Just got a new camera - Sony F35

You do realize that you're looking a a body-only Alexa? To get a viewfinder, bridge plate, cables and other basic bits to make the thing work you'll likely spend another $10K. Just sayin'.
 
Mitch Gross said:
You do realize that you're looking a a body-only Alexa? To get a viewfinder, bridge plate, cables and other basic bits to make the thing work you'll likely spend another $10K. Just sayin'.
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Yep, but you don't have to use the Arri viewfinder these days, and the other basics aren't an issue.

Actually, Mitch, you're generally on top of these things - do you know if the new MVF-1 (the viewfinder/monitor from the Amira/Mini) is compatible with the standard Alexa? Also does the Aleva A-EV spit out a raw signal that you can capture on the O7Q?
 
I do know people that have picked up fully kitted ALEXA kits for around the 10,000-12,000 euro mark. A basic Alexa EV has been trading for very low teens amongst dealers for a while now.
 
Grug said:
Yep, but you don't have to use the Arri viewfinder these days, and the other basics aren't an issue.

Actually, Mitch, you're generally on top of these things - do you know if the new MVF-1 (the viewfinder/monitor from the Amira/Mini) is compatible with the standard Alexa? Also does the Aleva A-EV spit out a raw signal that you can capture on the O7Q?
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I would not want to use an Alexa without an Alexa EVF attached. They are designed as an integrated system with menu controls for the camera available directly on the EVF and vice versa.

The Alura viewfinder is not compatible with the standard Alexa.

Yes, the standard Alexa classic does indeed output a RAW data signal that the Odyssey7Q+ can record. The Odyssey RAW Bundle is required.
 
Thanks Mitch. Good to know (I think I must have been confusing the Alexa "A-EV" with the "HD").

I'd actually be quite interested to see how something like the Zacuto EVF compares to the Arri. I've always found the quick-buttons on the Arri EVF a bit cumbersome for accessing the monitoring features I use them for (i.e. having to switch from Rec709 gamma to LogC gamma before I can use the false colour tool accurately, and then back again to get Rec709 for monitoring). Something like the Zacuto, which would be applying everything to a continuous LogC feed would allow me to skip that added step which would certainly speed things up a little on set.
 
Guys, when James says dealers are trading Alexas in the low teens, that doesn't mean that a significant number of end users are being offered Alexas for end purchase at the same price range. Dealers turn around and mark those prices up significantly. To get a price like that for yourself today, you'd have to make a connection directly with someone willing to sell at a liquidation price and cut out the broker in the middle.

Also, the "Alexa Classic" is version of the camera locked purely to 1080p output - no Arri Raw. So it's value has always been lower, and it's no surprise in a market moving to 4k that it's the first Alexa to drop below 10k, even if that's for body only.
 
Did the Alexa EV not get 2K too? I know it certainly doesn't have any of the 4x3 modes, and RAW required either the XR module or a Codex...
 
I finally managed to figure this out after trawling through the deepest depths of Arri's website - Alexa "Classic"/"A-EV" does only have the 16:9 sensor, but it's not the "Alexa HD" (which is limited to HD and doesn't offer raw recording).

You can add the XR module to the "A-EV" and get internal arriraw recording and the 3.2k upscaled ProRes recording mode too.
 
My apologies. To clarify, "Alexa Classic" can refer to either of two models, one of which was "Alexa HD" and did not offer 2k or Arri Raw. If you're seeing an "Alexa Classic" for super cheap, it very likely is the "HD" version if not clearly specified otherwise.
 
There were very few Alexa HDs made and they came somewhat late in the product life. If you look back far enough, you'll find the video where I'm the guy introducing them to the world.

The Alexa Classic is, well the original Alexa. SxS card internal recording for ProRes (or DNxHD if you were one of the few to get that add-on), 16x9 only, HD & 2K, RAW output. The Odyssey7Q+ can attach to this camera and record the RAW output if you have the Odyssey RAW Bundle.

The Alexa A-EV (Alexa-Electronic Viewfinder) was the original designation. It changed names to the Alexa Classic when Arri introduced the internal RAW recording XT models, essentially revamping the entire product line. The Alexa Classic was the sole model that did not include internal RAW as it was meant for clients who were satisfied with what the current Alexa did and did not wish to pay for a more advanced model if they needed an additional camera. There were thousands and thousands of Alexa A-EV aka Alexa Classics sold, making them by far the most popular version of the camera line. So I would not assume an Alexa Classic to be an Alexa HD, as I would think it far more likely to be an original A-EV or an actual Alexa Classic. I bet that combination outsold Alexa HD by at least 50:1, if not 100:1.
 
Viddovation said:
Mitch,

You know far more than I do. The chart here from ARRI seems to all both the Alexa EV and Alexa HD "Alexa Classic"
https://www.arri.com/camera/alexa/cameras/alexa_cameras_overview/

We may complain about Sony's incredibly funky camera names, but at least they do keep the designations separate. It's hard to keep track of all these Alexa variations, particularly when you don't work with the daily and the manufacturer renames them retroactively.
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Here's the salient quote from that link:

"ALEXA Classic camera models are the ALEXA, ALEXA Plus, ALEXA Plus 4:3, ALEXA M, ALEXA Studio, ALEXA HD and ALEXA HD Plus."

Ari calls ALL of the old cameras Alexa Classic. It is how they designate any camera that is not XR, meaning a camera without internal RAW recording. The first model listed in the quote is the Alexa, meaning the Alexa A-EV. For most people, and I'm talking like 99% here, this individual model constitutes what is commonly referred to as the "Alexa Classic".

Like I said, there were really very few Alexa HD models made.
 
Viddovation said:
If you're seeing an "Alexa Classic" for super cheap, it very likely is the "HD" version if not clearly specified otherwise.
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Mitch - my point wasn't that an "Alexa Classic" is more likely to be an "HD" - but rather, that if you see a bottom dollar offer on an "Alexa Classic" that it might be an HD. I saw that to be the case on some eBay sales earlier this year. I'm perhaps on the wrong foot entirely, but I was thinking that the HD models - few as there may be - are worth less on the open market.
 
I wonder if the Alexa will end up being like the Arri Iic. A camera that just kept on going and going and going long after they stopped making it...
 
Well the ARRI 2C was basically a sewing machine with a lens on the front. It was built like a Panzer and super simple. Stick new film stock in it and you had a usable machine. I have to believe that the 60+ year lifespan of the ARRI 2C will not be matched by Alexa, probably not even by half. Come 2050 something tells me we won't be shooting 1080p, 2.8K or even something you measure by resolution numbers anymore. I think we'll have rasterizing by then, which will mean infinite resolution. I'm planning to still be around to see it in my 80s.
 
Harry Lime said:
I wonder if the Alexa will end up being like the Arri Iic. A camera that just kept on going and going and going long after they stopped making it...
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I tend to be of the mind that any camera good enough for films the scale of Skyfall, Life of Pi, Marvel Blockbusters et al. (all of which looked plenty good to my eyes on the big screen) are going to continue to look just as good until the viewing mediums on which we watch them change significantly.

So as soon as one pops up in my price-range, I'll take it.

Oddly, for me, the thought of moving back to 2k ProRes from the 4k raw I've increasingly been shooting with, doesn't really bother me. Because the operational headaches you face with other cameras are so thoroughly reduced shooting Alexa, and the visual results speak for themselves.
 
Grug said:
I tend to be of the mind that any camera good enough for films the scale of Skyfall, Life of Pi, Marvel Blockbusters et al. (all of which looked plenty good to my eyes on the big screen) are going to continue to look just as good until the viewing mediums on which we watch them change significantly.

So as soon as one pops up in my price-range, I'll take it.
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You dont need cheap alexa for this. You have this now with F35. Tron, transformers, real steel, journey 2 and many other are big scale effects blockbusters. Many genesis movies too.They look plenty good and will continue to look just as good until the viewing mediums on which we watch them change significantly. Nobody need to wait for cheap alexa. F35 is here now. If you want to wait you dont want quality you want only the arri name. :laugh:
 
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