F35 vs D-21, anyone do it?

JMtheDP

JMtheDP

Veteran
Hi all

Did anyone ever try the F35 vs the D-21 back in the day?

I am considering adding a D-21 to my ARRI "fleet"

James
 
I've been mulling over one of those beasts.

'The Bank Job' (2008) and 'Downton Abbey' (ITV/first series) were both shot on a D-21.

Some claim it's poor in low light (native ISO 200 ?) however the DoP of Downton stated ..
"We knew the downstairs scenes would have less light, so we did tests to see how much exposure we would actually get if a character was walking down a corridor with just a candle or a little oil lamp. I really liked the results that we got .. I just loved the feel that came from the D-21"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Cnw2zKZoE
 
The mirror shutter, optical viewfinder and 4:3 sensor on the D-21 (for anamorphic) are all pretty damn sweet.

I had no idea The Bank Job was shot digitally! First season of Downton looked gorgeous too (in my opinion better than later seasons) - so I don't think you can go too far wrong with it. It's a heavy beast though!
 
The Bank Job was D-20.

Go watch The Bank Job again - it has massive noise issues. I can not recall if Downton was D-20 or D-21 but I did speak to the DoP of it and he said that even ISO 400 was definitely "pushing it"
 
I find the D21, although big, to be the perfect handheld camera without the bulky recorder. It has that nice magazine shape to the back which rests nice on the shoulder, and a rosette which is great for adding handles without rods. Killer eye piece. Too bad we can't stick a F35 CCD in that case.

I'm assuming the 7Q can record the 2.5k arriraw? I know the D21 is a CMOS but does it have some of the magic of the Alexa?

Out of curiosity, are you finding a lot of D21's reasonably priced? I looked around a little after I got my F35, but I got the impression that they were not as out of vogue as the F35 and therefore still valued over 10k.
 
yachacha said:
I find the D21, although big, to be the perfect handheld camera without the bulky recorder. It has that nice magazine shape to the back which rests nice on the shoulder, and a rosette which is great for adding handles without rods. Killer eye piece. Too bad we can't stick a F35 CCD in that case.

I'm assuming the 7Q can record the 2.5k arriraw? I know the D21 is a CMOS but does it have some of the magic of the Alexa?

Out of curiosity, are you finding a lot of D21's reasonably priced? I looked around a little after I got my F35, but I got the impression that they were not as out of vogue as the F35 and therefore still valued over 10k.
Click to expand...

I was recently quoted half that price for a D21.
 
Oh really? That's something to think about then. I also think the "3k Raw" file of the D21 will be easier to persuade a "4k needy" Producer that it holds up. Not to mention just how sexy Arri gear is in general. Crazy that you can buy the whole camera for the same price as a viewfinder for an Alexa.
 
Yes, it is an interesting camera. I wonder if low-budget producers would know the difference between one and an ALEXA.

Technically, the D-21 was only replaced once the ALEXA studio came out.
 
Most intriguing to me is the optical viewfinder and the option to properly use anamorphic lenses. Those are elements the F35 can't compete with.

I don't have $5k right now, but that price is insane.
 
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