Video review of the Digital Bolex D-16

My Bolex collection, including bottom right, my Digital Bolex
My Bolex collection with the Digital Bolex D16 bottom right

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LIKE ALL MY CAMERA REVIEWS, THIS IS TOTALLY INDEPENDENT.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE PAID BY A MANUFACTURER AND REMAIN UNBIASED.

I AM NOW FRIENDS WITH JOE FROM DIGITAL BOLEX, BUT HE KNOWS THAT
I HAVE TO BE 100% HONEST ABOUT THE CAMERA, AND HE RESPECTS THAT.

THESE ARE ENTIRELY SELF FUNDED.
MY OPINIONS ARE ENTIRELY MY OWN AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH.
NEVER BASE A PURCHASE ON ONE PERSON’S OPINION.
ESPECIALLY MINE!

PLEASE TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!

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Well it’s finally done. It took a while, but it was worth taking my time so I could really get to know the camera.

It has been great fun shooting with this camera for the past two months, and I loved the images I have captured with it, many examples of which you can see in the review.

There isn’t much to write about as it’s all said in the video review. Hopefully I cover most things. The camera is available to buy (on back order) here.  Any more questions please write in the comments section below.

Music is courtesy of The Music Bed GoPb.co/musicbed apart from the one track used in the “Rain City” piece, which is of the same name by Turin Brakes. All tracks are listed when they come on in the video at the bottom of the screen.

Video is colour corrected with Magic Bullet Colorista II. All Bolex footage has gone through either DaVinci Resolve or Pomfort’s Lightpost which comes with the camera. Davinci doesn’t want to connect the .wav with the clips right now, which is a pain. Lightpost has no problem with that, but has a lot less parameters, though it’s quicker.

Final grading was done with FilmConvert and various settings. Discount codes for various Magic Bullet Products including Colorista II, their excellent suites and Filmconvert area available. Details on the two banners below. Click through to go to them.

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Below is the short piece I made in Miami called “Ocean on Fire”. The “Timefest” edit within the review is not currently made as a standalone. If people want that, it’s easy enough to do!

Thanks for you patience, as you know it’s all done in my “spare time” whatever that is!! Any purchases through the various affiliates on my website and via the TIP JAR on the actual Vimeo page are greatly appreciated, no matter how small. It all goes to help fund future reviews. This one after all took about, when added up, around 3 solid weeks of work! Thanks!

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I exported this as ProRes Proxy with a resulting file of 10gb! Well it is 42 minutes long. Thankfully Vimeo Pro lets me upload this stupid size file, and with 1TB of annual storage I will be fine! Phew! 

Review shot on the Sony F55 in 4K for reframability. All the shots of me are one single shot on the GL-Optics 18-35mm F1.8 at around F5.6. No reframing was done optically. All shot by myself!

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Review of the Digital Bolex D16 from Philip Bloom Reviews and Tutorials on Vimeo.

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Ocean on fire shot on Digital Bolex D16 from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Switronix battery add on for the Digital Bolex
Switronix battery add on for the Digital Bolex

 

ORIGINAL POST FROM 21ST JANUARY 2014

With my absolutely EPIC Sony A7r, A7, RX10 video review all done it’s time to move onto the next one! The Digital Bolex D-16. The review is mostly shot, I just need to do a few more bits then edit it. I have shot loads of footage and that will be in the review video.

On tbe 1st of January I decided to quickly cut together some footage I shot in the absolutely MISERABLE pouring rain of London’s South Bank. Lenses used were the C mount Fujinon 25mm F0.85 and the Computar 12mm F1.4. Mostly shot at ISO 100 with a few shots at ISO 400 for those really really dark bits. God, it was truly miserable today!

Wet and miserable filming in the pouring rain on London's South Bank
Wet and miserable filming in the pouring rain on London’s South Bank

I really like the stuff I got today. Looks quite lovely, more or less everything until now has been indoors. The only downside I can see is the old pink highlights issue that I have seen on far too many cameras like REDs, Blackmagic, 5D3 raw…these get fixed with firmware quite quickly, normally. Best advice, hold those highlights to avoid this!

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I wanted to share with you the whole lot, all the cinema DNGs…well that wasn’t going to happen. FAR TOO BIG! Instead, I have taken the shots I have used in the edit and given you ProRes HQ versions, colour corrected very simply in Davinci Resolve with the flat look of Blackmagic Film. The shots given are longer than the ones I used in my edit below.  There are also some still DNG frames from most of the shots and one whole Cinema DNG shot to play with. If you do use any of these, then please credit me and my website PhilipBloom.Net. These shots are strictly for personal use only. This is a very large download of 8.15b so you are warned!

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Rain City: Initial shooting with the Digital Bolex D-16 from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

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Now…onto the camera. I backed the Digital Bolex on Kickstarter back on March 13th last year. It was a very nerve-wracking thing to do. Despite the legendary name of Bolex attached to it, itself not exactly doing much these days, this was a camera being made by people with no apparent experience in making cameras. It was also a fair amount of money to put down, around $3000, especially with Kickstarter’s scary way of operating in that you give all the money straight away and HOPE a product one day turns up with no comeback if they don’t.

Why was this of interest to me? Super 16mm is a lovely format to shoot with. With a much deeper depth of field than S35, it has its pros and cons. The pros being it’s a hell of a lot easier to keep stuff in focus! I had shot a little with the lovely but very quirky Ikonoskop, it produced lovely images, but at around 10,000 Euros it wasn’t cheap. This camera however was cheaper, it had the Bolex name, would shoot raw and looked lovely and retro design wise, it looked like a Bolex.

It helped that I spoke to Joe and Elle from Digital Bolex for my post  to put them the questions that I needed to the answers to. The answers helped a lot so I backed it. I was worried still, as me backing it meant others followed…that’s a lot of responsibility.

It has felt a lot longer than just over 18 months waiting for the camera, as so much has happened in the camera world.  In that time I have met Joe and Elle a couple of times and spoken to Joe on email many times. But, as I’m sure you are all aware, we now have a very cheap Super 16mm raw camera on the market and two slightly larger sensor versions from Blackmagic. Massive competition for Digital Bolex and very importantly…you could get them more or less immediately (Pocket Camera is still in short supply) which made me, and I am sure many other patient backers, worry about out investment. 21 months later a very valid question to ask is “do we REALLY need a Super 16mm video camera anyway? Don’t we all love Super 35mm and larger?” An important question, and one I will ask myself a lot in my video review.

Now we all know the BMD cameras are far from perfect, but they are damn cheap. So why is the Digital Bolex still of interest? To be frank that is totally subjective. If we just go by the camera with the closest specs and more importantly the same S16mm sized sensor (the BMD Pocket Camera) as comparison, it doesn’t fare so well in some areas, but does much better in others.

This is not a full review, I will do that as soon as possible. This is just my initial thoughts….so please take them as that, as my thoughts always change over time once I shoot more with a camera. So far my experience with the D-16 has been very limited.

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BEAUTIFUL packing!
BEAUTIFUL packaging!

What the Super 16mm Digital Bolex has over the Super 16mm BMD Pocket Camera from my initial observations

Global Shutter so no skewing.

Proper audio with 2 balanced XLRs with Phantom Power.

Internal SSD of up to 512gb and two CF slots for offloading to. Very fast offload with USB built-in and camera can be switched off when doing this, as drives simply operate like any USB 3 external drive.

Absolutely no moire or aliasing that I have seen. Zero, zlich.

A very filmic image, more so than the BMD Pocket Camera. It really has a proper S16mm look to it, not just a S16mm sized sensor.

Audio meters! Audio Pots!

60FPS at 720p and 90FPS at 480p, as well as the up to 30p in full 2K.

The ability to format in-camera, but not delete clips yet.

Accurate time remaining on media and battery life indicators. The Pocket camera does not tell you how much space you have left on your card. It just stops recording when it has run out.

Surprisingly, a really nice form factor. Especially with the grip, it’s a lovely handheld camera. You actually hold the trigger to keep rolling and release to stop…like a Bolex film camera. Of course, the grip comes off and it can go on a tripod.

C-mount built-in means there are LOTS of, currently, cheap lenses to grab. More lens mounts will come, which will replace the front of the camera, most importantly MFT as hopefully we will be able to use the Metabones Pocket Camera Speedbooster.

No mini or micro HDMI nonsense here. Full, fat, full size HDMI connector for clean out to use with an external recorder, or more likely, like me, a Zacuto EVF as the screen is utter pants and doesn’t tilt enough up anyway. With a side cold shoe, it’s actually really easy to mount the Zacuto EVF, and hand-held is a piece of cake. You don’t actually need a rig with this camera unless you go down the heavier lens route or mount external batteries.

With the Zacuto Z-Finder
With the Zacuto Z-Finder

 

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With the Sigma 18-35 F1.8 Nikon mount...heavy!
With the Sigma 18-35 F1.8 Nikon mount…heavy!

 

With one of my vintage lenses.
With one of my vintage lenses.

What the Super 16mm BMD Pocket Camera has over the Super 16mm Digital Bolex from my initial observations

Better sensitivity…the Pocket Camera is rated as 800, the Bolex I believe is around 200-300. It cannot currently go higher than 400, but this will change to 800 with imminent new firmware. I don’t like to use the Pocket Camera over 800, as it gets too noisy. Neither are low-light cameras, but the Pocket Camera fairs better here.

ProRes internal recording OR Cinema DNG. This makes a difference for quick working. ProRes HQ is a wonderful format, and most of the time shooting raw is not needed, due to the increase in workflow time and the much higher cost in capturing media and storage media due to the massive files that raw creates.

Playback of clips. This is coming in firmware to the Bolex but is not ready as of yet. No Playback. Although when I first got my Epic, I had about 6 months of no playback! There is still no ability to format the cards though!

The active MFT mount is great with all the choice of glass and many adaptors out there, PLUS the wonderful Metabones Pocket Camera Speed Booster.

Removable battery (although you need a lot of them), Bolex has internal that lasts around 3-4 hours.

Recording onto SDHC media, whilst the cards that work are hugely expensive, it is more convenient that currently only being able to record onto the internal SSD.

Much cheaper…without the accessories.

It’s a lot smaller…and a lot lighter!!

The screen on the Pocket Camera sucks…it’s still WAY better than the absolutely awful one on the Bolex…lets just use that for menus only!

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So which is better? They are VERY different. Let’s just wait until my review where I will do some direct comparisons. So far though, I really enjoying shooting with it. It just feels lovely in the hand and makes me feel like I am using one of my old film cameras. After all, the whole point of this camera according to Joe is to make a true digital Super 16mm film camera. Have they succeeded? I will find out soon…after all, I have MANY Bolex film cameras, so I know them very well! But also as I mentioned before…do we really need this camera? Is it simply a hark back to a past that we don’t actually need anymore? Or is it a brave and maybe even successful attempt to make a true digital film camera?

My Bolex collection, including bottom right, my Digital Bolex
My Bolex collection, including bottom right, my Digital Bolex

One thing I feel that they are trying to do, and are doing a pretty good job so far, is the revitalisation of a legendary brand. Bolex was ubiquitous when it came to shooting 8mm and 16mm film. Of course, they will always be known as that and never as THE video camera, an impossible task with the market we have now. Digital Bolex are aiming at a certain niche, they are aiming at an almost boutique market really, where this camera becomes not just a very effective too for certain tastes and needs, but an object of desire. Something to be seen to own. I could be wrong, but with the just-arrived leather case for the camera, this cements if even more for me. If their primary goal was practicality, this bag wouldn’t be a beautifully crafted hand stitched tan leather “man-bag-esque” product, it would be a LowePro!

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49 comments

  1. Thanks for sharing these early observations and putting those images together, Philip – much appreciated!
    Like everyone else, I just can’t wait for your final review… have a good start in 2014.

  2. The Digital Bolex is a real beauty. If it doesn’t artifact at all, it will be a real competitor to the BMCC, being hassle free and always delivering. It’s sad that it won’t get picked up by production companies, because of it’s hipster appearance. You would need a hell of a rig to hide it away from prying client’s eyes.

    1. That’s quite the statement. “It’s sad that it won’t get picked up by production companies, because of it’s hipster appearance.” Really? Production companies will evaluate the camera based on its merit and whether or not it makes financial sense to shoot with. Also, production companies don’t own every camera that they shoot with, they rent most of their gear. Was it “hipster” to shoot on 16mm Bolex 30 years ago? Maybe that image is just in your head.

    2. You are right, if they are afraid of of their clients or lack confidence in their craft because their camera doesn’t look like an iphone, a la bmcc. It’s sad, really.

      Regarding it’s hipster appearance, and I don’t think you referred to it in this way, but the other “hipster” critiques of this camera always come off as snarky and dim witted. Not sure where it comes from to be honest. Do people think this camera is regressive? Do they think we are going back in time? After all, it is a RAW digital camera with the latest modern technology to suit its budget. It’s got a solid state hard drive in it and usb 3 for crying out loud. Maybe someone understands their sentiment better.

  3. Thanks for doing this! Beautiful footage and quite the impressive camera. Love the lack of moire. I also see a lot of benefits, as you said, that the BMPCC has over this, but still amazing.

    Also, I’m unsure if anyone else ran into this, but I downloaded the zip (twice) and couldn’t open it. Invalid zip. Thanks for the attempt anyway.

    Great stuff as always!

  4. I guess I’m upset because I bought a BMPCC, but I don’t like this camera. It seems like a gimmick to me. Even more of a gimmick than a camera that can fit into your pocket! It seems to have an unnecessary form factor and less perks that the BMPCC. Even though HDMI and XLR’s are pretty nice, it wasn’t a deal breaker. What was the deal breaker? The deal itself! The Pocket camera is a budget camera. It is dirt cheap for what it does (and it does RAW). So sure, if I had the money I might go with the Bolex. However! It is by no means my camera of choice! That, I guess, is my problem with the Bolex; it never will be my camera of choice. For any reason.

    1. How can you not like something you have never used? I find that sort of comment very odd. I don’t even know if I like it or not and I have had it for a week!!

      Yes it’s not for everyone but as a Pocket Camera owner you are fully aware of the additional expense that camera incurrs. This actually incurrs very little. C mount glass is dirt cheap, has a built in very large SSD and the audio is great already…oh and you can handhold it without a rig. Not bad really..

      So why is it not your camera of choce…ever…? I think you haven’t listed any sound reasons. For many it will be the lack of light sensitivity. For others it will be size of the sensor. But Jasper, your reasons? I am not sure!!

      1. Well, you see I was rereading what I wrote and I see your point. Not gonna say I take it back. But I do want to clarify. I meant to say: I guess it’s because I bought a BMPCC that I don’t like this camera. Im no fanboy of Blackmagic, however, I was trying to say (kinda jokingly) that because I bought the “other one” that I would have to defend myself. And whose to say I can’t form an opinion before using the camera! I don’t have a full opinion, or a very grounded one, but I have one none the less! It would be lying to say that I don’t have an opinion, and if you tell me you don’t have one then you would be as well. So if you don’t agree with me, take my opinion with a grain of salt. And if you are trying to correct me, there is no need because there is no such thing as a correct opinion.

    2. I’m with Philip Bloom on this one. It’s nicer if we state our opinions based on hands-on experience rather than from an emotional basis that’s not grounded in facts and/or direct experience.

      I’ve shot projects with most of the CinemaDNG cameras (Ikonoskop’s A-Cam dII, Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, and Digital Bolex’s D16). I liked all of them — they each have their quirks, positives and negatives. My favorite is the D16, based on it’s ergonomics, 16mm film look of the image, and high quality audio.

      As you’ve experienced, the BMPCC is a good camera, but you do need to build it up and need at least an additional $1200 to get it up into a practical field camera (closer to $2000), and that’s not include a lens! The D16 is far from a gimmick. (Just look at Joe Rubinstein’s availability and openness to the camera design (receiving input from their blog readers and Kickstarter backers). See, for example, my post I wrote after visiting the company in Toronto last February: http://kurtlancaster.com/08/03/2013/behind-the-scenes-at-digital-bolex-in-toronto-canada/.

      Or take a look at Michael Plescia’s guest blog post written after test shooting and grading the camera:
      http://www.digitalbolex.com/guest-post/

      You don’t need to get a Bolex at all, but you should have civility in discussing cameras.

      1. Normally I wouldn’t care about looks but this does look like an oversized star trek phaser as well as obviously ancient technology and likely to bring a lot of attention to itself and not all people will form good opinions and maybe even base your ability on it if doing corporate work. The pocket camera although small doesn’t draw attention to itself and it can be caged and built on making it look more professional. That said for personal and indie film makers the specs look very good.
        My feeling is it will be indie film makers who will want this and the question is then will they record sound separately or want an all in one solution that hooks up the mics mixers to the camera. Plus the pocket has prores smaller raw filesizes and although not pocket sized with a lens it is small enough to be very discreet when needed.

        1. maybe, but if your work includes filming strangers on a sidewalk or anywere, you could get some good reactions. people will be more positive and you could get some shots, that you wouldn´t get with another camera. this camera has an attitude.

          like the clicking of a mirror – it´s annoying, but models love it.

      2. I love cameras and strongly believe that every camera is unique, especially when comparing it to the BMPCC and the D16. There are certain times where using a BMPCC and I’m sure there are times where the D16 would be appropriate. I’ve shot music videos with the BMPCC and the image is sharp as hell with tons of Dynamic Range. Not sure how the D16 would quite fit just yet but I do like what I see so far. The Digital Bolex does have it’s own uniqness comported to the Blackmagic for sure. Style being probably the best i’ve seen in a Digital S16 RAW Camera to date. Makes me want to take that nice man bag, and run around New York City shooting with it. I’m sure I’ll get tons of people coming up to me or asking about it. I’ve yet to hear anything with my Blackmagic. Would I buy this camera today? Not sure but i’m certainly curious. Perhaps if they become more readily available i’d invest in one just for the sake of owning it. I love cameras and like what each one brings to the table. Well def keep m eye on it..Who knows? Maybe you’ll see me shooting a film with it soon 😉

    3. I am seriously considering purchasing this camera. (I have not used either the BMPCC or the D16). This camera fills in a major gap than many cameras leave. It is RAW, it has XLR ports, it is has a CCD sensor. From the videos I have seen the motion of the camera looks very organic, plus there is no jello cam.

      I am also considering the original BMC, and unfortunately it is not for the camera itself, it is for Resolve.

      I see it as a good all around entry level camera. It looks capable of run and gun type shooting, or it can be right at home on an indie film set. On the outside it seems like an “easier” tool than the BMC/PCC. (Wait for the full review!)

      Like I said, it fills many gaps that I need filled that few others provide, especially at this price.

    4. I still don’t understand why some people are so easily put off by the aesthetic of this camera as an object, by the way.
      It’s like cameras have to be ugly black boxes to be considered serious. I think that the fact that this camera has a look, a style, makes it even more likable, on top of its true usability.
      I think that Philip’s images have a deep, rich colour quality to them, I see motion that I really like and most of the functional elements to make it a winner camera. It also seems to deliver an image that grades easier than the BM(PC)C footage, which means a lot in terms of post-production time.
      So, let’s see what Philip has to say about it once he’s spent a few more days/weeks with it.

  5. Philip, just curious if the retro blue/white property ID tag on the side of the camera was placed there by you or was it from Bolex? I’m happy to see the product actually made it to market and that you received a return on your investment. I’ll be watching to see how your review turns out. Hopefully the makers will redesign the poor quality screen, i love the form factor but wouldn’t want to have to add-on an external EVF. That would kind of kill the whole point of run and gun shooting for me. As always, its a pleasure to read your reviews. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Granted, I haven’t held this camera yet, I would agree with the screen assessment. While an external EVF can always be an option for those with familiar extant systems, it would be great to see the audio moved to the other side, and the screen and controls moved to the left side. Perhaps the screen could be where the cold shoe is currently on the side, and have a right side hinge in order to flip it out towards the user to use with an eyepiece. The hinge would have to be sturdy. Obviously top mounting a cross bar with an EVF and knuckle would still be an option with the screen back in place.

  6. Agreed with all you mentioned above in your partial review. I love the quality of the footage based on your film. The colors pop and has a film like feel to it. I did see grain in lots of parts, not sure what that is but regardless, enjoyed it! Can’t wait to see more from you with the D16.

  7. Hey Philip,

    Thanks for putting this video together its beautiful! I have to say I’m falling in love with the look this camera gets its outstanding! What caught my eye the most was the way the grain looked so filmic, like real 16mm film grain would look. Did you add any grain in post through film convert or is that strait out of the camera?

    Thanks Brotha!
    Nathaniel K

  8. PB Look forward to seeing the review. I’m sure you have considered this, but I’m sure many ppl would be interested in a BMCC-D16 comparison, not just the Pocket CC. There are very different cams for different markets of course. The BMCC is closer to the D16 in several respects: in price, has manual instead of live mount, and shoots real 2K. A lot of people will of course be looking for 2K. Thanks for all you do, and I’ve sworn off the chip butties.

    1. hi david

      it doesn’t shoot 2k does it? i thought it was 2.3k or something. I can’t compare with too many cameras otherwise it becomes an epic shootout and i can’t do that! Pocket camera for me is the closest comparison camera.

      P

  9. G’day Phillip,.

    You mentioned the fringing, that every Bayer filter based camera seems to have in firmware ver 1.0,..
    But does the D16 have the same sort of black-spot / white-orb issues as the BMD-PC ?

    Also, just thinking out loud, if there was a mount to suit the Arri SR2/SR3 16mm lenses, I’d bet the D16 would become very popular with film schools all around the world. 😉

    Looking forward to seeing what else can come from this little camera – I’ve shot or 1AC’d on the majority of digital formats, use a Pentax K-01 for my own camera, with plans to either go Pentax K3 or BMD-PC next, but I think the Bolex gives me another option to think about, especially with the proper audio connections.

  10. As much as the weather was total crap, I think the weather really made this test shine! As a camera, the D16 looks like it can hold its own. Many of the features that have been pissing off the BMD Pocket Camera are addressed with the D16. Apart from the base ISO, that says a lot about the base principles that the D16 comes with that actually work and not on some future wish list like those who have bought into the BMD Pocket camera. Not trying to bash the BMD product, I just think that the D16 went with some core functionality that should have been addressed by BMD. Your test video looked great and serves as a nice example of how the D16 can be used to tell a story. Bravo Philip!

  11. As the form of this device dictates ‘handheld’, it would be great if it came with built-in, sensor-shift stabilization. Would be amazing with all these vintage lenses around. Just my 2 cents.

  12. The footage sure came out nicely Philip.
    At this moment, this camera to me is definitely aiming at the boutique market and for the shooters that have the money, it’s something they’d take out on weekends for fun than use as the main work cam.
    Your lady friends have bags that cost more than the D16, it’s time us men carry something fashionable too!

    1. The D16 may not be the go to camera for fast turn commercial work. For me it is a camera for serious creative work where refined, precise in depth control over how the final image is rendered matters most to an artist that has the skill and time to pursue it. Not all of us are constrained by the tight schedules of most commercial work.
      I do not see the D16 as a casual use camera. It demands real skill and attention for best results.

  13. Hi Philip, I´m directing my first movie in march, My A Cam is an Alexa with Ultraprimes, do you think the Bolex could be a possible B Cam? I need something portable a easy to use, with no camera assistans, focus puller, etc…

    I know you didn´t have much time with the bolex but do you think is possible to match in a same scene shots from the Alexa with shots from the Bolex?
    Thanks!!!!
    p.

        1. Now, that was also said of the BMCC and there is little chance that the high frequencies roll-off will be as sweet on the D16 as it is on the Alexa (but we’re talking a whole different league with the Alexa anyway).

  14. Thanks Phil, the footage looks amazing.

    One thing if you could please make clear, the button for recording on the pistol grip you mentioned works by pressing it like an old bolex. Does that it always has to be pressed in order to record? Or is there another start/stop button that can record without holding it down? I’m not sure I understand the practicality of that feature other than nostalgia, even in the old cameras that was there so you wouldn’t waste film, so I’m at a loss as to why it’s built that way if I’m understanding you correctly.

    I personally am excited about this camera and price wise I think it’s only fair to compare to the BMD PC with equal rig and audio support. Considering the only other way to get global shutter will be the BMD Production camera for me is a huge deal. It also seems this would cost much less to rig as an ENG style camera compared to DSLRs and certainly the BMD PC. Hoping your review will prove all this! Thanks

    1. The pistol grip is removable and there is another rec button available.
      Joining the Digital Bolex forum is a good idea to get quick and precise answer, by the way 😉

  15. On “No Film School” (http://bit.ly/1bSBLMg) Joe Rubinstein replied to a person asking if “[the camera] will be available to rent?” Joe replied with “Yes Why Not? 😉 … There are some rental houses that are purchasing it for sure! We probably won’t be renting it directly though.” Great news if that is in fact the case! I would rent that camera in a heartbeat!

  16. I venture to add, and of course, your site, your test, etc, that I know of many people who want to have a “higher than 1080p” cam as part of their kit. And so the D16 is of course very attractive, as well as the BMCC. And AFAIK, there really are no other reasonable choices, at least until Panasonic announce the rumored 4K. Temporarily, it seems to be a D16/BMCC world unless one wants to spring for the Sony, which is more esxpensive and as yet takes eccentric media for storage.

    And those early adopters, myself included, would really like to know which of these is the best choice for 1080p-plus video. The pocket cam from BM is great, but no higher resolutions. Ordinarily, the internet would be overrun with such comparisons; however, in this case the D16s are rarer than ostrich dentures.

    1. My opinion is that the BMCC has an odd sensor size that forces you to use 35mm lenses (using only their center) while the D16 can use a variety of (s)16mm lenses that can be cheaper, lighter, smaller and of very high quality. Also, the D16 comes equipped with an enterprise-class internal SSD that already costs the price of a Pocket cam, which should make it a more reliable piece of equipment.

  17. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been having no luck either downloading a valid zip of the sample material. I’d love to give it a grade to test it out. Is there perhaps an alternative download link?

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