ALEXA Brochure - SIM Digital

Shoot > Edit

WELCOME TOA new star is born: a glittering headlinerset to dazzle the world of film andtelevision production. ALEXA is aversatile performer and a true crowdpleaser:multi-talented, adaptable andat home in any shooting environment,ALEXA pushes the boundaries and blazesnew trails. Nothing has ever looked sogood behind a movie lens.2

The New Experience3

QUITE SIMPLYUNRIVALLEDFlexibility, power and economy. ALEXA is acompact, lightweight and affordable digitalcamera that will redefine the limits of digitalmotion picture capture with ultra-fastworkflows and image quality akin to 35 mmfilm. From major motion pictures and highend dramas to commercials, music promosand mainstream television, ALEXA suits awide variety of applications and budgets.4

Direct to EditMore than just a camera, ALEXA representsan entire image pipeline. By combining proprietaryARRI technology with ubiquitous,best-of-class tools from industry-leadingpartners, ALEXA stands alone as the mostcomplete and powerful digital productionsystem ever built.ALEXA takes the revolutionary step of recording Apple QuickTimefiles containing Apple ProRes 4444 or Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) encodedimages onto on-board SxS memory cards. These files can thenbe edited immediately, greatly speeding up the production process.> Page 165

THE AFFORDABLE ROUTE TOTRULY CINEMATICAND EMOTIVE IMAGESBoth images captured with ALEXA at 800 EI | T2.0 | ARRI/ZEISS Master Macro 1006

ALEXA produces images that have the organiclook and feel of film, delivering incredibleproduction value at an affordable cost.The use of 35 mm PL mount lenses allowscinematographers to manipulate focus anddepth of field to create the kind of rich andspellbinding pictures that audiencesassociate with cinematic storytelling.> An unmistakable look7

EXCEPTIONALIMAGE PERFORMANCEIn order to elevate ALEXA to new heights of digital image capture, ARRI hasdeveloped a unique CMOS sensor. This sensor, which is the same size as a35 mm film frame, has been carefully designed to achieve a perfect balancebetween the many different elements of overall picture quality.Both images captured with ALEXA at 800 EI | T2.6 | ARRI/ZEISS Lightweight Zoom LWZ-1New horizons: on its first professional production, the ALEXA sensor was already pushing theboundaries of digital acquisition: dawn and dusk shots of the sun bursting through clouds ontoSt. Peter’s Basilica in Rome contained a wide exposure latitude, which ALEXA recorded with ease.On the camera was an ARRI/ZEISS Lightweight Zoom LWZ-1,which combines a wide aperture of T2.6 with razor sharp optics.8

Unsurpassed sensitivity and dynamic range> 800 EI base sensitivity for beautifulimages on night shoots and in low-lightconditions> 13.5 stops of latitude to capture everydetail, from the brightest highlights tothe darkest shadows> Natural color rendition gives you rich,vibrant pictures and pleasing skin tones> Excellent color separation makescompositing effortless> Very low noise guarantees flawless results,even on the big screenThe same production shot inside St. Peter’s Basilica, where extremes of light and shadow were successfullycaptured thanks to ALEXA’s remarkable dynamic range and base sensitivity of 800 EI.9

10FreedomTo Move

FAMILIARMEANS FASTWith features and accessories inspired by generations of ARRI film camerasthat have set industry standards the world over, ALEXA will be instantlyfamiliar to professional crews. Setting up the camera is incredibly straightforwardand can be achieved without any delay, through simple, intuitivebuttons and controls.12

ALEXA is portable and well balanced, so it can be comfortably operated handheldor on a Steadicam rig for extended periods, even when mounted with additionalaccessories such as monitors or lights. Dedicated hardware buttons, flexible softbuttons and a user-friendly jog wheel make setting parameters such as framerate, shutter angle and white balance easy enough to learn in minutes.Advanced color management options allow you to apply unique looks to imagesas they are recorded, or to record ‘clean’ masters at the same time as secondaryimages that have a look applied. This leaves options open in post and also givesyou instant on-set rushes to preview the final image characteristics envisionedby the cinematographer – the best of both worlds and a major saving.13

RUGGED andRELIABLEYou needn’t worry about treating ALEXA gently. ARRI has almost a centuryof experience manufacturing professional equipment that is robust enoughto be used in the most demanding environments; day after day; shot aftershot. With the same build quality that took ARRI film cameras to thesummit of Everest and even on board the Space Shuttle, ALEXA will neverstop shooting before you do.14

Easyand WIDELYWORKFLOWSACCESSIBLETapeless, effortless and efficientNo other broadcast or motion picturecamera bridges the gap between productionand postproduction as simplyand elegantly as ALEXA. By utilizingthe Apple ProRes codecs, whichare the same high quality codecsused natively by Apple’s Final Cut Proediting software, ALEXA offers themost streamlined and cost effectiveworkflow possible.16

Sophisticated high speed electronicsallow ALEXA to record 15 minutesof Apple ProRes 4444 or 20 minutesof Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) as AppleQuickTime files onto a 32 GB card thatslots directly into both the camera andcomputers such as Apple’s MacBook Pro.Shoot > Edit > SimpleRecording HD images in such aninternationally widespread format isat the core of the Direct to Edit (DTE)concept and allows footage fromALEXA to be transferred directly intothe editing software in full resolution,faster than real time. To begin editing,the memory card simply needs to beremoved from the camera and pluggedinto a laptop. It couldn’t be easier.17

CLEARALEXA OFFERS APATH THROUGH POSTDirect to Edit: straight on-line workflowThe high performance of the Apple ProRes 4444 and Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) codecs givesproductions utilizing an HD workflow the freedom to transfer final quality images fromthe camera into post without even leaving the set. Recording in the exact format usedby Apple Final Cut Pro removes the hassle of transcoding and takes full advantage ofthe speed and power of the editing software; there is no waiting for ingestion; no fileconversion; no rendering and no confusion. This is the fastest and simplest method ofincreasing production efficiency through tapeless, file-based recording.FormatFormatHDFormatHDFormat18

Direct to Edit: off-line/on-line workflowProductions that choose the highest possible image quality by recording uncompressed HDor ARRIRAW for an off-line/on-line workflow still benefit from the efficiencies of DTE. TheApple QuickTime off-line editing files, which carry the same images, audio and timecode asthe on-line HD or ARRIRAW material, are created directly in the camera. This makes theminstantly available and removes the time-consuming extra steps of generating and ingestingan off-line copy, while ensuring complete congruency between off-line and on-line material.SxS cardsDirect to Edit workflowTapeTape-based workflowOn-board recorderFile-based workflowOn-board recorderARRIRAW workflow19

Cost efficienton set and in postThe ergonomic and crew-friendly design of ALEXA will save time on set, andthe way it records images will save time in post. Both of these features willfree up money for your production to spend on other things.A historic collaboration between ARRI and Fujinon has resulted in a pair ofoptically advanced, yet affordable PL mount cine zoom lenses. The T2.6 AluraZooms cover focal ranges of 18-80 mm and 45-250 mm, together forming acomplete, compact lens system that perfectly complements ALEXA bydelivering high quality images at a low cost.20

22FUTURE-PROOFPRODUCT DESIGN

Safe investmentOpen ArchitectureThe ALEXA system is based on an openarchitecture with many industry-standardinterfaces and compatibility with third partyproducts. This provides more choice tothe filmmaker and, in combination with anumber of components on the camerathat can be upgraded, makes the systemfuture-proof.To protect customers’ investment in ALEXA,three major components are specificallydesigned to allow an easy upgrade path.First, the ALEXA Storage Interface Module isremovable, in anticipation of different cardstandards becoming available in the future.Second, the ALEXA Electronics InterfaceModule can also be removed and replacedwith an upgraded module. Finally theExchangeable Lens Mount (ELM) systemallows the use of PL as well as Panavisionor stills camera lenses, expanding creativeoptions still further.23

24GLOBALTECHNOLOGY FOR ANINTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY

While making a dramatic leap forward in digital image quality and workflowspeed, ALEXA is compatible with lenses, accessories and postproduction toolsthat are already well established all over the world. This means that, even fromthe day of its launch, ALEXA can be defined as a truly international camera.You won’t be waiting for post houses to catch up with the technology, or rentalhouses to buy in the accessories, because everything is already in place.25

Simplicity and Choice WorldwideTake ALEXA wherever you like, from London to Beijing or New York toMoscow; your production will meld seamlessly with the services andsupport offered by local facilities.26

GreatON THE BIG AND THE SMALL SCREENALEXA has been designed to function asboth a motion picture camera and a broadcastcamera. For television productions,the time and cost savings as well as theextraordinary simplicity of ALEXA workflowswill transform budgets and schedules, whilethe cinematic image quality will staggerviewers. For feature films, the sheer varietyof outputs, functions, lenses and accessorieswill enable cinematographers to realizetheir visions without ever feeling restrictedby technology.28

Whether your production is destined forthe silver screen or the television screen,ALEXA will empower you to tell yourstory in exactly the way you think it shouldbe told, with pictures of breathtaking richnessand detail. There are no compromises;there is only choice.Flexibility is freedom and this, ultimately,is our message with ALEXA: the groundbreakingtechnology embodied in thiscamera represents your creative freedom.29

TECHNICAL DATAProductCamera TypeSensor TypeALEXA35 format film-style digital camera35 format ALEV III CMOSAperture Mode Aspect Ratio PixelsLens MountFrame RateHD and ARRIRAW outputs 16:9 2880 x 1620Monitoring with surround area 16:9 3168 x 178254 mm PL mount0.75 – 60 fpsShutter Electronic shutter, 5.0° to 359.0°Exposure IndexExposure LatitudeSound LevelPower800 EI base sensitivity> 13 stops< 20 dB(A)12 or 24 V DCWeight 6.2 kg/13.7 lbs body onlyViewfinderIn-camera RecordingRecording Outputs6.9 kg/15.2 lbs body, viewfinder, mounting bracket and cableARRI Electronic Viewfinder EVF-1Apple QuickTime/ProRes 4:2:2 (HQ) or QuickTime/ProRes 4444 HD files with embedded audio and metadata,recording to 2x SxS memory cardsUncompressed HD video or uncompressed ARRIRAW with embedded audio and metadataThis ALEXA brochure (K5.40904.0) is published by Arnold & Richter Cine Technik, April 01, 2010 © ARRI/2010Technical data and offerings are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. Without any warranty. Not binding 4/2010. ARRI is a registered trademark of Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG.

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