After a hit kickstarter and more than a year of development, the Digital Bolex is ready for lights, camera, and action. With RAW recording, interchangeable lenses, a Super 16-size sensor and built-in storage, it's got a similar pitch to Blackmagic's Cinema Camera: much more cinematic footage than consumer camcorders can produce, but much less expensive than standard pro-grade gear. While the Blackmagic needs to be accessorized to be useful, though, the Digital Bolex's old-school pistol-grip form, built-in SSD and XLR mic inputs make it easier to just head out and shoot great footage.
The fly in Bolex's ointment might be the new Blackmagic Pocket, which is the size of a point-and-shoot and relatively cheap. When caged up for stability and sound, though, its advantages disappear fast.
Pricing starts at $3,300 for a 256GB model, which puts the Bolex firmly into semipro territory. I'm convinced that the all-in-one package will be hugely appealing to indies and run-and-gun types, though–anyone who has fussed around with unwieldy DSLR rigs will understand why!
NoFilmSchool has its hands on one and has begun publishing a multi-part review.
