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

I notice that their numbers, after a very brief, immediate spike, have all but completely stalled. Granted, they stalled above their highest goal, but...

I can't help but think this drop off is partly because first of Stu's concerning blog, and threads like this one that really dissected what's going on behind the scenes. DVXUsers are so in tune, so dialed into everything. Now maybe the camera will pass muster in time, and I hope it does, but I remain very hesitant, if not skeptical.
 
I, too, am releasing my pledge. It's the $2,500 level. If any DVXuser members are interested just contact me; we can try to arrange a time to release the slot so that you can be the one to grab it. It seems that they are still getting gobbled up when they become available, so who knows if it'll work. Worth a shot, though.
 
jmmusic said:
I, too, am releasing my pledge. It's the $2,500 level. If any DVXuser members are interested just contact me; we can try to arrange a time to release the slot so that you can be the one to grab it. It seems that they are still getting gobbled up when they become available, so who knows if it'll work. Worth a shot, though.
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I'm in the UK, is there anyway I could use someone who's pulling outs address for shipping as there not shipping to the Uk ? lots of trust I know but I'd obviously be prepared to pay the shipping cost to the Uk in August and the inconvenience ?
 
Jade Lane said:
I'm in the UK, is there anyway I could use someone who's pulling outs address for shipping as there not shipping to the Uk ? lots of trust I know but I'd obviously be prepared to pay the shipping cost to the Uk in August and the inconvenience ?
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Ah! If I would've known I would've kept it and just had you paypal or send me money early to lock it in. Sorry about that. I should've asked first before releasing my pledge. =[
 
From http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joedp/the-digital-bolex-the-1st-affordable-digital-cinem/posts:

Hi Backers!
I just got off the phone with the guys in Toronto, and I wanted to give you a little update. We are completing the final board designs and are getting ready to make the boards and begin testing, this usually takes a couple of months to complete.


At the same time we are also starting to program the FPGA. The FPGA is a programable chip that will act as one of two "brains" in the camera giving it it's functionality. The FPGA is more expensive, but it means we can continue to add functionality down the road as it is completely re-programable, unlike other chips out there.


We have received many suggestions for changes to the camera, and we are considering all of them. We don't want to push the schedule back though, and most changes will create a delay. The good news is that we are on schedule. The designers think that we can make the August(first 100) and October(retail release) deadlines that we setup for ourselves although it is an aggressive timetable.​
 
@dustylense and @combatentropy: they seem to be replicating very closely what RED did with their first camera (sensor, FPGA, storage) - back in 2006 RED was too good to be true, look at them now, playing on the conservative side of the market, leaving 3K for $3K to a bunch of over-optimistic geeks
 
They should have a lot easier time of it than Red did. Even Red 1M had a custom designed sensor fabricated just for Red. The Kodak is a well known and widely used sensor with good reference designs available for processing electronics. The developers probably already have experience with software for industrial applications. Software is the real key.
 
The RED company was founded by a billionaire...
Who are these guys who make the Bolex? They are nobodies...What if they take the money and then run away?
 
Not for everybody counts the money there are still people in this world they have breathing right philosophy..
I have respect for this kind of small companies which are more listling to us and filmmakers with small budget against the big companies which are only make there decisions in financial politics route.....

I don't know this people but I'm glad to see rising this kind of companies.
Hope this guy's are serious..
So I have not the money yet to go with the first batch but when the bolex is realised with the promised specifications..
I will buy one !!
 
colormate said:
guess all mods are on vacation..
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^ Mmmmk. Well, I guess I'll give it a go.

I am a section mod, although not in this forum, thus I don't know if anything here will be removed or not. However, I'd say likely not, as nothing here seems to be in violation of the rules. If you stick around for awhile you'll see that DVXuser has some very simple and basic rules in regards to posting. One of the very key elements of DVXuser is that stating an opinion, is allowed. We are a very open forum. If you think the D16 camera is a scam, I'm certain you are allowed to voice that opinion so long as you use a rational and respectable tone.

That is the key. Be rational, respectful, and please try to use knowledge and insight to make your opinions. Trolling and unbridled/unsubstantiated negativity is not welcome.

There is also a fine line between being cautious and doubtful, and being libel. Calling enterprising folks "cons" and "snake-oil salesmen" is an unsubstantiated accusation. There is absolutely no reason to believe that, nor any evidence. It is an opinion, but perhaps too much of a personal attack. A much more appropriate way to conduct an opinion in a public forum would to be to voice your concerns of their ability to provide the promised product or etc. Of the seldom occasion when the mods have to edit or remove a post here, you would find it is often not because of the idea the person has, but because they failed to present that idea in a more civil way.

So feel free to post your opinions away! Just remember to back up your opinions with reasonable arguments and to be respectful of others, including the makers of the D16.
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
So feel free to post your opinions away! Just remember to back up your opinions with reasonable arguments and to be respectful of others, including the makers of the D16.
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Excellent post but allow me to point out in the evolutionary time-line of merchandising... SnakeOil has climbed to the top of the heap so it can hardly be seen as an indictment anymore ;) Libel is also nebulous, in case no one has been watching TV for the past 50 years .
 
camlove said:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/417078_915933604947_39610478_38937619_455554040_n.jpg

So to paraphrase.

"We liked the image the GX2300 delivered so much we decided to stick it inside this heinous black box and tell you it's our Digital Bolex prototype.

But only I, Joe, and scammy Elle my main squeeze have the actual key to that box.

So nobody will be the wiser until we rape romantics of over a quarter of a million dollars."
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so, if they actually deliver the camera, for the promised price, will you think it was a scam just because it shares lots of its guts with a machine vision camera?
 
kittykatro said:
The RED company was founded by a billionaire...
Who are these guys who make the Bolex? They are nobodies...What if they take the money and then run away?
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Yes. But they did something very different!

First of all, their endevour started over 5 years ago. As we know, technology is a rapid and progressing field... the world was a much different place back then.

Second of all, their ambitions and product were of an increased complexity and aim. They wanted to do 4k RAW in an age where both concepts were unheard of in moving images (see point 1). Their camera had to do 4k, RAW, with color space previews, meta data for camera LUT's/Profiles/settings/curves, proxies, HDMI out, HD-SDI out, multiple high resolution EVF and LCD outs, variable frame rates, etc, etc. If anyone can't believe the RED camera is a seriously more complex and ambitious endeavour, they should likely need to take a back seat in this conversation.

Third, they are not nobodies. Yes they are not steve jobs. They are not Bill Gates. However, they are facilitators. It seems they are taking already available technology and adapting it for the use similar to how 16mm film cameras, such as the aptly chosen Bolex, were used.

Fourth, who are we to decide who is capable of making what?! Who was Jim Jannard to make a camera? He's not an electrical engineer. He's not a mechanic. He's not a computer programmer. He's a camera enthusiast. He had an idea and hired talented people to make the camera. Yes, his pockets were deep and he funded the effort. He also pioneered camera technology. Our D16 friends are not pioneering technology. They are using already available technology, modifying it in form and function and releasing it back. The difference between pioneering and modifying is intensely different. Additionally, the D16 folks are facilitating thier camera design, leaning on what appears to be a camera/optics company in Canada to do the nitty-gritty work. Debate upon that companies credentials until the cows come home, but don't think Joe and Elle is sitting in an Echo Park apartment trying to create a video sensor and computer chips from scratch; just as you don't expect to find Mr. Jannard programming/writing his own color matrices. He has peeps.


manakiin said:
Yeah they'll split 280k, run away and live happily ever after...
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Speaking as a general DVXuser, and not necessarily a mod, this is an example of an opinion which is very nonconstructive. Do you wish to back this up with any reasonable fact or argument? This seems like empty negative trolling. If that is your opinion, I'd like to believe you have a reason for saying this. Just one reason.

cane said:
Not for everybody counts the money there are still people in this world they have breathing right philosophy..
I have respect for this kind of small companies which are more listling to us and filmmakers with small budget against the big companies which are only make there decisions in financial politics route.....

I don't know this people but I'm glad to see rising this kind of companies.
Hope this guy's are serious..
So I have not the money yet to go with the first batch but when the bolex is realised with the promised specifications..
I will buy one !!
Click to expand...

Kickstarter is a place where people who don't otherwise have the funding to do something can find people willing to support their dream. I don't know why anyone would be against this. If anything, using kickstarter as a funding tool should be a telling factor to others about where the D16 people are coming from. Meaning, we all need to relax and understand this camera is in development and much so because of kick-starter. You are watching the rough and humble beginnings.

camlove said:
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/417078_915933604947_39610478_38937619_455554040_n.jpg

So to paraphrase.

"We liked the image the GX2300 delivered so much we decided to stick it inside this heinous black box and tell you it's our Digital Bolex prototype.

But only I, Joe, and scammy Elle my main squeeze have the actual key to that box.

So nobody will be the wiser until we rape romantics of over a quarter of a million dollars."

And Bolex signed up for this willingly???

I own a Bolex. A real one. A H16 Rex 4.

Oh how times have changed.

A fallen film god scammed by snake oil salesman to make a buck.

Sad, sad times indeed.

Cammy
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I cannot speak for specifics of what they are using, as I don't know, but we all knew that they are taking per-existing components and modifying them to create a product in form and function that works for their needs. For the sake of arguement, let's pretend they are using the GX2300. I don't know, but I'll use it in this example.

What they are doing is more than whatever chip they are using.
They will have modified it by:
1) using custom boards in the camera w/upgradable programming
2) will have added on-board CF card recording capability
3) on-board battery power
4) monitoring options (LCD, 1/8" Video, and the later promised BNC module)
5) Choice of camera mounts
6) rehoused in a more friendly and retro-inspired form. (aka a camera body w/ handle, trigger, buttons, LCD, etc)

Go buy a GX2300 and shoot something on the go. Tell me how it goes considering you'll be holding a red box with a lens and you'll need to be tethered to a computer.

Now tell me their effort is simply throwing a GX2300 in a box. I am afraid, even their attempt to stay simple is not simple at all! As one can see, they will be using existing technology, but they are changing form and function for film-making. They are keeping it simple, thus keeping it cheap. If anything, the quarter million is a small number. Especially because the $280,000 they look to take in from kickstarter is including 100 cameras to be shipped to supporters. Depending on what the final cost of production is for one D16 camera, you can multiply it by 100 and subtract it from the $280,000. And remember there are other kickstarter rewards like shirts, posters, camera cases, and other things that come from that money. It's not just $280,000 straight up. There are strings attached for the D16 team.

Also, "rape romantics", "scammed by snake oil salesman", and other rhetoric, however poetic you may think it is, is a waiving a pointy stick around a dark room.
 
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