First user footage from the Digital Bolex D16

Digital Bolex User Footage

 Digital Bolex has been delivering their first D16 cameras and so of course we're now seeing some footage from this Kickstarter-funded camera

Just to remind you: it's a 16mm format camera that's based on the concept of the original Bolex film devices. Using at CCD (as opposed to CMOS) sensor, it has a distinct look that's sharp and completely lacking any rolling shutter effects, which is a very good thing.

Here's some footage taken by Phil Bloom, at one of our favourite places, the South Bank of the River Thames in London. This is actually one of the rainiest spots on Earth, as you can see. It's nearly always like this down there, but we still love it, because there's always stuff going on, and, when you're testing cameras, you can't beat the sight of brightly coloured lights reflected on wet concrete.

Seriously, if you're visiting London, go down to the South Bank. The National Theatre is there, with its multi-level foyers where there is always some kind of impromptu performance going on, there's the Festival Hall, art galleries, an IMAX theatre, and all the scenery you could possibly want along this famous part of London's river. Oh, the London Eye (the big ferris wheel) is there as well. If you're very lucky, the sun will come out, and if it does, it's a glorious place to be.

The footage looks great, subject to our usual warning that you can't use video streamed over the internet to judge high quality cameras.

Here's Phil's film. It's graded pretty flat, but it suits the weather!

and here's some indoor portrait shots from Digtial Bolex, which, if you watch them with "HD" turned on, look remarkably sharp, yet warm at the same time.

With all the other great cameras around, some much cheaper, do we really need the Digital Bolex D16? We think that's the wrong question. A better one would be "would you like to own this individual and unique camera". We know what our answer is.