Bolex H-16 Deluxe 16mm Camera
I've spent the past half hour playing around with an old 16mm Bolex camera that my brother Tom gave to me last year as a gift and, thanks to the enormously resourceful Bolex Collector website, I've tracked down the serial number (#58725) and identified the model as a 1950 model H-16 Deluxe.
Actually, that should be "I think I've identified the model." According to vintage camera buff Michael Tisdale, it's incredibly difficult to differentiate between the H-16 Leader, Standard and Deluxe models:
These terms were only used to differentiate between models that included different styles of viewfinder accessories. These viewfinders could be purchased or installed later; a fact which, today, makes it nearly impossible to identify early H cameras as Leader, Standard or Deluxe.
Though I used a Bolex in one of my college film classes about a dozen years ago, I haven't actually shot anything with this one. As much fun as that might be, it's just too damn expensive to shoot 16mm these days. But I do enjoy playing around with it, if only as a reminder to dig out the rest of my vintage film cameras and identify them as well.
Ever since I was a small child, I've enjoyed watching TV. As a tot, I would lie on the floor just a couple of feet from the television and gaze hypnotically into the cathode rays. Maybe it's strange, but nothing aroused my interest more than game shows. Whether it was an early favorite like 
My name is Doug Hammond, and I love chocolate hamburgers and ice cream.
