the Amira is a smaller sensor than f55?
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F55: Buy decision : AMIRA vs F55
- Thread starter Cristian Mihai
- Start date
the Amira is a smaller sensor than f55?
Cristian Mihai
Well-known member
@yoclay
I am into advertising and music clips as main target. Also i plan a lot of table shoots ( beverag, food, high end products etc ).
Lenses i own :
Zeiss ZF.2 cine mode : 15/2.8, 21/2.8, 28/2.0, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 85/1.4, 100/2.0
Contax Zeiss cine mode : 18/4, 28/2.0, 28/2.8, 35/1.4, 35/2.8, 50/1.4, 50/1.7, 85/1.4, 135/2.8, 180/2.8
Zeiss Jena cine mode : 20/2.8, 35/2.4, 50/1.8, 85/1.8
ARRI Zeiss Super16 Zoom : 11-110/T2.2
Zeiss Super16 Zoom Abakus modified : 12-120/T2.4
Arriflex 8mm Distagon T2 ( works great on the BMPCC with very very small vignette )
I plan for some Zeiss Cinema zooms next year....and Amira was replaced as an option by ALEXA MINI.
I am into advertising and music clips as main target. Also i plan a lot of table shoots ( beverag, food, high end products etc ).
Lenses i own :
Zeiss ZF.2 cine mode : 15/2.8, 21/2.8, 28/2.0, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 85/1.4, 100/2.0
Contax Zeiss cine mode : 18/4, 28/2.0, 28/2.8, 35/1.4, 35/2.8, 50/1.4, 50/1.7, 85/1.4, 135/2.8, 180/2.8
Zeiss Jena cine mode : 20/2.8, 35/2.4, 50/1.8, 85/1.8
ARRI Zeiss Super16 Zoom : 11-110/T2.2
Zeiss Super16 Zoom Abakus modified : 12-120/T2.4
Arriflex 8mm Distagon T2 ( works great on the BMPCC with very very small vignette )
I plan for some Zeiss Cinema zooms next year....and Amira was replaced as an option by ALEXA MINI.
The Amira has the same sensor as the Alexa, super 35. Same size as the f55. The Amira is designed ergonomically for solo documentary shooters to use it as a traditional ENG camera but that doesn't mean it is not capable of high end work. If I were choosing between the two it would be an Amira. I own an FS7 so I have nothing against Sony either.
allenfacemire
Well-known member
ImHO, Red should never be in the running. Too many trade offs and too many to list.
The Alexa is the camera of choice for the majority of feature and TV episodics that aren't using film. The Amira hasn't caught on in feature production as of yet and the only time you will see Sony present on a set is if the show is produced by Sony Pictures.
The Amira would be my choice. About the same price point as the 55 but a bit more friendly, ergonomically. Arri has kicked up their game and I expect some more announcements at either NAB or this fall at IBC.
And as a poster mentioned, the Varicam is a comer, albeit a late comer. Had the chance to be around for some side by side tests between Alexa and Varicam and while it may be hard to believe, the Varicam kind of blew the Alexa away. Native ISO of 800 or 5000 for the Panny. Real clean pictures.
Personally, I'd have a hard time between these two, though the Amira would still be my top choice.
That said, I'm happy enough with my FS7. Not shooting any movies or episodics but for my purpose which is doco and EPK, perfect tool for the job.
allenfacemire
Well-known member
No. Super 35 for all the cameras mention except the Red which has a full size sensor.
Nate Weaver
Veteran
Sorry Yo,
You've been looking at the marketing images for the Amira a bit too much. It can build, and I do so with my own, just like an Alexa. They make a LW15 baseplate that mates to an Arri BP8 or 9 studio baseplate, which then goes to dovetail. They also make another top handle assembly that incorporates a cheese plate, so you mount more things on top. The sensor is the Alexa's, which is to say, it's actually a tiny bit bigger than the F55s.
As of right now, the only thing the Amira can't do that the Alexa can is raw recording. Which is hardly needed, because unlike the F55, the ProRes output contains all the same image info as the raw. Arriraw is not for faint of heart anyway, as it's uncompressed. Just not needed unless you're doing features or literally $1M spots with lots of beauty or FX work and need the absolute best it can do.
nyvz
Veteran
What's a " full size" sensor? You mean full frame 35mm? Red dragon is not full frame and it's not much larger than S35 for 16:9, and MX is even smaller.
ReelWorksMedia
Well-known member
This is correct. There are currently no RED cams that have FF. Man, a lot of mis-info floating around. Know your specs. That said...who cares. S35 and up look great.
Paul schefz
Well-known member
Both dragon and my are not "FF" which is a 35mm (still) film size....but since they are wider and not as tall dragon comes pretty close in diagonal.....focal length multiplier for dragon is only 1.1, mx a little more (1.3?) Both at highest resolution....5k on dragon is actually slightly smaller then 5k on mx....
nyvz
Veteran
There is no situation in which 1.1x multiplier/crop factor is correct for red vs ff35. It is 1.2x at best if you compare ff35 cropped to the 2:1 aspect, and red dragon 33mm diagonal isn't that close to ff35's 43mm diagonal.
Hugo was also shot in 1080p with the Alexa. Good 1080p beats bad 4K any day. I think F3 444 looks better than compressed GH4 4K. But you know 4K gives you bragging rights.
Nate Weaver
Veteran
Now that I have a 55" 4K set at home connected to the computer, I have learned this as well.
1080p can hold up extremely well against Netflix 4K.
I think the arguments about "real 4K" vs upscaled or somehow perceived lesser 4K formats is going to disappear once people really start watching a lot of 4K material. Good, over sampled 1080p delivered with small amounts of compression is very very close to 4K delivered with "common delivery" compression. That is what I've learned.
This. This is my lesson after buying the Amira and a 4K set for the living room at about the same time. I now realize Arri has made the right choice, if they are telling the truth that they simply don't have a higher res sensor at the moment that can still do the look the current ALEV III sensor can do. Resolution is far from everything. More and more, it's becoming one of the last things on my mind. The whole of the look is more important.
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