BY: Andres Vallecilla Jaramillo
Despite the rapid pace of technological advancement, many filmmakers and photography and video enthusiasts feel a longing for vintage cameras. The smell of film, the texture of their images, and the way they captured real life evoke a time when technological progress was less overwhelming and there was greater clarity about what it meant to understand cinema.
To mark the launch of the new Bolex D16, a 100% digital camera with the latest technology and a reasonable price, we decided to recall its analog predecessor, a true classic of independent cinema, which was a cornerstone of the avant-garde movements in the early 1960s, when the young filmmakers of the French New Wave burst onto the world stage with a cinema full of spontaneity, opening doors for new creators lacking the large capital available only to the big studios.
The Bolex H16 camera, created by the Swiss company Bolex Paillard in 1930, was crucial for the creation of documentaries, nature films and newsreels, as it was compact, easy to carry and operated with a clockwork spring, which gave it autonomy without the need for an electrical network, it came in 8mm, super 8mm, 16mm and super 16mm versions.
It had a turret where up to 3 lenses could be used by simply moving a handle, thus facilitating the change of focus and plane.
It is still used by animators, as it facilitates the work when making Stop Motion, and it is also used to introduce new film students to the handling of cameras.
What's interesting about the new digital model, the Bolex D16, is that it allows the use of original lenses, some of them high-quality, which are readily available in specialized markets at very good prices. The D16's process demonstrates how technological advancement can coexist with traditional filmmaking methods, ensuring that the new doesn't become a tombstone burying tradition, but rather a pillar upon which to build a more solid future.
Next, we'll see how cameras from before the digital age worked. For this, we've published a tutorial found on YouTube, on Simon Tarr's channel, which we've edited and translated for you, in order to make information available only to those who understand English accessible.