Arri AMIRA



I hate to say it, but...
that's exactly what went through my mind when I read the specs. Sony has the F5, F55 and the FS700 that can all do 4K. They even have the handheld PXW-Z100 that does 4K. And Arri's latest is a 2K camera?
4K can't be in big demand now, so this camera does fill a niche. But does it do it better than the F55 and F5?

Still, this looks to be a great design. I love the sliding shoulder pad and top handle/EFV.
 
I think it is worth remembering - and Im not too sure on the tech, but the alexa has a 4k sensor which, like all 4k sensors resolve about 3.5k, arri conservatively scale this down to 2k, sony take their 3.5 and 'upscale' it to 4k

The visual difference is not so huge, especially when you introduce a normal viewing distance

The only 4k cameras are the F65 and the new Red chip? All other '4k' is actually 2 or 3k spread across 4k pixels

S
 
I do think the F55 is the better camera on specs, but the ergonomics of this thing are perfect straight out of the box. The shoulder pad and handle are very simple but clever works of engineering, and the OLED-LCD viewfinder combo deserves the design of the year award. Well done Arri!
 
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I hate to say it, but...
that's exactly what went through my mind when I read the specs. Sony has the F5, F55 and the FS700 that can all do 4K. They even have the handheld PXW-Z100 that does 4K. And Arri's latest is a 2K camera?
4K can't be in big demand now, so this camera does fill a niche. But does it do it better than the F55 and F5?

Still, this looks to be a great design. I love the sliding shoulder pad and top handle/EFV.


I think some folks really need to ask themselves, "Do I honestly need a 4K camera?"

I have owned 2 4K cameras, but you know what, almost all of my deliverables are for broadcast TV at 1920x1080.

I think this new Arri camera will be perfect for shooting amazing looking footage which can be quickly turned for broadcast TV commercials.
 
Arri will introduce 4k Alexa at NAB so the rumor goes. This camera with the cabrio lens is pretty fantastic for ergonomic great looking doc or eng style small crew shooting. Interviews and b-roll, quickly. Even for reality tv type stuff.
 
In camera grading. This sounds like total BS.

Shooting flat or raw enables one to make choices in post how to put your 12 stops into the 6 stop 709 delivery wrapper, shooting that way means compressing the DR to six stops, really only useful on the most controlled set.

S
 
Bloody 4k? Who cares? Really? Broadcasters don't care about 4k - remember most of them still transmit in SD, so it's really pointless to try to add 4k for this camera; it's clearly designed for TV acquisition. if you need 4k, rent an Alexa and make a movie for the big screen. Or buy an F5 and shoot your friend's friends skateboarding on it. Stop banging on about bloody 4K! We're ten years away from 4K for consumers! {/rant}
 
I'm really excited about this camera, and agree that you probably don't need the 4K. The only drawback in my opinion is the super35 sensor size, which I feel is too big for the type of shooting that this camera is said to be destined for. Things are more likely to go a bit soft in pick-up and shoot situations. But I guess this look is becoming widely accepted now so maybe it's not that bad. Apart from that, it really looks like a great camera.
 
In camera grading. This sounds like total BS.

Shooting flat or raw enables one to make choices in post how to put your 12 stops into the 6 stop 709 delivery wrapper, shooting that way means compressing the DR to six stops, really only useful on the most controlled set.

And that's exactly the point. Either controlled set, or fast turnaround. It doesn't mean you have to shoot like that all the time, but it's a nice option if you're an owner/operator who is shooting a dramatic short one day and ENG type of stuff the next. The evening news isn't going to want footage that they need to grade, and the producer of the short isn't going to want a baked in look. This camera gives you the flexibility to meet both clients' needs.
 
Fair point - every pro camera shoud have luts, defined by the user and the ability to burn them in for fast turnaround

Good thing about the sony is that you can do that and be recording the raw at the same time

I just find that describing that as 'in camera grading' is odd language - to me grading is the art of fitting a wide DR shot into the delivery space. Others see grading as making everything blue or green or teal!

S
 
I'm not sure I understand... the Alexa applies LUTs (or rec709) to the viewfinder and monitor unless adjusted, otherwise; this is simply for "fast turn around" type stuff. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. The Alexa has always been built for speed in post.

Should be 30K I think... Will be VERY interesting having a camera of this caliber at that very low price range and one that is operated by a single person easily. This should really raise the game on "mid-range" productions, which have been suffering from being shot on the C300/F3/Epic and have long had a "cheap" look.

Maybe this will provide the differentiation between high and low end that's now evaporating? Probably not, as most clients seem content with dSLR footage, but one can hope!
 
I'm not sure I understand... the Alexa applies LUTs (or rec709) to the viewfinder and monitor unless adjusted, otherwise; this is simply for "fast turn around" type stuff. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. The Alexa has always been built for speed in post.

Should be 30K I think... Will be VERY interesting having a camera of this caliber at that very low price range and one that is operated by a single person easily. This should really raise the game on "mid-range" productions, which have been suffering from being shot on the C300/F3/Epic and have long had a "cheap" look.

Maybe this will provide the differentiation between high and low end that's now evaporating? Probably not, as most clients seem content with dSLR footage, but one can hope!

What?

I have shot on all 3 of those cameras and nothing about them has "suffered" from shooting on them or had a "cheap look".

Am I missing something?
 
With a S35 size sensor and 14 stops of DR, why wouldn't they also promote this cam for cinema. Sorry, I'm probably missing something obvious.
 
What?

I have shot on all 3 of those cameras and nothing about them has "suffered" from shooting on them or had a "cheap look".

Am I missing something?

I like those three cameras just fine, but the Alexa handles highlight rendering, mixed lighting, etc. much better and the highlight rolloff and color accuracy are unmatched. Maybe the Epic just produces a cheap feel to me because so much low-end content is shot on it, but I feel like its tonality is poor, it handles greens and skin tones weird, and colors clip horribly. The F3 is technically fine, but flat. The C300 has punchy, pleasing, and over-saturated colors and a nice sharp image, but it clips fast and ugly and is not in the same league as the Alexa at all for texture, tonality, and how it handles mixed light; technically it is worse than the F3. The Alexa also has much better motion rendering, less skew, etc. and Log C is easier to work with in post than anything the competition offers.

They're all great cameras and obviously a good DP is much more important than a good camera, but nothing has come close to the Alexa since its release. Fwiw I've shot with them, too, and the Alexa footage I've shot is some of the weaker content I've shot, but technically and aesthetically the Alexa is in another league. But it's built out like a cinema camera (so too is the F3 properly built) and not great for an owner/op or run-and-gun. It looks like this, however, is.
 
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