Kern-Paillard Switar 10mm, H16 RX

The Kern-Paillard Switar 10mm f/1.6 H16 RX is a fast, ultra-wide 16mm cine prime designed specifically for Bolex H16 Reflex cameras.

At 10mm, it gives a genuinely wide field of view on standard 16mm film, making it particularly useful when you want to capture plenty of the scene. Think interiors, architecture, landscapes, establishing shots and handheld filmmaking where getting physically further away isn't always an option.

The f/1.6 maximum aperture also makes this a relatively fast wide-angle lens, giving you more flexibility when available light starts to drop.

The H16 RX designation is important. Bolex H16 Reflex cameras place a prism in the optical path to direct part of the image to the viewfinder. RX lenses were optically corrected to account for this system, particularly with shorter focal lengths and wider apertures. 

So while it uses the familiar C-Mount, this isn't simply a generic C-Mount 10mm lens. It's a purpose-built piece of Kern glass for the Bolex H16 Reflex system.

Best for

• Bolex H16 Reflex cameras
• 16mm filmmaking
• Wide establishing shots
• Interiors
• Architecture
• Landscapes
• Handheld filmmaking
• Available-light shooting
• Experimental film
• Vintage Bolex setups
• Kern and Bolex collectors

What to expect

On standard 16mm film, 10mm is a very wide focal length. It gives substantially more room around the subject than the 16mm Yvar and a much wider perspective than a standard 25mm cine lens.

Its fast f/1.6 aperture makes it particularly versatile for a vintage ultra-wide cine lens.

The combination of 10mm + f/1.6 + RX correction is also important. Short, fast lenses are where the optical effects of the Bolex reflex prism become particularly relevant, which is why Kern produced dedicated RX-corrected lenses for the H16 Reflex system.

It can be adapted to some modern digital cameras using the appropriate C-Mount adapter, although this lens was designed around the 16mm image area, so sensor coverage needs to be checked for the camera being used.

Only one of two lenses comes with the original lens cap.