Bolex K2

K2 AUTOMATIC

8mm Camera

1964

  • OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 8 1/2" x 8" x 2 1/2"
  • WEIGHT: Approximately 2 lbs.
  • OUTER CASE: Aluminum body with leather covering; black crinkle-finish paint on top and rear.
  • FILM CAPACITY: 25ft daylight loading spools of double run 8mm film. When a roll runs through the camera, only half the width of film is exposed. The spool is then reversed and run through again, exposing the other half. When processed, film is split and spliced together giving 50' for projection. Projection time at 16 fps for 25' roll is 4 minutes.
  • THREADING: manual, with no loop forming; with the pressure pad opened the film is simply placed over a guide roller, threaded behind the gate, over the bottom guide roller and onto the takeup spool.
  • MOTOR: Constant speed, spring motor mechanism; governor controlled. Generous winding key, attached to the camera, folds back against its side when not in use. Spring cannot be over-wound.
  • ZOOM LENS: Kern Vario-Switar 8-36mm f/1.9 zoom lens with power-zoom control (powered by two batteries).
  • VIEWFINDER: Reflex viewfinder with ground-glass focusing; Adjustable diopter for eyesight correction; Rubber eyecup.
  • VARIABLE SPEED: 12, 18, 24 and 40 frames per second.
  • Bolex K2 front RELEASE BUTTON: Continuous exposures can be made by a trigger release on the front of the grip handle. Cable release socket allows for single frame exposures or continuous hands-free filming.
  • VARIABLE SHUTTER: Adjustable dial changes the shutter opening from 0-165 degrees to allow for shortened exposure times and fades.
  • FOOTAGE COUNTER: Precise reading of exposed film footage. Resets to zero upon reloading.
  • SINGLE FRAME: A cable release socket allows the user to expose single frames for filming animation, titles, etc.
  • MANUAL REWIND: A small hand crank allows for rewinding film up to 60 frames.
  • AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE: Through the lens light metering with fully automatic diaphragm and manual override. Movement of automatic diaphragm can also be restricted. Film sensitivity of 10-200 ASA.
  • GRIP: Built-in grip with trigger release and socket for cable release. A storage compartment provides room for the backwind handle. The bottom of the grip contains a 1/4" thread tripod socket.

Notes and Comments

The K2 Zoom Reflex Automatic was a slightly improved version of the previous Bolex K1. The lens was the same Kern 8-36mm, but offered a powered zoom function with control buttons located on the top of the camera body.

Other improvements to the K2 included a through-the-lens exposure system (only sensitive to 10-200 ASA film) and an additional speed of 24 frames per second.

Bolex cameras in this series:

K1 Automatic, K2 Automatic, S1 Automatic and P4 Automatic.


Serial Numbers and Dates of Manufacture

The serial number on this model is located on the rear of the camera, beneath the viewfinder. The K2 began production in 1964, starting with serial number B 23001, and was introduced in the same year.

Bolex Zoom Reflex Automatic K2 :: Serial Numbers
  #   Year
B 23001 B 56500 1964
B 56500 B 64200 1965
B 64200 B 66600 1966