sync | ~ (model dependent) |
| Meter | None |
| Focus | Fixed (hyperfocal) |
| Battery | None |
| Viewfinder | Optical direct-vision |
Bilora (Kuerbi & Niggeloh) was established in the early twentieth century as a supplier of photographic accessories and transitioned into camera manufacturing during the interwar period. The postwar West German camera industry saw dozens of small manufacturers producing low-cost viewfinder cameras for domestic and export markets, competing directly with similar products from Agfa, Dacora, Balda, and other German makers.
The Bella line occupied Bilora's entry-level position, below models with rangefinders or more capable shutters. The 35mm Bella variants appeared as 35mm film became increasingly dominant in the mid-1950s -- a transition driven by the growth of the photofinishing infrastructure and the widespread availability of Kodak, Agfa, and ORWO 35mm film stocks. The Bella provided a minimal-cost entry point for consumers who wanted 35mm capability without investing in a more expensive camera.
Production details, including exact model years and the full variant tree, are not well-documented in English-language sources.
The Bilora Bella represents the lower tier of the West German postwar camera industry -- a category of camera largely overshadowed by the premium reputation of German optics (Zeiss, Schneider, Leitz) but equally representative of the actual market: simple, affordable, and widely distributed. Cameras like the Bella, the Dacora Dignette, the Beier Beirette, and the Balda Baldix were purchased in far greater numbers than any Leica or Contax, and their images document postwar European daily life as thoroughly as any fine-camera output.
The Bella is also a minor testament to Bakelite-era industrial design. West German manufacturers in this period were adept at producing functional consumer goods in thermoplastic housings -- attractive enough for a gift, durable enough for years of use, and cheap enough for widespread distribution.
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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