Digital Bolex

I don' quite know what to make of this thing: http://www.digitalbolex.com/

Here are the specs from the product page:

Resolution 2048 x 1152 (Super 16mm mode) + 1920 x 1080 pixels (16mm mode)
Format Adobe Cinema DNG, TIFF, JPEG Image sequences
Colour depth 12 bit – 4:4:4
File size 2 to 3 MB per frame in RAW
Sensor Kodak CCD: 12.85 mm (H) x 9.64 mm (V) – Similar to Super 16mm
Pixel Size 5.5 micron (compared to the 4.3 micron size of many DSLRs)
Framerate up to 32 fps at 2K, 60fps at 720p, 90 fps at 480p
Sound Balanced, 2 channel, 16 bit, 48 kHz via XLR
Viewfinder 320×240, 2.4” diagonal, with Focus Assist
Video out 640 x 480 B&W via ⅛” video jack (HD-SDI avail in separate unit)
Ports ⅛” video, headphone, USB 3.0, Audio XLR (2), 4-PIN XLR
Data Storage Dual CF card slots, SSD (buffer drive)
Power Internal battery, 12V External via 4 pin XLR port
Body Milled steel and hard plastic
Size (body) Approximately 5”H (without pistol grip) by 4”W by 8”D
Size (grip) 5”H by 2”W by 5”D
Lens mount C-mount comes standard; Optional PL, EF, B4
Weight 5lbs
ISO Options 100, 200, 400
Also in the box pistol grip, USB 3.0 cable, internal battery, 4 pin XLR Battery, cable, video cable, transcoder/raw conversion software

I remember in Motorola the marketing department used to make non-existent products and conduct market studies to see the level of interest of the product. This in my opinion is the same thing. If there is sufficient interest from buyers they may go ahead and finish the product. To evade being spammed, I will join their Facebook page,

There seems to be some doubt in the world about this project. But here is an interview Phil Bloom did with the DB peeps.. http://(http://philipbloom.net/2012/03/13/digitalbolex/) (http://philipbloom.net/2012/03/13/digitalbolex/)

Vandervideo, that link goes to Digital Rolex, which is indeed dubious. http://philipbloom.net/2012/03/13/digitalbolex/ is the corrected one.

That's the same exact link... digital Rolex? LOL

Nope, your link doesn't connect from here in Bangkok. Could be the state apparatus doing its thing. I get a google search box featuring "http philip bloom net 2012 digital rolex".

Here is another online blogger holding forth on the camera at http://prolost.com/blog/2012/3/13/digital-bolex.html

Apparently, the developers have met their $250,000 fundraising mark already had responded to the blogger http://prolost.com/blog/2012/3/15/the-passion-of-the-bolex.html

Looks like someone decided to step in to fill the considerable void left when the Scarlet became a 4K S35 camera. Of course if they actually do this it will be far more expensive and many years from now before it comes out.

I think it is a legit camera, I saw test footage of it. They claim it was shot with a prototype.

Its built like a security camera it uses a cmount lense. Like the elphel project.

Shot on prototype:


http://vimeo.com/38286282

Some comments culled from the forum at iStockphoto on the Digital Bolex:


"These two filmmakers have spent the past two years prototyping a 2/3" sensor camera that they've styled after the old BOLEX 16mm cameras that everyone made their first short flm on back in the '70s before low-budget film took a big hit in the resolution department and the dark days of miniDV began. They hadn't announced it because they wanted to wait for an actual business relationship with the Bolex camera company to develop, which has just happened, so they launched the camera last night at SXSW.

The camera shoots RAW video at 24 or 30 fps at 2K or 1080p, has a "C" mount lens just like the old Bolexs. Shoots to an internal SSD, dumping to CF cards. It has a crank on the side as a component of its control interface. It LOOKS like a Bolex. They're going to sell them this summer for $3200 but are taking pre-orders via kickstarter at $2500

It doesn't seem unrealistic to me that they could manufactuer this camera, at a profit, for $3300. This is not a RED scarlet. It's just off-the-shelf parts plugged together with very little on-board processing or firmware capabilities of any kind. Much less polished and powerful than a RED camera. Consider that Canon sells Rebels for $550... apples, oranges, economies of scale, etc, I know, but the point is that it's not easy for a layperson to look at a set of specs and guess what the product will cost.

The kickstarter project has gotten a massive amount of funding in not much time. The first batch of 100 cameras is already gone, even the 20 reserved at the higher price point with the leathre bag, etc. They've blown past their $100,000 goal and are comfortably over a quarter million dollars right now. I guess they'd better make some cameras."