ARRI has introduced an upgraded model of its ARRI Alexa 35 cinema digicam. The brand new ARRI Alexa 35 Xtreme presents body charges as much as 660 frames per second (fps) for tremendous gradual movement. It additionally introduces a brand new recording codec referred to as ARRICORE.
Alexa 35 Xtreme
You should purchase ARRI’s new Alexa 35 Xtreme as a standalone digicam. Nevertheless, you can too get your present Alexa 35 upgraded to turn into the Xtreme mannequin. To do that, you have to to ship your digicam to an ARRI service middle.
The Alexa 35 Xtreme is powered by a brand new major processor to deal with the brand new body charges. This processor can be supported by extra, quicker on-board reminiscence.
Excessive-speed body charges
The Alexa 35 Xtreme can movie at 120 fps in 4.6K Open Gate, up from 75 fps with the common mannequin. It additionally presents 150 fps in 3.6K 16:9, 240 fps in 3.8K 2.39:1 and 330 fps in 2K 16:9 Tremendous 16 mode. Even higher, all of those body charges ship video with the identical 17 steps of dynamic vary you get at common capturing speeds. Additionally, the Alexa 35 Xtreme incorporates a Sensor Overdrive mode. This limits the dynamic vary to 11 stops however boosts the utmost body charges to 165 fps for 4.6K Open gate and an unimaginable 660 fps for 2K 16:9 Tremendous 16.
Picture courtesy: ARRI
ARRICORE
Alongside the Alexa 35 Xtreme, ARRI has additionally revealed ARRICORE. The corporate says that its next-generation RGB codec delivers “the digicam’s distinctive picture high quality at a extra accessible value by decreasing knowledge charges”. You additionally get flexibility in publish, as sensitivity, white stability and tint should not baked in with ARRICORE. ARRI says that switching to ARRICORE is straightforward as a result of on-set and publish workflows stay in step with present ALEXA 35 codecs and drives. As well as, the ALF4 ARRI Look File, ARRI Textures, metadata, audio and the MXF wrapper will all behave in a well-known method. The one caveat is that ARRICORE is launching in beta, so there could also be some bugs to beat.
Different new options
The Alexa 35 Xtreme options longer pre-recording occasions. You now stand up to 30-second pre-recording when capturing 4.6K Open Gate or an unimaginable 5 minutes of Apple ProRes 422 HQ at 24 fps in HD. Regardless of its elevated processing energy, the Alexa 35 Xtreme consumes 10% much less energy than the Alexa 35. This implies the digicam goes to generate much less warmth and be extra power-efficient on set. As well as, the Alexa 35 Xtreme presents improved wi-fi connectivity to equipment and instruments just like the ARRI Digicam Companion App by compatibility with the Wi-Fi 5 GHz band.
What we expect
With the launch of the Alexa 35 Xtreme, ARRI has delivered a formidable improve on the earlier mannequin. The headline function needs to be the brand new high-speed body charges. Though you forfeit some dynamic vary, the Sensor Overdrive mode implies that you don’t want a separate high-speed digicam to seize excessive slow-motion footage. As well as, the brand new ARRICORE codec delivers smaller file sizes to scale back storage prices. That is doubly necessary in case you are utilizing the brand new high-speed body charges. Hopefully, the brand new codec is out of beta quickly. It’s additionally nice to see that ARRI is providing an improve path for present Alexa 35 house owners. The Alexa 35 Xtreme is bound to be an everyday sight on movie and TV units around the globe quickly.
Pricing and availability
If you wish to purchase a brand new Alexa 35 Xtreme, costs begin at $54,590. Arris additionally says that upgrading your present Alexa 35 to the Xtreme mannequin prices 15,900 euros, which is round $18,400 on the time of writing.
