Jacques Bogopolsky was born in the Ukraine, he studied medicine in Geneva and in 1924 founded Bol SA. He emigrated to America in 1939, changing his name to Bolsky, Boolsky, and then Bolsey, before establishing the Bolsey Camera Corporation, New York. He had previously worked in Switzerland and designed Bolex movie cameras and the Bolex Reflex, which later became the Alpa Reflex.