BOLEX D8LA User manual

D8LA
CAMERA

FOREWORD
You are now the lucky owner of a distinguished camera. The name BOLEX is
known throughout the world as a hallmark of technical perfection and precision
craftsmanship — Swiss watch-making precision par excellence.
Your BOLEX D8LA camera, of course, includes an electric eye which is situated behind
the lens. In addition it has other, even newer features. A new ultra sensitive exposure
meter further improves its handling qualities, and a perfected rewinding system en¬
ables you to achieve outstanding visual effects.
But before getting to work with your BOLEX D8LA camera and whenever you have any
doubts, consult this instruction manual carefully. It will serve you as an aid for better
movies.
PAILLARD S.A.
Sainte-Croix (Switzerland)
2

Pages
Foreword 2
Get to Know Your Camera 4
Howto Load Your Camera - Winding 6
Film Footage Counter 8
How to Invert Your Film and Unload Your Camera 9
Filming Speeds 10
Release Selector 11
Viewfinder 12
CONTENTS
Parallax Correction 13
Lenses 14
Distance Setting 16
The Depth of Field 17
Variable Shutter 18
Fade-in 19
Fade-out - Lap Dissolve - Rewinding the Film 20
To Produce a Lap Dissolve 21
Setting the Diaphragm 22
Checking the exposure meter Adjustement 26
Some Words of Advice before Shooting 27
Filters - Lens Hoods 28
Upkeep 29
Exposure Times 31
18-5 Projector 32
3

Winding key (page 6)
Turret (page 14)
Exposure meter
(page 23)
Shooting lens
(page 14)
Additional lens
(page 14)
Additional lens
(page 14)
Release (page 11)
Cable release socket
Control of variable
shutter (page 18)
Viewfinder setting
(page 12)
Release selector
(page 11)
Rewinding
handcrank
lodging (page 20)
Serial number
Socket fortrigger handle,
wriststrap or tripod
(page 27)
Filming speed
setting (page 10)
4 ^ = Notch symbol
indicating film
plane inside camera
4

Door lock (page 8)
First and second loading
indicator (page 8)
Viewfinder
(page 12)
GET TO KNOW
YOUR
CAMERA
Index number calculator (page 22)
Film footage counter
(page 8)

HOW TO LOAD YOUR CAMERA
Before loading your camera, try out the important controls without film: winding, release
selector, filming speeds, variable shutter, rewinding, functioning of the built-in lightmeter,
release. Familiarize yourself with your camera in order to avoid wasting film. While It is
not difficult to operate the camera, a certain amount of experience is necessarily required
for good results.
Important — When your camera Is not loaded, never let it run
at more than 32 f.p.s., as this could cause damage to the
mechanism.
WINDING
Lift the winding key and move it back and forth until a definite
stopping point is reached. The motor is now fully wound and
will run off about 7 ft. of film. This gives you about 31 seconds
of filming at a speed of 18 frames per second.
To prevent the motor running down during an Important shot
It is advisable to re-wind after every shooting.
To avoid any risk of fogging the film, the camera should
be loaded in the shade, or better, in semi-darkness.
TO OPEN THE CAMERA
Lift up the hinged semicircular ring, turn it to position O and lift
the door.

2 3 4
TO INSERT THE FILM INTO YOUR CAMERA
Place the open camera with the hinged door towards you and open the pressure-pad
by moving the lever (fig. 1).
Remove the empty spool from the camera.
Hold the full spool In your right hand In such a manner that the filrn cannot become
loose. Unwind about 10 inches of film, and slip the full spool on its spindle, guiding the
film through the gate as illustrated (fig. 2).
Close the pressure-pad by pushing the lever while holding the full spool in Its place with
your right hand (fig. 3). (A safety device makes it Impossible to close the door unless the
pressure-pad is closed.)
Now take the empty spool with the side marked I facing you and
insert the end of the film into the slit which is below the mark I
(fig. 4). Wind 2 to 3 turns of film on the spool, rotating it in a
clockwise manner.
Place the take-up spool on its spindle disregardingthe position
of the notches (fig. 5).
The dark, shiny side of the film must be facing towards
you, and the light side towards the lens.
li
ij
i!
ii
I
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Before closing the camera door, press the release for a fraction of a second to check
that film is running correctly.
Now close the door and lock it by turning the semicircular ring to F. Push the ring
back so that the single point mark is uncovered to indicate that the film is on its first
25 ft. run.
N. B. When the first half of your double-run film has been exposed, turn the film
over in order to expose the other half.
FILM FOOTAGE COUNTER
The film footage counter on the back of the camera
automatically indicates the amount of film that has been
exposed.
The film being loaded, the letters ft. (feet) will appear
behind the window, because the indicator automatically
returns to the starting point when the pressure-pad lever
Is operated in the course of loading or unloading the
camera.
Press the release and run the film until the figure 0
appears opposite the white notch. The 4 ft. film leader
has now been run off.
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HOW TO INVERT YOUR FILM
An audible end-of-film signal indicates that the full
length of the film has now been exposed (the indicator
shows 25 ft.). The spool should now be turned over to
expose the other half of the film.
Proceed as follows:
The motor should be allowed to run until 10 clicks of
the audible warning signal have been counted. The
trailer is now fully wound on the take-up spool.
Open the camera out of the direct rays of the sun, as otherwise there is a risk that
the film may be partly fogged.
The two spools may then be taken out and the camera can be reloaded by placing the
full spool on the upper (film feed) spindle, with the side marked II uppermost.
After closing the camera door, push the semicircular ring back so as to leave the 2 points
uncovered to indicate that the film is on its second 25 ft. run.
HOW TO UNLOAD YOUR CAMERA
When the film has been fully exposed, the original BOLEX spool supplied with
the camera, now on the upper spindle, will be empty again.
Remove the full spool, observing the same caution as you did while inverting the film.
Send It to the processing laboratory in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
9

FILMING SPEEDS
The speed control dial has seven settings — 12, 16, 18,
24, 32, 48 and 64 frames per second.
The usual filming speed nowadays is 18 frames per
second. It replaces 16 f.p.s. as the international standard
for filming as well as for screening. Movements are
reproduced smoother and if a magnetic sound track is to
be added to the film, the sound will be purer and clearer.
When the film is projected at normal speed, films shot at
a slower speed (12 f.p.s.) produce an illusion of acceler¬
ated motion on the screen, while films shot at higher
speeds (24/64 f.p.s.) will produce a slow motion effect.
To set filming speed, rotate speed control dial to
corresponding setting in front of the notch.
Do not forget that altering the filming speed necessitates a change of diaphragm.
Therefore, adjust the exposure meter guidemark (see page 23).
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RELEASE SELECTOR
According to the effect desired, use either normal, continuous
running or single-frame exposures. These are controlled by the
release selector which also locks the camera:
O Locked camera
Normal position when the camera is not in use.
Q Single-frame exposure
Used for titles, cartoons, scientific films, trick effects, extreme
speed-ups (clouds, sunsets, comical effects, etc.).
The exposure is made as the release is fully pressed.
Q Normal running
Normal filming position. The camera runs as long as you press
the release fully.
O Continuous running
When the camera is running normally, push the release selector downwards. The camera
will run as long as the motor is wound. Used mainly for self-filming.
Cable Release: see page 4.
Exposure times: see table page 31.
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VIEWFINDER
The viewfinder allows you to choosetheframing best
suited to the scene to be shot.
The viewfinder is continuously adjustable by means of
a knob to match the field covered by lenses of 12.5
(standard) to 36 mm (telephoto) focal length.
Because the needles of the exposure meter only appear perfectly sharp at the 12.5 mm
setting, frames corresponding to the focal lengths of 25 mm (outer frame) and 36 mm
(inner frame) have been engraved on the aperture to permit you to determine the exact
field of view for telephoto lenses even when the viewfinder control button is left on
position 12.5.
The lever (L) (field adapter) controls a flip-up element placed inside the exposure meter
housing. When In vertical position, it adjusts the viewfinder field to match the field of
a 5.5 mm wide angle lens while the viewfinder control button remains on position 12.5.
12

The circle which then shows inside the field of view serves as a reminder that the
flip-up element is in action.
To adapt the viewfinder for movie makers who wear glasses, the viewfinder eyepiece can
be replaced by a special lens. Any enquiries should be addressed to the BOLEX
distributor through your dealer, specifying the strength required in diopters.
PARALLAX CORRECTION
The area covered by the lens is slightly different from the area seen by the viewfinder;
this difference is called parallax. Parallax becomes noticeable in shots taken at short
distances (i. e. less than 5 ft. with a standard lens). For exact correction of the parallax,
use a parallax corrector prism over the exposure meter aperture. Four parallax corrector
prisms are supplied in pairs, either for 25 and 50 cm or for 1 and 2 ft. (30 and 60 cm). The
subject to be filmed can also be framed with the help of the upright and the table of
the BOLEX 8 mm titler.
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I LENSES
Your camera takes a wide range of standard mount lenses:
— standard lenses (12.5 mm or 13 mm) for ordinary
shots. Give normal perspective;
— wide-angle lenses (5.5 mm to 6.5 mm) for long
shots or when it is difficult to stand back from the
subject (buildings, interiors, etc.). Give heightened
perspective;
— telephoto lenses (25 mm to 36 mm), for close-up
shots of more or less distant subjects; also produce
very effective extreme close-ups. Give flattened
perspective.
i
The lenses can be Interchanged. However, it is prefer¬
able to screw wide-angle lenses in the seat indicated
by an engraved dot.

Screw the lenses into their mount, holding them by
the fastening ring A.
Another ring adjusts the diaphragm; in other words,
it controls the amount of light which passes through
the lens and exposes the film.
Some lenses have a third ring which is used for
focusing.
The handling of the diaphragm ring gets easier with
a control lever.
This device is available from your BOLEX dealer.
To complete your optical equipment, BOLEX offers you zoom lenses (Pan Cinor 40),
optical attachments such as Moller anamorphic lenses, filter sets and lens hoods.
15

DISTANCE SETTING
The outstanding quality of lenses and film makes It possible to achieve remarkable
sharpness In 8-mm filming. In sunny weather, with a standard lens set at 6 ft, you can
obtain a sharp picture from approximately 3 ft. to infinity.
standard Lens
In order to obtain the best results when using a lens with
an adjustable focusing mount, we advise you to esti¬
mate the average distance at which the subject will be
filmed and to adjust the focusing ring of the lens
accordingly.
On the Kern-Paillard lenses, a red number Indicates the
distance most frequently used, which will give you
the maximum sharpness from foreground to background
in average circumstances.
For close-ups it is, however, necessary to set the exact
distance between subject and film. This is also advisable
when filming with a telephoto lens or with the lens
diaphragm wide open. (For example: distance of 3 ft.
or less and diaphragm set to 2.8 or less.)
The distances are measured from the film plane (see
page 4).
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The depth of field, that is to
say the zone in which the
subject is sharp, varies accord¬
ing to the lens focal length,
diaphragm aperture and film¬
ing distance.
Visifocus Scale
Mobile Compass
With a long focal length lens, open diaphragm or short filming distance the depth of
field is shallow.
With a short focal length lens, closed diaphragm or long filming distance the depth of
field Is great.
On most lenses, a depth-of-field scale Indicates the limits within which the filmed subject
will be sharp. The illustrations show two Kern-Palllard lenses, one with the “ Visifocus ”
scale (orange dots) and the other with the “ mobile compass ” (white curve).
Lenses are always supplied with a depth-of-field chart.
17

VARIABLE SHUTTER
Your camera is equipped with a variable shutter.
By reducing the opening angle, the film ex¬
posure time is reduced proportionately without
changing the filming speed.
The control lever can be moved while filming,
or it can be set in one of the positions shown on
illustration opposite.
The shutter can be locked in the open and
half-closed positions by pushing the grooved
slide (a on illustration opposite) in the direction
of the arrow.
Exposure times for different settings of the
variable shutter and for different filming speeds
are listed in the table on page 31.
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3

USE of the VARIABLE SHUTTER
O If the light is particularly strong (reflection from snow or water), the variable
shutter can be adjusted so that exposure is reduced and the use of a neutral
density filter becomes unnecessary.
O The variable shutter increases picture sharpness of moving subjects by reducing
the exposure time. This is particularly true forfilms shot at 32 f.p.s. or more (slow
motion). On the other hand, if filmed at normal or slower speeds with the variable
shutter half-closed, the rapidly moving subject will seem jerky when projected.
Q The variable shutter allows you to produce a number of professional effects such
as the following.
a) FADE-IN
A fade-in is made by gradually Increasing the exposure of a shot to make it go from
dark to normal brightness on the screen.
To produce a fade-in, start from the position as illustrated; (lever at extreme right
notch - Letter S = Stop); press the release and turn the shutter lever smoothly all the
way down (symbol Q opposite the notch) and continue filming. As a rule, this operation
should not take more than about 2 seconds.
N. B. The camera will not start while the shutter control lever Is in the position illustrated
(lever at extreme right)
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b) FADE-OUT
A fade-out is a gradual darkening of the shot until it has
disappeared completely. To produce a fade-out, the same
procedure as for a fade-in is carried out in reverse. Start with
the shutter lever in a horizontal position (symbol n opposite
the notch) and then move It slowly up until the camera stops.
NB — Fade out + Fade-in = Transitional Fade
c) LAP DISSOLVE
A lap dissolve is unquestionably one of the most pleasing transitional effects between
two sequences and is made by superimposing a fade-in on a fade-out; thus, a
remarkably soft transition is achieved.
How is it done ?
Although the variable shutter is essential for this, it alone is not enough. A special
rewinding system has to be provided.
REWINDING THE FILM
Engage the small hand crank in Its lodging (see
illustration page 4), and turn clockwise.
As each frame passes, you will hear a clicking sound.
Five frames are rewound with each turn of the hand crank.
You may rewind sixty frames or so without affecting the
correct running for your film.
The footage counter subtracts automatically the length
of film that has been rewound.
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