Paillard Bolex H16 16mm Cine Camera

Paillard Bolex H16 spring-driven16mm cine camera, serial no. 7840, with three-lens turret holding F/2.9 15mm,F/1.5 25mm and F/1.9 2in lenses, separate tri-focal viewfinder attachment and rewind handle, all in leather case with instruction booklet.

Introduced by the Swiss firm Paillard S A, the H16 was a high quality, versatile camera used by amateur moviemakers who took their craft seriously. Using the larger 16mm film format, rather than the 8mm preferred by the casual user, these cameras gave the kind of quality that eventually converted the professionals. It was the first 16mm film camera with automatic film threading. The film is loaded inside the body of the camera by means of two spools, holding up to 120feet of film. It has a spring drive wound by a crank handle, for each wind 16 and a half feet of film is exposed. It also had a battery driven electric motor for longer shots.