First raw Images from the Digital Bolex D16

First raw Image from the Digital Bolex D16

More signs that the Digital Bolex D16 is coming to life. The picture above is one of the first raw images to come from this much awaited camera

They certainly do look good, and bode well for the finished product. The real question now is: when will it be finished?

The reality is that whatever anyone says, estimated delivery times for this type of complex electronic product are fiction until it actually is delivered. The very fact that a product is unfinished means that there are uncertainties. Where third parties are involved even the manufacturer has limited control over the outcome. Although it may be even harder to keep a timescale working internally, when you have to design user interfaces, ensure that the supply line is in place and make sure that the product functions as a viable, sellable device.

Anyone in their right mind would be panicking at this stage. Neither time nor money are infinite. In fact, both are usually in extremely short supply for companies like Digital Bolex at this stage in their development. But although Digital Bolex is subject to the same cause and effect as the rest of us, the company does have a lot going for them, which will help them through this critical period.

It's unique

First, their product is genuinely unique. I don't mean that there are no other cameras out there that shoot to raw Cinema DNG. This is not about technical specifications. It's about the character of the camera. The way that the Digital Bolex was conceived and created was more about the experience of owning a small, high-quality camera, and making films that shine in themselves, without having to cross-reference the experience with a spec-sheet.

Secondly, we may already be in an era where resolution in itself is not the ultimate factor in making a film. There is much more to a picture than the resolution. A picture of an old power station is not going to look prettier because it has more pixels.

Some of the greatest films of the last decade have been made with the ARRI Alexa, a camera with approximately the same resolution as the Digital Bolex. If a camera makes a filmmaker feel good; if it liberates her or him from the tyranny of the specifications race; if it just does the job and captures lovely pictures, then it's as valid and as viable as any camera out there.

And as such, the Digital Bolex D16 is worth waiting for.

Here's our original interview with Joe Rubinstein of Digital Bolex: http://www.redsharknews.com/business/item/281-exclusive-digital-bolex-interview-16mm-for-the