Bolex D16: RAW, 16/Super 16 sensor size, costs less than MkIII

As I am writing this my wife is crunching numbers to make our contribution in KickStarter possible for DigitalBolex. This is going to be my " Go To " camera for creative work. They have my full support. We have started blogging about their efforts. I usually take my REX-5 out of the showcase once a year around Christmas time, load it, run it and tell the tales of good times to friends and family about the times that independent picture had a true value. Well, family and friends don't have to pretend they are enjoying my repeated stories no more. Perhaps this coming Christmas I will have a short 16mm ( style ) picture to show them on my home digital cinema ! Recent news about this camera replaced the awful memories about the Scarlet experience from my mind. This is really exciting.
 
Over Crank said:
Recent news about this camera replaced the awful memories about the Scarlet experience from my mind. This is really exciting.
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If this forum were anything like ScarletUser and RedUser, it would be only a matter of time before someone requested an S35 version for shallower DOF.
 
^ I think that is why licensing the Bolex name and style is very important... people will want and expect the 16mm Bolex experience in digital format. I think most people who would have asked for 35mm won't because what in the whodad is a 35mm bolex?!

I think the bolex name keeps people in line with expectations.
 
To those who are saying that you can't judge the highlights from a graded video - seriously... who shoots a promo for a new camera and blows the highlights out in post? Can't see that happening. Every camera has it's caveats, and to expect any level of technical perfection from a $3k cinema camera is lunacy. Take it for what it is. Looks like pure joy to play with!
 
Over Crank said:
As I am writing this my wife is crunching numbers to make our contribution in KickStarter possible for DigitalBolex. This is going to be my " Go To " camera for creative work. They have my full support. We have started blogging about their efforts. I usually take my REX-5 out of the showcase once a year around Christmas time, load it, run it and tell the tales of good times to friends and family about the times that independent picture had a true value. Well, family and friends don't have to pretend they are enjoying my repeated stories no more. Perhaps this coming Christmas I will have a short 16mm ( style ) picture to show them on my home digital cinema ! Recent news about this camera replaced the awful memories about the Scarlet experience from my mind. This is really exciting.
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I used to have and shoot Bolex's too. This one definitely has some nostalgic appeal and I still have a nice collection of 16mm lenses that would work well with it.
 
qoute from digitalbolex.com
There are a few highlight blowouts, it’s true–we think that might be related to a kink with how the prototype captures when hooked directly to the computer, which is how we’ve shot most of our projects so far. We’ve also found that with highlights, the blue channel often retains full color information, so the information can be cloned & resurrected in the other channels, if necessary.
 
brynsank said:
To those who are saying that you can't judge the highlights from a graded video - seriously... who shoots a promo for a new camera and blows the highlights out in post? Can't see that happening. Every camera has it's caveats, and to expect any level of technical perfection from a $3k cinema camera is lunacy. Take it for what it is. Looks like pure joy to play with!
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They explain the blown highlights on their webpage: http://www.digitalbolex.com/color-grading/
There are a few highlight blowouts, it’s true–we think that might be related to a kink with how the prototype captures when hooked directly to the computer, which is how we’ve shot most of our projects so far. We’ve also found that with highlights, the blue channel often retains full color information, so the information can be cloned & resurrected in the other channels, if necessary.
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And you are right, people should not expect perfection. But it is an exciting product.
 
brynsank said:
To those who are saying that you can't judge the highlights from a graded video - seriously... who shoots a promo for a new camera and blows the highlights out in post? Can't see that happening. Every camera has it's caveats, and to expect any level of technical perfection from a $3k cinema camera is lunacy. Take it for what it is. Looks like pure joy to play with!
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But unlike a video camera, very little about the way that sample looks now is carved in stone. One can't tell for instance if the highlights are actually blown in the raw data or if they could be recovered with an appropriate gamma curve applied.
 
Razz16mm said:
I used to have and shoot Bolex's too. This one definitely has some nostalgic appeal and I still have a nice collection of 16mm lenses that would work well with it.
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Andrew Reid just Twitted about the C-mount 16mm lenses. He is comparing the availability of good quality c-mount 16mm lenses to moon dust . I hope my set of Angenieux will be good enough ! What lenses do you have ?
 
in philip bloom interview they claim 12 stops of DR ...
about lens cctv c mount fujion 5 MP and kowa 10 mp look good ...
 
Over Crank said:
The next stage is funding for the software application that will run the workflow. Adobe should get onboard. Perhaps Apple ProRes team should look into this.
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Adobe already natively supports cinema DNG in CS5.5 apps. Even the new version Lightroom 4 does. DNG is Adobe's universal raw digital negative archival format.
 
manakiin said:
What exactly looks so much better in your opinion?

You can't tell much if anything from this footage. It's graded and shot to what they wanted but it doesn't give you much info about RAW footage and what it will look like.

The deal with RAW is that you are the one that decides how it will look, there is no baked-in look.
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Just doesn't look as "16mm'ish" as some of the Ikonoskop footage I've seen:




(Granted, it could just be differences in grading/lighting as you said)




Quite conflicted. For comparison's sake, here is Hunter's GH2 16mm tri-x look again (which I really like as well):



gsr400 said:
HOLY COW! the KS is fully funded!
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In this case, I am very happy to have been proved wrong!
 
arroway said:
Just doesn't look as "16mm'ish" as some of the Ikonoskop footage I've seen:

In this case, I am very happy to have been proved wrong!
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I was just about to post something similiar ....the video of the DB actually remind me of the hvx200 and the hmc 150 so I think we need to see more and something different.
 
^ I agree with everything said.

However, it's quite clear that this camera could be used in more... 'capable' hands. The demo video with the girl reading the book is nothing extraordinary in image or concept.

I'm banking on the fact, in more capable hands, we will see more intriguing images. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt for now. With that said, one major advantage I am excited for is CCD. Do you know what that means?

I can run around like a lunatic and there will be no skew. No jello vision. Also, flash frames, such as photography bulbs, and other severely fast motions or events will be captured progressive. Hell yeah. Even our Red Epic chops up a photography flash... can't wait to have a true progressive camera again. One of the reasons I am still in love with the HPX170! Now this is no cam-killer in my opinion, but simply one great strength to a very cool concept camera.
 
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