The idea seemed pretty perfect for today’s market, with companies like Impossible Project and Fujifilm cashing in on products based on or resembling old-time film cameras. The Digital Bolex was that very idea, a modern take on that classic Bolex camera, but for the Digital Bolex anyway, it seems the time was not right.
“Digital Bolex will no longer be producing cinema cameras after this month, and we will close our online store effective June 30,” A blog post on the company’s website reads. But don’t freak out if you were hoping to buy one, you still have a little time. “Cameras will still be available to purchase until 11:59 p.m. PT on that date, and we still have cameras in stock. So if you’ve been eager to purchase a D16 for your project, consider this last call.”
Despite production of the camera coming to a close, its capabilities are still well on par with the current market, and it’s being sold at an incredibly affordable price — by cinema camera standards.
And if you are considering the purchase, you don’t need to worry about buying a product with no support or repair. The announcement says explicitly that although the company will no longer be producing the cameras, the firm’s “phone will stay on, and all warranties, repairs, and upgrades will continue to be performed by our team as we honor our commitment to the users who have chosen to enter into a relationship with us.”
The announcement ends a five-year journey for the Digital Bolex team, a journey which started better than most, with the company’s Kickstarter campaign earning over $262,000 in under 36 hours. The D16 was the world’s first crowdsourced cinema camera, and despite the company’s inability to keep the project going, the Digital Bolex team proved that it could be done — and that is no small feat.
