The Bolex System - Text 8
In the early 1960s, amateur cinema entered feet first into the era of automation. The Paillard company, whose founding principle was one of quality requiring long periods of development, found itself thrown off balance. The introduction of cameras with a system for automatically adjusting the diaphragm highlighted the way in which it lagged behind in electronics. This lag was accentuated by the decision in 1952 to definitively abandon research in television. In its rush to add a photoelectric light meter to its B8L, Bolex entered somewhat unwillingly into a field dominated by the principles of planned obsolescence, premature innovations and lower costs.
In 1963, with its Zoom Reflex Automatic series, Bolex took a true leap into automation. The H and L cases were abandoned as part of a new design for these cameras, which were equipped with an “electronic eye,” a reflex viewfinder and a start-up trigger on the handle. But once again Paillard was overtaken when Kodak introduced the Super 8 format in 1965, with a cartridge system which greatly facilitated loading the film, contributing to the amateur cinema boom.[5]
