Off the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign, Digital Bolex (a JV between the original Bolex company and start-up Cinemeridian) are set to launch their first product – the D16 Bolex, digital 16mm camera.
According to the blub on the site, the D16 combines “legendary Bolex quality with the best in digital technology to bring you unrivaled image quality for its class. The D16 captures and preserves image detail with stunning accuracy that gives your footage an organic look, and the camera body is designed to fit comfortably in your hands–emulating the feel of a traditional 16mm film camera, while still offering all of the shooting positions and mounting options of a professional digital cinema camera.”
According to Digtal Bolex, “Once upon a time, motion picture cameras that created high-quality images were affordable for all filmmakers on any budget. Consumer 8mm and 16mm cameras like the original Bolex shot footage that could be projected on any movie theatre screen.
In today’s digital market, ‘affordable’ and ‘consumer’ have become synonymous with ‘low-quality’ — but it doesn’t have to be that way. Meet the D16, the first digital cinema camera to shoot RAW at a price anyone can afford.
The D16 combines legendary Bolex quality with the best in digital technology to bring you unrivaled image quality for its class. The D16 captures and preserves image detail with stunning accuracy that gives your footage an organic look, and the camera body is designed to fit comfortably in your hands–emulating the feel of a traditional 16mm film camera, while still offering all of the shooting positions and mounting options of a professional digital cinema camera.
The features of this camera include a Super 16mm sized CCD sensor with a global shutter and 12 stops of dynamic range. The D16 records in 12-bit CinemaDNG raw format to give you fully uncompressed footage with no artifacts. 24-bit 96 kHz sound delivers studio quality audio without need for external recording devices. The camera comes with an internal Enterprise Class SSD that acts both as a buffer and a backup for your footage, as well as a 4 hour battery. Dual CF card slots and USB 3.0 ensures your ability to download footage safely and quickly. Our interchangeable lens mount gives you the option of using traditional bolex and C-mount lenses, or the newer lenses you already own and love. And the included LightPost software means you will have the very fastest path from your raw footage to your online editor.”
Delivery times are currently 8-12 weeks from order so we’re yet to see much in the way of field reports on the device. But indie filmmakers should keep an eye out.
More at www.digitalbolex.com.
