ARRI announces its all-new Super 35 camera

ARRI, the leading cinema camera manufacturer, recently released its latest camera, announcing the ARRI ALEXA Super 35mm camera, which is considered a very special camera for ARRI, as it is the first camera to contain a completely new ALEV 4 sensor with an imaging resolution of 4.6K. What is special about the ARRI ALEXA Super 35 camera? Since 2009, the company has released the Arri 65 camera, which contains a 9 x 12 cm Large Format sensor. The release of that camera was a big step in the world of cinematography, as the company presented a camera with amazing features and a large sensor size. Later, with the success of that camera, the company released the ARRI ALEXA LF camera and the ARRI MINI LF camera, but it seems that the company does not want to abandon its production line of cameras with Super 35 sensors. An overview during the conference Which ARRI established through its social media platforms, announced the new generation of its cameras, which contain a Super 35mm sensor, with 4.6K imaging quality, and a 17-stop dynamic range. This is considered the first camera to contain this amount of stops in the dynamic range.

The design of the camera differs slightly from its predecessors, the Mini and Mini LF, as the camera is considered the smallest of Arri's cameras. The camera contains a small screen on the left through which the camera settings can be adjusted, in addition to a set of adjustable and customizable buttons as needed. The ALEXA S35 camera features a new sensor (ALEV 4), which allows the camera to shoot at a resolution of 4608 x 3164 pixels Open Gate 3:2. The type of interchangeable Lens Mount can be chosen from five options: LPL (LBUS), which is the latest lens system available at ARRI. PL lens system adapter for LPL lenses.

ARRI EF Mount (LBUS). PL Mount (LBUS). PL Mount (Hirose).

The camera contains two internal microphones (scratch recorder), in addition to four audio channel inputs, in addition to four internal ND filters (non, 1.2, 0.6, and 1.8), in addition to two separate SDI inputs, with a 12 volt power outlet, TC connectors, and a set of additional boards sold separately that contain a variety of inputs and outputs. One of the big changes that Arri has made is the adoption of a new battery connection system called B-Mount. The simplest and most obvious difference is that the batteries are now installed by pulling them horizontally. B-Mount system batteries provide 24/12 volt power at the same time, with better performance and faster charging speed. This new battery system will be adopted for new Arri lighting devices and cameras. Adapters are sold between B-mount batteries, for use with different connection systems such as V-Mount and Gold-Mount.

Returning to our ARRI ALEXA Super 35mm camera, the camera provides photography and video recording with anamorphic and spherical recording systems. As for file formats during shooting, you can choose between MXF/ARRIRAW or MXF/Apple ProRes. The sensor supports all S35 and LF system lenses. It is also possible to shoot with the Open Gate system at a resolution of 3.8K 6:5 with 4K resolution if shooting with anamorphic lenses at 2X pressure. What does the term Open Gate mean? Dynamic Range in the ARRI ALEXA S35 camera The company stated that the new sensor in the ARRI ALEXA S35 camera is capable of shooting at a Dynamic Range rate of 17 stops of light, that is, two and a half stops more than previous cameras from Arri, and more than any camera currently on the market.

According to what the company stated, the amount of increase in the dynamic range in the camera allowed it to obtain 1.5 stops of exposure in bright areas, and an exposure stop in dark areas in shadows. Regarding the camera’s ISO settings, the camera has a noise-free ISO rate ranging from 160 to 6400. It is possible to shoot with the Enhanced Sensitivity Mode feature, to reach numbers ranging from 2560 to 6400. But the most important point is that the camera has a single Native ISO value at 800 ASA, and then we have one exposure stop in favor of the highlight areas, which means a total of 9 exposure stops. On medium gray, 8 stops below medium gray.

To learn more about dynamic range and the meaning of medium gray, see our previous articles: What are the terms Dual ISO and Native ISO in cinematography? The term dynamic range - what does it mean? REVEAL Color Science In order to make the most of what the new camera sensor can capture, ARRI engineers developed an all-new color processing system known as REVEAL Color Science, which does the following: ADA-7 (ARRI Debayer algorithm): This is a new algorithm that takes RAW data and files from the sensor and converts them to data as an RGB image, which will produce clearer images. ACE4 (ARRI Color Engine): RGB image data is converted to an all-new Arri color space (AWG4). This process results in more accurate colors than ever before, and high accuracy in displaying skin tones. This system also allows for maintaining highly saturated colors within the limits of the colors captured in the scene.

AWG4 (ARRI Wide Gamut): ARRI has developed a new color space for the camera that is compatible with the ACES space, which is larger than the Rec.2020 color space, providing more accurate colors than before. LogC 4: With the amount of stops that the camera can capture, Arri engineers resorted to forming a new color space and color curve that matches the quality the camera provides in its raw materials.

LUT

: The final step is to apply the conversion from the LogC 4/AWG 4 color space to the most common display gamut and systems. These new image processing tools are used in-camera to process RAW data into ProRes files or to send and display video into viewfinder and SDI outputs. For more information about accessories and additional accessories and their characteristics, you can learn more by visiting the company’s official website: Arri.com. What is the price of the ARRI ALEXA Super 35mm camera?

Of course, as with all Arri products, the prices of the camera and accessories will be expensive. This is because these kits are intended for production companies, not individuals, but in general, the price of just the ARRI ALEXA Super 35mm camera body is approximately 65,000 US dollars, i.e. the same cost as its predecessor, the Mini LF. The question here..

Will you buy one of them?

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