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

Massive update from Digital Bolex. The delays are apparently due to a ton of huge changes/upgrades:

http://www.digitalbolex.com/100-changes/

Highlights include changing the body from steel to carbonized aluminum with weather sealing, integrated rail system, 24 bit 96k audio, HDMI output along with HD-SDI, USB 2.0 upgraded to 3.0, and double the battery capacity.
 
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The spec's of this camera are getting better and better. To bad it is taking so long. When they had the kickstarter campain it looked like it was ready the get produced. Now it looks like they finally know what the spec's going to be. I gave up hope for this camera because it's so late. Since the concept is so much improved I get eager to get one again.

Things I like:
4x XLR
12v out. (power the zacuto evf directly on camera, I always wanted this feature :)
4 hours internal batt.
Weather sealed

Now just hope the image is good.
 
BLahey said:
They still have the XLRs on the wrong side of the camera.
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There is no EVF on the left side of the cam so I don't understand this criticism. The pistol grip will afford the dp a different option in hand held as well.
 
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The specs are reminding me more and more of the Ikonoskop. I guess I would be happy with an Ikonoskop that cost less than $5k, but I actually prefer the Ikonoskop ergonomics, power and mount design. Another thing to think about in reference to the Ikonoskop is that it was a really no-nonsense engineered design that has pretty much languished, particularly since the BMCC "event". Even if everything worked as described in the current DB concept there is a hell of a lot of stuff that goes on in a camera between the sensor and the storage media, getting that right will be a big achievement (and is really what is driving the BMCC stampede).
 
Is there a BMC stampede? I mean, I know there WAS one, when people fled the untried/untested/no-confidence-in-it Digital Bolex to swarm over to the BMC, man, those early days were nutso crazy, but ... eight months later and with barely any BMC cameras shipped, and with the SpeedBooster already making the EF-mount BMC look like a silly choice, is there still a stampede? I haven't paid much attention to it since I canceled my pre-order. DBolex seems like they want to compete now, by offering a real OLPF, real audio connectivity, etc. Last I knew or paid attention, the BMC had delivered very few cameras, and the last update I got was that my dealer still had never received a single one, seven months after shipping supposedly started. And with NAB just 10 weeks away, and so many glaringly obvious fixes for the BMC (such as putting in a proper OLPF, changing out the 1/4" inputs for XLRs, putting on a SpeedBooster-compatible mount, especially an active m43 or EF-M or Sony E-mount), and with BlackMagic's history of introducing massive upgrades (like the marginally-useful HyperDeck Shuttle being upgraded into a vastly preferable HyperDeck Shuttle 2)... I dunno, I can't see the excitement for the existing BMC when they're likely to sweep it away at a moment's notice and produce a product that's much more useful. I'd be interested in a BMC 2.0, but the current 1.0 just doesn't hold much appeal anymore... and the DBolex seems like they may be getting their act together and producing something people will actually want and will actually be able to use...

I can't help but think we aren't that far away from a BMC 2.0, and that it'll be as much of an upgrade over the BMC as the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 was over the original...
 
Barry_Green said:
Becoming more interested again...
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Yes, and the scale of the rollout is interesting, too, and they're putting it out there for all to see...
From Joe Rubinstein of D16, responding to a "won't happen til 2014" comment (emphasis mine):

We are not scaling to meet huge demand this year, but we will be delivering the first 100 cameras this quarter, and we will be pre-selling 300 cameras after that.
Then when those 300 are delivered (in a much more timely way) we will pre-sell 500 more, and so on raising the number of cameras we can produce each time.

And growing our production facility, distribution, and service facilities organically.

So if you are saying “reaching market” meaning on the shelves at B&H ready to buy not in a pre-sale environment you may be correct.

But we will be delivering a couple thousand cameras this year, depending on the demand it may or may not be difficult to get one, but it will be possible
icon_smile.gif
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Doubt I'll buy one (though never say never), but I only wish them the best of luck! :thumbsup:
 
Barry_Green said:
Is there a BMC stampede? I mean, I know there WAS one, when people fled the untried/untested/no-confidence-in-it Digital Bolex to swarm over to the BMC, man, those early days were nutso crazy, but ... eight months later and with barely any BMC cameras shipped, and with the SpeedBooster already making the EF-mount BMC look like a silly choice, is there still a stampede?
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Maybe we are among the couple dozen people that canceled our preorders, but I think if anything there is more enthusiasm now that more material is being seen. I doesn't make me want to get in the pre-order que again, but I'm silly stubborn about things like that. I think the only thing that is slowing people down at this point (except for the stubborn) is NAB around the corner and as you said the possibility of another version emerging.
 
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I asked Joe if this was the fully functional model: he said it is 98% what the final model will be, though not yet fully functional. All of the hardware is finished design wise and most of it is finished production wise. The final stage is writing and implementing the firmware....very close to the final functioning model.
 
Barry_Green said:
I can't help but think we aren't that far away from a BMC 2.0, and that it'll be as much of an upgrade over the BMC as the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 was over the original...
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I've got to agree. I always considered the BMC as a version 2 purchase. We always get first orders of first generation gear - but from Canons and Sonys.
For a first time camera, the longer it takes to develop (and in this case improve as the market dictates) the better.
I think Barry's right that there will be a vastly improved BMC in the coming year and several other great tools.
Great time to be a producer. Lots of really great creative tools.
 
pitstain said:
There is no EVF on the left side of the cam so I don't understand this criticism. The pistol grip will afford the dp a different option in hand held as well.
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I dont understand why you dont understand that critiscm; it seems like common sense. Most people are right handed, and right eye dominant. Nearly every video camera I can think of has the XLR cables coming off the right hand side or the back, so that the operator isn't getting tangled up with the cables.
 
simonpwood said:
I dont understand why you dont understand that critiscm; it seems like common sense. Most people are right handed, and right eye dominant. Nearly every video camera I can think of has the XLR cables coming off the right hand side or the back, so that the operator isn't getting tangled up with the cables.
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The left side cold shoe is there to mount an EVF or microphone. You can also mount either on the top cold shoe. With right angle low profile xlr connectors in place the Bolex is not as wide as the BMCC body alone and cable dress is not an issue. If the EVF is on top, similar to the classic Bolex Rex5 reflex model configuration it is not an issue. It might be an issue for full rail shoulder mount setups like those used for DSLR's or Reds but this camera is small enough and light enough not to need a rail setup unless you are supporting a heavy lens like a large zoom. The 16mm format is a great one for lightweight compact optics. A C-mount Angenieux 12-120 or 15-150 ( covers S16), only weighs about 2lbs and doesn't need external support. Given the proliferation of cable draped Borg implant Frankenrigs these days I don't think the left side connectors are much of a problem for the D16.
The REX5 by the way could be operated with either hand on the grip an either eye on the VF.

images
 
simonpwood said:
I dont understand why you dont understand that critiscm; it seems like common sense. Most people are right handed, and right eye dominant. Nearly every video camera I can think of has the XLR cables coming off the right hand side or the back, so that the operator isn't getting tangled up with the cables.
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It's quite simple. If there was an EVF on the left side of the camera like nearly all the cameras you site as having xlrs on the right and back - then I would agree with you. Then the xlr's on the left would be in the way.

But this cam does not have an evf there. There is a monitor on the top of the camera, and you can mount an external monitor as well. I suppose one could purposely mount a small hd monitor with an arm and position it directly on top of the xlr's and then say hey everyone look at this? Yes one could certainly do that.
 
Holy !#^D has anyone seen this?

It looks like a toaster. Worse, like something you might have thrown together with some old parts in the garage.

 
starcentral said:
Holy !#^D has anyone seen this?

It looks like a toaster. Worse, like something you might have thrown together with some old parts in the garage.
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It is a bit...unusual looking. I reckon they should have stuck to their original design and used the textured plastic outer sections (to make it look more like the original Bolex). I guess (and hope) that that was something they just threw together in their garage (you can see the joints in the plastic are not sealed properly and so on) - and not an actual final model.


Still, at least they are moving ahead with it and making progress.
 
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