Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Bolex: Clockwork Cameras in the 21st Century
By James Grahame
Bolex was founded in 1927. The company gained international attention with the introduction of the Bolex H-16 self threading 16mm movie camera in 1935. They went on to produce cameras for several different film formats, but failed to make a dent in the enormous Super 8 market that emerged in the late 1960s. Austrian giant Eumig purchased the company in 1968, using the historic Bolex logo to rebrand their own equipment. The new Bolex division quietly continued production of the H-16 camera line.
After the collapse of Eumig in 1981, Bolex once more became a self-sufficient enterprise focused entirely on the production and repair of 16 mm cameras. Most modern Bolex H-16's are electrically-powered EL units, but it's still possible to buy a brand new spring-operated SBM model -- expect to get around 20 seconds of shooting time from each wind.
Prices start at about 5,460 Swiss Francs ($4,250) for a new H-16 SBM mechanical model (without lens).
Bolex H-16 Motion Picture Cameras (Bolex International S.A.)
New & Used Bolex Equipment in the USA (JK Camera)
