ARRI presents the Alexa 35, a 4K Super 35 camera with an unprecedented sensor

The Alexa family grows with the launch of the Alexa 35, a 4K Super 35 camera that uses the first new sensor of ARRI in 12 years.

The new Alexa 35 has 17 stops of dynamic range (exposure latitude), ahead of other digital cinema camera models. Having an additional point and a half in the lights and one more point in the shadows compared to previous Alexa will allow you to make the most of all the contrast range of each objective, as ARRI points out. In this way, it will be possible to increase the flexibility in post-production and provide a better source of origin for projects HDR.

With a low noise and sensitivity settings that go from 160 a 6400, the Alexa 35 is defined as a “high ISO” camera. Beyond the basic configuration, the new camera has a optional enhanced sensitivity mode which can be applied to adjustments between 2560 y 6400, producing an “even cleaner image in low light.”

At the same time, the Alexa 35 stands out for having the technology Reveal Color Science, a set of new image processing steps used by the ARRI solution internally and also available through major third-party post-production tools available for ARRIRAW processing. Among other features, it includes a Improved layer removal algorithm for cleaner compositing, and new color engine For more accurate color reproduction, a new wide gamut color space For faster gradation, new LogC4 encoding to contain the increased dynamic range and new LUTs (lookup tables) LogC4 for higher color fidelity.

The new Reveal Color Science technology is now compatible with other ARRI cameras such as the Alexa LF o Mini LF, which implies that the new Alexa 35 can be combined with other models in the same set and share LogC4 LUTs in post.

Texture simulation

Featuring a native 4K Super 35 4:3 sensor, the Alexa 35 can be used with a vast global inventory of existing targets (modern and old, anamorphic and spherical, Super 35 and large format). In this way, as ARRI highlights, filmmakers who want to shoot with the Alexa 35 and who have to comply with 4K mandates can aspire to a range of lenses “immeasurably broader.”

To delve deeper into this image personalization, ARRI has promoted Textures, a new feature that allows cinematographers to fundamentally alter the way the camera records images, if they wish. Until now, Alexa cameras have been pre-programmed with a default texture that determines the amount and character of grain in the image, and the amount of contrast at different levels of detail, perceived by the viewer as sharpness. The ALEXA 35 offers the option of choose from a menu of ARRI textures, similar to selecting a movie.

Versatility and accessories

The Alexa 35 packs the features and processing power of a “larger” Alexa into a mini-sized body. Similarly, the ARRI camera has been designed so that teams can “intuitively” become familiar with the camera's simple menu structure; he support for 1TB and 2TB Codex compact drives; and the viewer MVF-2, now with HDR.

Continuing along this line of accessibility, the Alexa 35 It has a new screen on its left side that gives access to the function Advanced Color Match, pre-recording capability, and a host of usability improvements such as additional user buttons. At the same time, a total of 19 recording formats, which incorporate efficient in-camera down-sampling and anamorphic de-squeezing, allow productions to optimize data rate, resolution and other parameters, based on their individual needs. The productions of mixed reality and virtual They will also benefit from the camera's ability to record lens metadata in all common standards and stream real-time metadata to the camera. Live Link Metadata Plug-in de ARRI para Unreal Engine.

How could it be otherwise, ARRI has created a wide range of accessories tailored for the Alexa 35, which expand the capabilities of the camera and ensure maximum speed and versatility on set. Electronic accessories offer additional power outputs or expanded audio functions, while a complete new set of mechanical support elements offers flexible options for “any shooting situation,” scaling quickly and easily from a small, lightweight setup to a full production setup.

Temperature resistant, splash- and dust-proof, and designed with future hardware and software upgrades in mind, the Alexa 35 seeks “robust and reliable on-set service, a long product cycle, and a secure return on investment,” as ARRI emphasizes.