Digital Bolex D16 User Manual
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Digital Bolex D16 User Manual

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Summary of Contents for Digital Bolex D16

  • Page 2 COMPANY STATEMENT You are the new owner of a Digital Bolex D16, and we hope you are proud. By selecting our camera, you are helping to preserve the experience and aesthetic of shooting film in the digital age, and supporting an independent camera company that strives to provide the highest quality design standards and components for its products.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Video monitoring 30 TABLE OF CONTENTS • Color Modes • White Balance • Articulating the onboard monitor • SD out to external monitor • HDMI out to external monitor Diagram of Parts • External Icons Display Buttons & Navigation • Mounting an EVF Quick Guide to Shooting Recording Audio 32...

  • Page 4: Diagram Of Parts

    DIAGRAM OF PARTS MOUNT LENS MOUNT MIC LEVELS CRANK 2 (REAR) CRANK 1 (FORWARD) CRANK HANDLE DIAGRAM OF PARTS...
  • Page 5 DIAGRAM OF PARTS COLD SHOE MOUNT 1/8 VIDEO JACK 12V 4-PIN HEADPHONE XLR (OUT) HDMI PORT JACK 12V 4-PIN XLR (IN) AUDIO XLR DIAGRAM OF PARTS...
  • Page 6 DIAGRAM OF PARTS ARTICULATING MONITOR MONITOR ACCESSORY MOUNTS (2) COLD SHOE MENU MOUNT BUTTON RECORD FAN VENT BUTTON DISPLAY BUTTON ENTER/ POWER 1:1 MODE BUTTON LENS MOUNT EXTERNAL CF CARD USB3 SCREWS (3) SLOTS PORT MEDIA DOOR DIAGRAM OF PARTS...

  • Page 7: Buttons & Navigation

    BUTTONS AND NAVIGATION When in camera menu, ENTER selects highlighted menu option. Accesses camera Outside of a menu, ENTER zooms in on disply for a 1:1 mode menu. that aids critical focus. When powering down, functions as Press once to record. “cancel”...

  • Page 8: Quick Guide To Shooting

    QUICK GUIDE TO SHOOTING... In 8 Easy Steps! Insert two CF cards (See “D ” anageMent on Page 28) if you prefer to shoot on cards. If you prefer to use the internal SSD, you do not MENU need additional storage media. ENTER DISP Attach a lens...
  • Page 9 QUICK GUIDE TO SHOOTING... In 8 Easy Steps! Attach the pistol grip if you plan to shoot handheld. Place camera on a tripod or shoulder mount for steadier shots. MENU ENTER DISP Power on the camera by pressing the power button.
  • Page 10 QUICK GUIDE TO SHOOTING... In 8 Easy Steps! Attach a microphone to the XLR ports or Line-in port if you want to record audio (See “R ” on Page 32). Use the menu to navigate to the ecoRDing uDio SOUND submenu and adjust the CH 1 and CH 2 MIC settings to turn on the audio channels for your microphone.
  • Page 11 QUICK GUIDE TO SHOOTING... In 8 Easy Steps! Power down your camera and connect it to your computer via USB3 cable (See “D ” on Page 28) to access your footage. ageMent The camera’s internal SSD drive will appear on your desktop like any external hard drive, allow- ing you to copy footage to a safe destination.

  • Page 12: The Battery

    AC power adapter is connected. You may also charge the internal battery by connecting third The D16 has an internal 12V, 40Wh LiPo battery with a life party battery solutions via the 4-PIN XLR port.

  • Page 13: Using Exterior Power Sources

    Use of an unauthorized facility will void your warranty, if you are still within your one year warranty period. The D16 has the ability to auto power off after 1 or 5 minutes of inactivity. This helps to save power between shots. You can...

  • Page 14: The Interchangeable Lens Mount

    EF, PL, Micro 4/3, and C-Mount turret on your camera. The process of Your D16 comes with a C-mount, the same mount used on changing mounts is easy and fast, you only need a screwdriver.

  • Page 15: Crop Factor

    2K mode) and 16mm (in 1080p mode) cinema lenses. Lenses designed for other popular formats, such as MFT (Micro 4/3) or 35mm can be used on the D16, but that may result in a crop (slight to moderate zoom) or vignetting, depending on the properties of that lens.

  • Page 16: Displays & Menus

    Home Screen DISPLAYS AND MENUS The D16 features an easy-to-use menu system and clear icon display so that you can easily identify and adjust your settings. Crank Mode Frames Remaining Frames Per Second XLR Power Adjust via Menu or by...

  • Page 17: Alternate Displays

    Alternate Displays When on your home screen, a number of alternate display options are available for use. Click the DISP button to cycle through options like SHOW THIRD LINES or HIDE HOME SCREEN ICONS. These modes will stay active when you press record. Future displays will be available via firmware updates. 16:9 HIDE HOME SCREEN ICONS.

  • Page 18: Menus

    Menus option for that setting, and press and right again (or ENTER) to save your selection. Then use left to return to the submenu and adjust other settings, or hit MENU to exit the menu display. When you press the MENU button on your camera, the menu will display in your onboard monitor.
  • Page 19 WHT BALANCE Sound Menu This setting allows you to select one of three white balances for In the SOUND menu, you can choose to change your FORMAT from your footage: DAYLIGHT, TUNGSTEN, or FLUORESCENT. 96khz to 44.1khz, change each audio channel to OFF, ON, or LINE IN, The balance you select will be reflected in both your onboard turn on/off PHANTOM POWER for your LEFT and RIGHT channels, and any external monitors, as well as your raw metadata.

  • Page 20: Data Menu

    To navigate, use to scroll to select and return Data Menu On the next screen, confirm that you want to format the drive. FORMAT : SSD The DATA menu is where you control the data storage of the camera. There are options to FORMAT your SSD and CF Are you sure you want to format? CARDS, COPY data from the camera to a computer, and edit Formatting will erase all data.
  • Page 21 TRANSFERRING TO CF CARDS Copying to CF... Clips will not automatically transfer from the SSD to the CF cards. However, you can choose to transfer footage to the CF cards after you shoot by using the COPY DATA option. WARNING : DO NOT POWER OFF CAMERA WHILE COPYING To navigate, use to scroll...
  • Page 22 TRANSFERING VIA COMPUTER On PC: Most Windows users will need an additional program to access the footage from your camera, called an HFS reader. To transfer footage directly from the internal SSD to a computer The HFS reader enables you to read the type of drive installed via USB3, power down the camera and connect the USB3 in the camera, which works natively with Mac computers.
  • Page 23 DIR NAME Data transfer may take a long time depending on how much By default, the D16 records footage to a folder labeled with the footage you have to copy, whether you are using fast CF cards, date of your shoot, and inside that a Scene number starting and whether your computer is equipped with USB3 capabilities.

  • Page 24: Display Menu

    Crank Menu Display Menu The CRANK menu allows you to assign different functions to The DISPLAY menu lets you change the look of your home the front and rear crank wheels on the left side of the camera, screen and external monitor. allowing you to adjust those settings while recording without needing to re-enter the menu.

  • Page 25: Settings Menu

    Settings Menu OVERSCAN guarantees you see the full image being recorded when using external monitors. Some monitors and EVFs crop The SETTINGS Menu allows you to adjust the DATE and TIME the 2K image to 1080, not showing you the entire frame being of your camera, to set up whether your want your camera recorded, which can lead to accidentally recording elements outside the 1080 view.

  • Page 26: Updating The Firmware

    USB2 port. This port is what you will use to upgrade your firmware. To start, move the switch on the lefthand side up towards the When a new version of the D16 firmware is released, you will lens port to engage Update Mode. want to update your camera.
  • Page 27 If you have switched into Update Mode properly, color bars will The firmware will automatically begin to download onto your appear on your onboard LCD in place of the normal D16 startup camera. The progress bar on the Firmware Updater software screen.

  • Page 28: Data Management

    Inserting the CF cards To insert the CF cards into your D16, open the door on the rear Close the door whenever you are not inserting or removing of the camera. There are two CF slots: A (top) and B (bottom).

  • Page 29: About The Internal Ssd

    By default, the camera records footage to folders organized by shoot date and take number. If needed, it is possible to rename Some users may find it preferable to use the D16 without any your existing file folder to suit the needs of your project.

  • Page 30: Video Monitoring

    TUNGSTEN, and FLUORESCENT. While white balance can be altered in post due to the flexiblity of raw, you should choose The D16 has a number of video monitoring options available to the closest white balance to your scene as a starting point.

  • Page 31: Hdmi Out To External Monitor

    HD monitor, including wireless looks while shooting. monitors. The top and side cold shoes of the D16 are perfect mounting points Recording the HDMI signal for an EVF. Some users may want to record the 1080p video signal through the HDMI port in order to save it as a compressed video file.

  • Page 32: Recording Audio

    Plug in one or more mics to the XLR ports or the Line-in port. HP VOL power with the D16. To use these microphones, navigate to the There are only 2 audio channels, so you may only have 2 SOUND menu and turn off phantom power for that XLR port.

  • Page 33: Adjusting The Headphone Volume

    Audio Metering Line/Mic Levels When microphones are plugged in and turned on, the audio To adjust Line/Mic levels, use the knobs on the right side of the meters on the display will become active. It’s important to camera. You will see your changes in the audio meters on the monitor your audio levels while you record to avoid audio that’s camera display, and hear the changes in your headphones.

  • Page 34: Using The Crank

    To check which setting your cranks are assigned to without accessing the crank menu, look at the crank icons on the bottom right of the Home Screen. There are two cranks on the left side of the D16 camera which 24FPS 71716...

  • Page 35: Time Lapse Mode

    SETTINGS. INTERVAL SECOND TIME BASE MINUTE The D16 has three SHOT MODES that allow for distinct functions: EXPOSURE CONTINUOUS, SINGLE FRAME, and TIME LAPSE. You can access the SHOT MODE submenu from the MAIN MENU. To navigate, use...

  • Page 36: Camera Accessories

    CAMERA ACCESSORIES You can use a variety of accessories with the D16. There are 2 cold shoe mounts for mounting accessories like EVFs, portable lights, or shotgun microphones, allowing you to customize your D16 with different accessory configurations. Using the cold shoe-mounts Many consumer and professional accessories use a shoe- mount to attach the accessory to a camera.

  • Page 37: Using The Pistol Grip

    Monitor Hood Follow Focus A monitor hood can be useful for reducing glare on the onboard A follow focus for the D16 can be used on either side of the monitor when shooting in bright daylight. The D16 monitor hood camera.

  • Page 38: Installing Our Software

    LightPost is the recommended way for copying footage from Then follow the instructions on the Bolex Utilities Firmware your D16. Copying directly from the camera to a drive could ” on Page 26.) Updater (For details, see “u...

  • Page 39: Other Post Workflow Options

    Change attributes like tint, saturation, exposure, sharpness, If you have recorded audio on the D16, you will need to import color temperature, highlight and shadow color balance, and the .AIFF audio track separately from your CinemaDNG image others to achieve great looks in seconds.

  • Page 40: Before Shooting

    Your external battery is either drained or not working. Try charging the battery and then connecting to the camera again. If you’re having a problem with your D16, here are a list of If you have another battery or your AC acapter handy, test common questions and solutions.
  • Page 41 D16’s internal SSD drive. We advise you to back up footage I have microphones plugged in, but when I check the frequently when using cards, to ensure that all data is intact.

  • Page 42: Specs

    SPECS Resolution 2048 x 1152 (Super 16mm mode) 1920 x 1080 (16mm mode) 1280 x 720 (720p - coming soon) 720 x 480 (480p - coming soon) Format Adobe CinemaDNG Color depth 12 bit 4:4:4 File size 2 to 3 MB per frame in RAW Sensor Kodak 1”...
  • Page 43 Video out 1920 x 1080 HDMI via HDMI port 640 x 480 via 1/8” video jack (HD-SDI not currently available) Ports HDMI, Audio XLR (2), 1/8” video, headphone, USB 3.0, 4-PIN XLR (INPUT) 4-PIN XLR (OUTPUT) Data Storage Dual CF card slots, Internal 256GB or 500GB Enterprise SSD Power Internal battery, 12V External via 4 pin XLR port Material...
  • Page 44 Special Thanks: Maxim, Mark Schumacher (c) 2014 Cinemeridian, inc.

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