Bolex D8L Movie camera

Bolex Paillard B8 / D8 L8 (8mm) – Unique Edition "French Riviera / Provence Vintage Labels" Custom Design – Perfectly Working

ITEM DESCRIPTION
Inspiration & Custom Design
This extraordinary Swiss 8mm Bolex Paillard cine camera has been transformed into a one-of-a-kind piece of art and design inspired by "Wanderlust / Travel Heritage".

At my age as a father but I could also be a young grandfather, I’m traveling across Europe in search of the places I visited as a child with my parents. On my various tours, I still love stopping to shoot with analog cameras and film camcorders, places still tied to the past and kept vintage. These stops touch my heart, waiting to see the developed and printed images and the footage digitized, to relive the same atmospheres.

The original leather cover has been expertly replaced with a high-resin technical material, finely printed with graphics recalling the golden age of tourism on the French Riviera and in Provence (French Riviera - 1950s).
Among the finely reproduced era labels you can notice historical and charming references:

Hôtel La Provence – Saint-Rémy

Aix-en-Provence – Grand Hôtel du Roi

Marseille Port Vieux – Hôtel du Mistral

Avignon – Festival d'Été

Villa Les Oliviers – Nice

This aesthetic restoration combines the precision Swiss mechanical engineering of the 1950s with a sensibility tied to fashion, interior design, and contemporary vintage design.

Absolute Uniqueness (Piece Unique / Custom Work): You will not find another identical specimen in the world. It is the perfect combination between a vintage collectible cinema camera and a sculpture/conversation piece for high-end environments.

Durable Technical Material: Unlike the original vintage covering, the applied layer is water-repellent, scratch-resistant, UV-resistant, and guarantees long-lasting vibrancy of colors.

Fully Usable Today (Usability & Film Availability): 8mm Double 8 format camcorders (Standard 8mm / Split 8) are still used by filmmakers, directors, and analog enthusiasts. Standard 8mm films (B&W and color, such as Fomapan R100 or 16mm-rewound films) are still widely produced and available on the market (easily purchasable online from specialized retailers like Foma, Wittner Cinetec, Film Photography Project, etc.).

Legendary Swiss Spring Mechanism: Fully mechanical, it runs without batteries thanks to the famous manual-wind Bolex Paillard, known for its precision and timeless reliability.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Brand: Bolex Paillard

Country of Manufacture: Switzerland (Made in Switzerland)

Serial Number: 787559 (visible on the aluminum base)

Film Format: Standard 8 mm (Double 8) on 25ft / 7.5m reels

Winding System: Mechanical spring-wind (manual winding via rectangular key/crank)

Lense Turret: Rotating turret prepared for 2 lenses with D-Mount thread (supplied without lenses / ready to accept lenses of the collector’s choice)

Frame Rate (FPS): Adjustable from 12 to 64 frames per second (12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64 fps) for standard shooting, fast-motion, or slow-motion effects

Single Shot: Single frame / Stop-motion function and continuous operation

Viewfinder: Integrated upper optical viewfinder with focal-length/parallax compensation ring

Exposure Table: Metal DIN / ASA / Scheiner converter table integrated on the lower body

Body Material: Chrome and satin aluminum alloy with a high-definition waterproof technical coating.

CONDITION AND VISUAL INSPECTION
Aesthetics: Excellent, near-new after the custom restoration. The chrome parts are shiny and well preserved with very light signs of wear consistent with its age.

Mechanical: The spring motor winds regularly, the shutter release activates the mechanism, and the speed selectors (fps) respond correctly.

Film & Lenses: The turret is ready to hold D-Mount lenses. Film chamber clean.

Bolex Paillard 8mm Camera Vintage Movie Camera Custom Design French Riviera Cannes Vintage Travel Label Analog Cinematography Collectible Camera Design Object Swiss Made