Some Digital Bolex D16 Screengrabs From My Upcoming Short Film

Written by Noam Kroll

It’s been just over a week since I shot my first project on the Digital Bolex D16, and I have to say I have been really impressed by the quality of the images off this camera. As I mentioned in my previous post, the D16 offers arguably the most authentic Super 16mm look out there, and even in retrospect it was the perfect choice for our shoot.

In the near future I will be posting a full article on the D16, not only outlining it’s strengths and weaknesses, but also explaining how I like to shoot with the camera, and grade the footage to get the best results. Shortly after I will also be releasing the full film online, as well as a behind the scenes featurette, which I think many of you will really enjoy.

For now though, I wanted to create this short post as a means to share some screenshots captured on the D16 during our shoot. All of the images you see below were shot at ISO 200 in 2K resolution, with the Veydra C-Mount Cinema Lenses – which were absolutely phenomenal to work with.

Take a look:

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All of the images above were color graded in DaVinci Resolve using the Film Convert plugin. You can buy Film Convert for 10% off by clicking this link and using the code: KROLL

Working with the D16 posed a number of challenges – mostly in the lighting department, since we were shooting mostly at night at ISO 200. But in the end, these challenges ended up driving our team to find unique and creative solutions to our issues, and ultimately they worked in our favor. I will certainly be working with the D16 again in the future and am looking forward to seeing how it performs in different environments.

As mentioned above, there will be more D16 material coming out soon, as well as the usual stream of gear reviews, insight, production tips, and more – so stay tuned!

About Author

Noam Kroll

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, on network television, and in various publications across the globe. Follow Noam on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!

16 Comments

Lukas
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Hey Noam,

these images look great. Is the movie finished?

Cheers, Lukas
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Noam Kroll
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Thanks Lukas! This shoot evolved into a promo for a feature film, which is currently finished but private. I may share it in the future…
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Adrian Mathie
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Very interested to see this post.

I have been admiring the beautiful and rich colours that come from the cameras with the Kodak TrueSense CCD sensor, ie the Ikonoskop and the Digital Bolex.

Now that Digital Bolex has stopped trading and their website is suspended, does anyone have any idea of how one might get maintenance support, the most recent firmware or access to an ongoing forum/community etc?
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Noam Kroll
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Hi Adrian! I believe Digital Bolex is planning to continue supporting the current D16 users and will be keeping the website active. Right now, it may be down, but I was told by DB that the site will continue to function in the future, so definitely check back soon.
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Bryant
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Are you using the MFT mount to use those lenses?
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Noam Kroll
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Actually I was using a C-Mount D16. The Veydras now some in C-Mount, which was great in this case.
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Anders
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These grabs look really good Noam – it certainly has a strong 16mm vibe. Since I don’t intend to buy a new camera anytime soon, I’m wondering if you think this look – under equal conditions (lighting/set dressing etc.) – is achievable with something other than the D16. Like in my case with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera for example. Looking forward to seeing the finished short.
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Noam Kroll
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Hi Anders – thanks for the kind words. To answer your question, you can definitely get a similar look using other cameras – you might just need to work a bit harder for it. The D16 is great in the sense that it delivers these Super 16mm images right off the cards. Even with minimal grading, they just sort of look right. That said, the BMCC is an amazing tool, and coupled with the right lenses and some film grain/emulation in the post suite, you can definitely get a similar look. Film Convert will help you get there, if you haven’t already checked it out.
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Anders
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Thank you for taking the time to answer my question – FilmConvert is absolutely fantastic used right. I did this quick and dirty test a while back – http://vimeo.com/108711854 – tried to achieve something akin to 16mm. Some shots definitely looks better than others, but this was really just a quick run and gun test for initial impressions. With all the gear talk going on it’s easy to get unsure if you should buy something “better” or not – but ultimately it’s content over resolution (and I take comfort in that a lot of movies I’ve seen on the big screen is projected at 2k – which is more than enough usually). And the BMCC still have what it takes in my book. Your output with that camera is stellar by the way. Thanks again for answering, and hope it won’t be too long before we can see the short.
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Noam Kroll
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Awesome work Anders – love the shots here, especially the tracking shot with a little sun flare in the corner near the beginning of the video. Thanks for sharing.
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