Bolex

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A Bolex H16 Reflex spring-wound clockwork16 mm camera

Bolex is a Swiss company (Bolex International S.A. of Yverdon) that manufactures motion picture cameras and lenses, the most notable products of which are in the 16 mm and Super 16 mm formats. Bolex cameras were particularly important for early television news, nature films, documentaries and the avant garde, and are still favoured by many animators today. Whilst some later models are electrically powered, the majority of those manufactured since the 1930s use a spring-wound clockwork. The 16 mm spring-wound Bolex is a popular introductory camera in film schools.

There is frequently confusion about whether or not an H-series camera is a reflex. The reflex cameras can be significantly more expensive than the non-reflex cameras. There is a label on the side of all H-series cameras. This will state whether the camera is an H16 or an H8 and if it is a reflex, it will say so. Labelling a reflex camera as a non-reflex would considerably reduce its value so if it does not say "Reflex" on the label, it's best to assume the camera is not a reflex.

Some H-series cameras are fitted with a critical focuser. To use it, the lens has to be moved out of the 'taking' position i.e. away from the film gate. This does not make the camera a reflex - quite the opposite.

Today, the Bolex factory in Switzerland continues to produce 16mm and Super 16 film cameras and exports them to many countries, particularly to the USA.

Bolex in Switzerland is specialized in the conversion to Super 16 of all Bolex H16 Reflex camera, whether with C-mount rotating turret or with a bayonet-mount.