You will not convince me to buy this - ARRI ALEXA 35

We've used quite a few different camera systems for our production here at LMG and we ended up settling on Sony FX6 cameras to power the videos you watch, but when ARRI offered to send us their new ALEXA 35 camera to check out, David tried his best to convince Linus that we should switch to what the big boys use.

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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Who is this (expensive) camera for?
0:51 Specs and differences between the Alex 35 and Mini LF
2:44 Camera I/O
4:39 Is Resolution the most important thing?
5:35 LPL Lens mount
7:58 Storage options and digital film noise
12:07 Sponsor - Jukebox Print
12:44 Using the ARRI and looking at the UI
15:40 Blind test - ARRI vs Sony
19:48 Looking at our demo footage
21:02 Outro

[ShortCircuit]

For the full experience, make sure to watch this video in HDR!
What do you think, should we switch to ARRI cameras and film everything in HDR? 👀

[ChristianStout]

ARRI probably should've loaned you guys one of those $30, 000 cinema-grade reference monitors for comparing your footage on.

[GForceVisuals]

I live and work in LA and am a colorist in post production. David was correct in terms of productions using Arri Raw vs Prores as their recording formats. Typically, higher end shows like Yellowjackets (Showtime) and Ted Lasso (AppleTV+) will shoot to Arri Raw for it's uncompressed goodness. I've also worked on scripted shows for CBS and although those productions are shooting on the Alexa, they tend to shoot to Prores4444 due to it's file size being smaller but you still get a very good amount of range to work with in post. Typically, higher end streaming shows and features shoot to Arri Raw and lower end/broadcast shows tend to shoot to Prores.

One last thing I wanted to mention, David was also correct in terms of resolution not being the end-all be-all for choosing a camera. As a colorist, I'd prefer to color a project that was shot at 3.2K with an amazing sensor and color science vs a 12k blackmagic camera. Anything that was shot and displayed above 4k is almost indistinguishable to the human eye.

[KarlMathiasMoberg]

David is such a good host, especially when talking about cinematography!

[connorwood]

1. PL means Positive Lock, the 4 "cloves" on the lens are supposed to sit in the 4 loved slots. one of the cloves (almost always the to right one) has a cut out for a witness pin. if your are actually level, you will be able to lock in. the PL is never wrong.
2. you can add 'texture' burnt into the footage because it gives the director of photography more control over the final product. how many times did the director promise me something was gonna be done in post but was never done, now I'll mf burn it in so you can't take it out.

[martemagua]

As a former ARRI employee and AC I finally got to watch the video and am a bit sad because of the inaccuracies.
The main difference between the 35 and LF is the sensor size, the 35 being Super 35 and the LF being Large Format (aka bigger). They have different looks and feels to them.
The LPL mount is a godsend for compatibility with their adapters. Don’t mind that alignment line, orient yourself on the notch in one of the lens lips; it has to be on the top right facing the camera.
The codex being proprietary is obviously not perfect, but it ensures that the card can handle the transfer speeds and heat generated (I had lots of trouble with the old cFast cards). The 2 TB model can sustainably write up to 16Gbps. To have an idea, the 35 filming at full resolution in ARRIRAW can full up that 2TB storage in 56 minutes. Also reading speeds on that card are full thunderbolt 3 speeds, so 20 GB/s (happy data wrangler noises). Also yes, you can’t legally compress raw internally so arri does it while wrangling. B batteries are not only used because they lock in better (they actually function the same as gold mounts) but they are designed for a higher power output that the camera needs. V mount wouldn’t be able to keep up.
But yeah, the camera is amazing, the image is beautiful, the compatibility with accessories is mind blowing, the people developing and building the cameras are passionate hard working. Props to Linus and David for the video and explanations, they’re not really used to classic or big budget productions where cameras like this are frequently used, but I am beyond happy for the shoutout :) maybe try a trinity soon! I (and my buddies at ARRI) would be happy to help and explain if the situation arises

[clermontflorida]

I work as a 1st AC. Mini LF and Alexa 35 are commonly used for all kinds of projects and even used together: corporate, commercial, music videos, movies. It often comes down to preference and lens compatibility to determine which is used.
The audio in is primarily meant for a wireless scratch track from the sound person. The on camera audio will usually not be used.
The Alexa 35 requires higher voltage batteries as opposed to standard gold and V mounts. They can use B mouny batteries or a higher voltage version of gold mount.

[SooksVI]

Let's not ignore that RED "lost" that lawsuit about compressed RAW to Nikon. Currently, Nikon has internal 8K 60 12bit compressed RAW in their Z8 and Z9 cameras.

[frankxudp]

The reason for baked in texture and grain is to give power back to the cinematographers because very often the cinematographer has already moved on to his next show by the time the project is in post/coloring, and in this digital age they might not have the time or power to sit down in the finishing suite to decide on the look or the grain. It also helps to bake in the look during production so everyone gets used to it so it'll be less likely that the director changes his mind on the color/grain after months of editing. Sometimes the extreme flexibility from the newer digital sensors might not be a good thing to cinematographers because we are control freaks and we don't want too many cooks in the kitchen ;)

[MysteryMii]

2:09 Regarding the difference between 65mm/70mm film (IMAX or not): they’re the same thing. It’s referred to 70mm in regards to film projection, while 65mm is used in regards to shooting on film, as 5mm of the film area was used to record audio.

[majoraccentr]

The Alexa 65 is based off the 65mm film format which pulls a 65mm wide strip of film vertically through the camera, when prints are made from this format an extra 5mm is added to the edge of the print film to allow more information to be stored for surround sound; this is the reason you can see movies in the theatre presented in 70mm. IMAX cameras use largely the same kind of 65mm wide film but they pull the film through the camera sideways which amounts to almost four times the area of the ALEXA 65's sensor. When IMAX is presented in film it will typically be advertised as IMAx 70mm or 15 Perf 70mm. In short the Alexa 65 is nominally 65mm wide and IMAX is nominally 65mm tall.

[BlackenBurg]

10 year Career Camera Assistant here,
The Alexa 35 is the best camera I've ever worked with. It's lens options, framerate options, dynamic range, control protocols (Arri ECS ecosystem), Mounting options and accessories and Viewfinder are Industry Leading in every regard.
Another thing to note is that ARRI supports their cameras for many years after. They released a software update for the Alexa classic 11 years after release. Even if a camera is superseded, it still receives updates.

Something that I really wish you guys touched on more that is specific to what you guys shoot is how the combination of Dynamic range and Colour Gamut presents a much more true to life representation of highly saturated LEDS (RGB). That was the dead giveaway for how I picked 3/3 in the ARRI vs Sony shootout

[Dodosimch]

Great video! However I have a few technical notes🤓:
-While new ARRI cameras are extremely expensive, there is a pretty big second hand market for ARRI cameras, since they have used the same sensor technology (ALEV III) on almost all of their digital cameras (the ALEXA 35 is the only exception). Used ARRI ALEXA cameras are available for less than 7000$.
-Most productions I’ve worked on preferred recording in ProRes 4:4:4 rather than raw format. It’s a VISUALLY LOSSLESS codec and it's much more convenient than ARRIRAW. File sizes are much smaller and since you don’t have to debayer the footage it runs much more smoothly in editing.
-When Linus points the camera at the diffused light source, the main reason he sees a lot of detail is due to much better optics which retain better contrast in the image and don’t flare.
-Regarding the skin tones in the blind test: ARRI’s color science is known for compressing skin tone chroma values towards a pleasing color. While ARRI’s skin tones aren't necessarily realistic, they are much more pleasing and easier to work with in the grade.

[nathanksimpson]

3:08 Uhm... as a sound guy. Yes you definitely would (and I have seen it done with this exact camera on a film set) use audio in. Sound will use a camera hop to send a stereo mix to the Arri for reference and to help editors. It's also another way to listen to what's happening especially if the director is also operating the camera. But definitely definitely audio in is used. it's not required, but it's standard practice for reference audio to have a camera hop mix sent to camera as a redundancy.

[brokefilmschool]

I just Production Managed an Indie Film, and we shot most 97% of it on Alexa 35’s (Some utility shots were done on 16mm and Black Magic 6K Pro) and the footage is beautiful. Also, while the price is expensive, most people wouldn’t buy this. This is for rental houses, and if a DP or Camera Op is purchasing this, they’re charging a significant Kit Fee (essentially production paying a rental fee directly to the crew member).

[shadowshapers]

As someone who works in film and has been a long watcher of LTT, it’s so fascinating to see the gear that I know so well crossover and be confused by someone with such a deep specialization in other technical products that are outside of his specialization. Lovely refresher on how niche some of our products and skill sets are in the film industry.

[dangerruss]

Arri are cameras on easy mode. The DR, the UI, all of it is so simple to use and you don't have to worry about almost any given situation. I love them so much.

[RangerStudios]

Unless you are making a movie FOR Netflix, certification doesn't matter. If they want your movie, they will buy it.

[hendleyroadent]

I’m a cinematographer. We can make almost anything look great with the right lighting and grading. Investing in skills matters more at the end of the day. For instance: the guy on the cabin steps with the sun in the background. I would definitely split my image into highs and lows to get more out of my sky and a little more out of my shadow foreground. Arri can do this really well because the dynamic range allows more pleasing correction once you split and grade the different luminance values on their own.

[coleharring]

My first student film shooting on an Arri made me realise why professionals prefer them to say a Sony Vince or Red’s offering. Truly the most film comparable sensor on the market. That and the colour reproduction is second to none.

Starting with Sony FS7 I didn’t appreciate the QoL features Arri focuses on until buying and shooting on a Arri Super 16 and their origins a film camera manufacturer really became apparent.

Edit: Another under appreciated aspect of Arri cameras that many new cinematographers will gloss over when comparing Arri and Red is the UI. If Sony is the King of nested menus, Arri wants you to think you’re still shooting Kodak stock with a light meter and getting it developed the next day.

It feels like shooting a film camera even the tactile controls on their older models. Almost identical between film and digital.