Arri recently released their new Mini Mattebox, the MMB-2, which has all the quality that Arri’s products are known for in a lightweight package. The MMB-2 has a single 4×4 filter stage and a 4×5.6 filter stage, and is so lightweight that it easily clips on to just about any lens. It also has a 114mm back, which fits exactly onto the Zeiss Compact Prime.2 lenses. If you have still lenses, like Canon EF glass, Arri also make a series of rings that thread onto your lens so the mattebox fits perfectly. Arri also has a dual 4×5.6 filter stage model that gives more flexibility to anyone with a lot of 4×5.6″ filters. Both models are a great fit for cameras like the Sony F3 and the Canon C300. Watch my video above to learn more.

So…is film dead now?

Pundits have been predicting the end to film as a production medium for decades, but now it seems that the writing is on the wall. Digital Cinema camera technology has advanced to the point that nearly all production for television has moved to electronic acquisition. Currently the majority of high-end features are still produced on 35mm film, but it appears only a matter of time before this completely transitions as well. Most lower- to medium-budget productions are already being shot digitally, and numerous notable high-end productions are as well. In particular, shooting digitally for 3D productions is significantly more advantageous compared to film. This has also spurred the rollout of digital projection, as this is again far easier to accomplish for 3D presentation. The final nail may be the financial advantage to studios distributing movies digitally rather than with film prints. Fox has already notified theater chains that it plans to eliminate film prints sometime next year. Without the steady income stream of film prints, plus TV and commercial production, the economic model supporting film stock producers and processing labs will eventually no longer function. We may look back on 2011 as the last year film had a significant, dominant position in the industry, before becoming relegated to “niche” productions.

What are people shooting with?

It’s no secret that it is a 35mm-sized sensor world right now. Many have desired the large sensor look for years, starting perhaps with the Pro35 optical adapter, which debuted only a relatively short time after the venerable Sony F900 made HD a serious option. Many cameras and many adapters followed, with the ARRI D21, Panavision Genesis, Sony F35 and Phantom HD taking the highest-end market, thanks to their more direct approach of native Super-35 sized sensors.

The RED One, followed by the Canon HDSLRs, made affordable large sensor production a reality, and much of the production community quickly switched over. This transition happened even though many of these productions were in fact poorly served in making this change to a larger sensor. Sometimes a smaller sensor camera is preferable for certain work, and often a certain form factor and workflow is more appropriate for particular shooting styles. But the sudden shift certainly alerted manufacturers as to how strong the desire in the community was to shoot on larger sensor cameras.

So 2011 was the year that refined Super-35 sensor cameras took over the industry. Released in 2010, but largely available in 2011, the ARRI ALEXA took over much of the episodic television production market in the US, as well as abroad. The ALEXA cameras also made significant inroads into the medium- and even high-budget feature world, with notable productions such as Drive, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Hugo, which was also a dual-camera 3D production. RED’s EPIC and then Scarlet cameras began to ship in sizable quantities in 2011, some directly to studio feature productions. The ALEXA Studio model features both an optical viewfinder with spinning mirror shutter and a large 4×3 shaped sensor to properly accommodate anamorphic lenses.

On the more affordable end of the production market, Panasonic’s AF100 arrived just at the start of 2011, followed by the Sony PMW-F3 in February and then the Sony FS-100 in May. These Compact Cine cameras answered many of the needs filled by the HDSLR market, but did so as proper video production cameras, with controls and form factors better suited to professional production. In a telling sign of the changing expectations of the marketplace, Sony offered the F3 with 4:4:4 Uncompressed HD output in S-LOG, a refined level of video signal previously only available on cameras four times as expensive. These cameras quickly became wildly popular with our clients, as many happily relegated their recent HDSLR purchases to B-roll and home movie status. Productions no longer asked about “film v. F900” but instead “ALEXA v. F3.”

Announced in 2011 and shipping this month, two more cameras will spur all levels of production. Canon’s C300 brings the company into the professional video production community with their first Compact Cine camera. Mixing the community’s desire for a more professional camera system with the conveniences and form factor that Canon has learned from decades of manufacturing still cameras, the C300 is a unique camera platform that promises to have a significant impact on the industry.

Meanwhile, Sony has raised the bar at the highest level of production with the F65 Digital Cinema camera, which features an unprecedented 20 million photosite sensor that the camera can use to capture a “true 4K RAW image.”

Another interesting aspect of these S-35 sensor cameras is that they break previous sensitivity and dynamic range barriers. Just a few years ago 320 ISO and eight stops of exposure range was the norm. Now it is “the new black” to have 800 ISO native sensitivity with a noise floor low enough to push a few more stops and an exposure range from 11 to an amazing 14 stops. I don’t know when I’ll need to dial up a camera to 20,000 ISO and still expect to see even further into the shadows while retaining bright details, but it’s nice to know it can be done.

What about the glass?

Lens choice used to be dictated by format, and generally there were only a few options. This has changed dramatically as new players have entered the field and cameras opened up to different options. In PL, it used to be Zeiss or Cooke primes and Angenieux zooms. Now Illumina, Leica, RED, Schneider, Sony and UniqOptics have introduced primes, while both Cooke and Zeiss have new, additional sets of primes. Angenieux practically owned the market on 35PL zooms for years, with only a few lenses from Cooke available. Angenieux introduced another zoom (45-120) this year, and there are now, or will soon be, 15 different PL zooms from ARRI/Fuji (Alura series), Canon, Duclos Lenses, Focus Optics, Fuji (Premier series) and RED.

That is just in PL mount, but one great outgrowth of the two-year HDSLR wave was that clients became comfortable with the options of relatively inexpensive stills lenses from manufacturers such as Canon, Nikon, Leica, Tamron, Tokina and Zeiss. Compact Cine cameras from Panasonic and Sony have very shallow mounts, allowing room for various adapters so that an assortment of optics old and new could be mounted. At AbelCine we developed our HDx Optical Adapters so that 2/3” B4 mount lenses could be used on these cameras, which allowed our clients used to the extreme zoom ranges available in 2/3 to shoot with these new cameras.

This new generation of interchangeable mount/interchangeable lens cameras has created a new interest in optics and the various capabilities and choices available. There’s so much more to it than a focal length and an f-stop, and with a sudden array of choices presented to them, cinematographers have to become versed in the options. While some might be considered “lens aficionados,” others would accuse them of being “lens snobs” – either way, having more available choices can only be a good thing.

On recording

The lenses and lens mounts became separated from the camera sensors, and so too did the recording format become separated from the camera. Where we were once relatively trapped in uni-body camera designs with all aspects of the camera kit in an “all or nothing” design, 2011 saw the parts pulled apart. Nowhere did this become more evident than with the explosion of camera-mounted small video recorders. While the XDCAM-recording nanoFlash was already available for a year, 2011 saw the first delivery of ProRes (and sometimes DNxHD) recorders like the AJA KiPro Mini, followed by the Atomos Ninja and Samurai, and the Sound Devices PIX220 & 240.

The quality of these codecs is extremely high, higher than anything that had been available on all but the most expensive cameras. In 2011 they became available for just about any proper camera for only a few thousand dollars – this was a major step. Recording in a high quality codec which also not-just-so-happened to be the native format for the most popular editing software meant a major advance in image quality and speed of turnaround, while remaining in a straightforward video production workflow. One of the keys to the success of the ALEXA camera is its ability to record internally directly to ProRes (DNxHD coming soon). If you wanted an even higher quality recording, then there were the new options of Convergent Design’s Gemini 4:4:4 uncompressed full sampling recorder and the Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Shuttle, which can record an uncompressed 4:2:2 signal.

The ability of the ALEXA cameras to record to ProRes makes for an interesting study in the difference between perception and practice within the industry. The ALEXA and ALEXA Plus have a native resolution of 2880×1620 and can output an Uncompressed RAW image file, but almost everyone shoots with the signal converted to video and super-sampled to 1920×1080. Then that resolution is compressed into ProRes, either in 4:4:4 12-bit or 4:2:2 10-bit. Why knock it down so much? Because it’s easier. The most common functional resolution of production today is 1920×1080; it is what we generally finish to and present in. By converting to ProRes, one can load the material directly into a laptop and edit in real-time with no transcoding or additional processing needed. With all production time is money, and the more streamlined the post-production path the easier, and therefore less expensive, the proposition. The proof is that ALEXA has taken over the vast majority of television series production, almost all in ProRes 4:4:4.

The Monolith known as “Post Infrastructure.”

Post facilities have long been complexes of machine rooms with multi-million dollar suites featuring fancy hand-installed and lovingly-maintained Rolls-Royce-level finishing systems. Through glass doors one could see positive-pressure machine rooms stuffed with racks of shiny signal processors, converters, routers, decks, deck controllers, signal generators, scopes, regulators, etc. Many of these “heavy metal” facilities were based on the workflow of a tape-based system, namely Sony HDCAM SR. This format is the recording medium for the Panavision Genesis, Sony F35 and Sony SRW-9000, and is also the format of choice for a master deliverable for much high-level video production. The double-whammy of the ease of the ALEXA workflow and the tragic tsunami that destroyed Sony’s ability to manufacture HDCAM SR tape for months shifted a great deal of television production away from the HDCAM SR format in 2011.

Now Sony has SRMemory, solid state memory cards that can hold up to a terabyte of information and can read/write at incredible data rates. This allows for the real-time use of high frame rates, high resolution, high bit depth and bit rates, Uncompressed or lightly-compressed files, dual streams of 3D, and much more. It is a forward-thinking format with huge capacity to easily transport enormous amounts of data. The new F65 will be able to record in either HDCAM SR codecs or 8K Uncompressed RAW files directly to SRMemory cards, and the format may well become the new currency for post facilities the way HDCAM SR tapes and DPX files are now. Other systems may be the story for 2011, but SRMemory may just be the takeaway for 2012 and beyond.

Another trend in Post is how so much of it is being taken out of the hands of the post facilities and moved onto or near to set. But the players keep changing. 2011 was the year of ProRes capture, but it was also the year that saw Apple introduce Final Cut Pro X, an update of the software that made it more like an expanded iMovie program than a next-generation professional editing system. Where does that leave many ProRes and FCP users? Moving to other systems, and just in time Avid introduced Media Composer 6 (Did you miss it? It was the same day that Canon unveiled the C300 and RED announced the new Scarlet camera). MC6’s huge leaps forward, including the new DNxHD 4:4:4, made many re-embrace a company that had been steadily losing traction in the industry due to an aging infrastructure, based on what some perceived to be a closed and antiquated system.

IRIDAS was purchased and absorbed into Adobe. Blackmagic Design purchased DaVinci, maker of one of the most advanced set of color finishing systems available. And then BMD stunned everyone by taking DaVinci’s premiere product, the Resolve color correction system, and offering low level tiered systems for only $1000, later followed by an entry level version for free. That’s a zero-cost access to a powerful finishing tool that used to only reside in $1000/hour post suites. Heavy metal indeed.

Technology is a moving target. Today’s expensive top-of-the-line tool is tomorrow’s middle-cost meat’n'potatoes tool and the next day’s consumer-level tool. It used to be that you could learn a new camera or film stock and then be covered for several years as the glacial pace of the production industry puttered along. Now an iPhone 4S can shoot and post an entire movie in 1920×1080. Change is faster than ever before, and if we do not keep moving forward we are falling behind.

ARRI’s latest lighting innovation is the L7 series of LED-based Fresnels. The line is made up of three fixtures: the L7-T (3200K tungsten-balanced), the L7-D (5400K daylight-balanced), and the L7-C (color-controllable). The L7-C can be adjusted from 2700K-10000K, with an additional green/magenta control. It also features a “Hue Mode” for theatrical color effects.

These fixtures have a wide range of beam control, produce single, sharp shadows like conventional Fresnel fixtures, are fully dimmable from 0-100% with no color shift, and have an even field of illumination. Most importantly, at just 220w, the L7 LED lights use less than a quarter of the power of a 1000w tungsten Fresnel fixture with equivalent light output. Watch my video above to learn more about these versatile new lights.

BlackMagic Design HyperDeck Studio:

The uncompressed HyperDeck Studio recorder will gain compressed recording capability with a free update slated for “the end of this month.” DNxHD recording and playback of MXF files will be added, promising an expedited workflow for those working with Avid Media Composer, as well as a big advantage for those that do not require uncompressed files.

Sony NEX-FS100

Sony will be releasing an major update to the popular AVCHD Super35 NEX-FS100 by early 2012. One of the most requested features is the ability to switch between NTSC and PAL recording, which Sony has added to this free update. In addition, you will be able to:

• Save and load camera profiles to and from a memory card
• Additional 4x and 8x Expanded Focus magnification
• Selectable ISO or Gain sensitivity display
• Selectable focus indication in feet or meters (E-Mount lenses only)
• Selectable shutter indication as exposure time or shutter angle
• Added the following Aspect-Ratio markers: 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 1.66:1
• Display ON/OFF button enables Zebra and/or Histogram overlay onto video output

The new firmware will also allow you to use the new Sony LA-EA2 Alpha to E-mount adaptor with full support for continuous phase-detect autofocus, auto iris, and lens metadata on most Alpha mount lenses.

Sony PMW-F3

Due out before Thanksgiving, version 1.20 of the F3 firmware will unlock S-LOG EI (Exposure Index) mode. While this will require users to have purchased the CBK-RGB01 4:4:4 and S-Log upgrade, EI Mode essentially allows you to shift your entire dynamic range up, allowing you to retain more highlight information compared to the standard S-Log. You can shift your exposure index points up in 1/3 stop increments, all the way to 3200EI. Similar to pushing film, the EI mode will require you to gain up in post production, which may introduce noise to your shadow detail. Since the F3 is already an incredibly clean camera, it will be interesting to see how this responds in the real world when it is available.

EDIT: You can now download firmware version 1.20 directly from Sony.

Sony PVM-1741 & PVM-2541 OLED monitors

We’ve discussed some of the flickering fixes when monitoring in 24p on the OLED monitors and, while our workaround with the Decimator MD-DUCC is still a viable option, Sony will be releasing a firmware update for the PVM-1741 and PVM-2541 before the new year that promises to eliminate the flickering. When installed, this free update can be enabled via menu settings as an option.

Sound Devices PIX220 & PIX240

In addition to various bug fixes, the new 1.03 firmware for the PIX220 and PIX240 adds several key features to these powerful external recorders. Recording on the PIX240 can now be triggered via SDI start/stop flags for Canon (XF105, XF305), Sony (PMW-F3), and the Arri ALEXA. The PIX240 is also now capable of reading the HDMI timecode from the Sony NEX-FS100 and other Sony NX cameras. You can find a full list of updates and download the new firmware directly from Sound Devices.

ARRI has released the latest Software Update Packet (SUP), v5.0 for the ALEXA and ALEXA Plus cameras. All new cameras will ship with SUP v5.0 installed, and it is available as a free download from the ARRI website for all current ALEXA owners. SUP 5.0 is a major upgrade for the ALEXA cameras, with several important new features and useful improvements.

New features of SUP v5.0 include (for both ALEXA & ALEXA Plus):

High Frame Rates

Access to the new High Speed License

With SUP v5.0, you can now purchase a license through the ARRI website which allows the camera to shoot from 60fps – 120fps and record to ProRes 422HQ on the new Sony 64G SxS Pro cards.

ProRes 4444 recording up to 60fps

The new Sony 64G SxS Pro cards have much higher sustained data read/write capabilities than the 32G SxS Pro cards. This allows the ALEXA to feed up to 60fps of ProRes 4444 to the cards with no dropped frames or file corruption. In previous firmware releases, ProRes 4444 was limited to 40fps and you needed to capture in ProRes 422 HQ or below to record 60fps.

ARRIRAW and HD-SDI 4:4:4 recording up to 60fps

ARRI has developed a unique dual-link 3G signal path so that ARRI Partner recorders can capture up to 60fps of full uncompressed ARRIRAW or 10-bit HD-SDI 4:4:4 in full resolution progressive signals. Codex has released software to enable their Onboard recorder to capture ARRIRAW and HD-SDI 4:4:4 over this protocol.

Viewing

ARRI Look Files applied to playback

If an image is recorded in ProRes in Log-C while the monitoring has an ARRI Look applied, then that ARRI Look can again be applied when playing back the Log-C file in camera.

Reel & Clip Number on MON OUT

For logging purposes, the Reel & Clip numbers can be superimposed on the MON OUT image.

False Color index display

Available as a selection in the MONITORING menu, this is a chart that shows the color and brightness scales represented in the False Color mode. The Index appears on the camera’s side panel.

Active ARRI Look indicator

When an ARRI Look File is applied to the SxS/REC OUT image path, the “SxS” and “REC” text above the COLOR button in the HOME screen will have a blue background.

New default frameline names

The frameline presets have been renamed to match those of the groundglasses in other ARRI cameras.

Secure camera display dimming

When on the HOME screen, the rotary selector controls the display’s brightness. There is now a lock option to this control.

Recording

Horizontal Image monitoring

This function flips the image right/left both in monitoring and recording. This is useful in certain 3D rigging applications.

Dual Recording error handling

Dual Recording mode allows two SxS cards to record identical files simultaneously. Should an error occur on one of the cards that causes it to stop recording, the other SxS card will continue to capture the files.

Third-Party Support

Open Camera Access (OCA) initiative

ARRI is releasing information to allow third-party manufacturers to develop hardware and software to interface directly with the ALEXA cameras.

New features of SUP v5.0 include (for ALEXA Plus only):

Support for ARRI Lens Data Display for Focus Pullers (LDD-FP)

The LDD-FP is a Camera Assistant display developed for other ARRI cameras. This unit is now supported by the ALEXA Plus.

To download SUP 5.0, ALEXA owners must login after completing a one-time registration on the ARRI website. The file can then be downloaded to an SD card for uploading into the camera. Also available for download are an updated user manual, release notes for SUP v5.0, and a data sheet on the new High Speed License.

Apple ProRes has been a purchasable option for SxS card onboard recording for more than a year. Soon the ALEXA will offer either or both recording formats to more comfortably fit into a production’s workflow. DNxHD 220x has a similar file size to that of ProRes 422HQ, so it should take up about the same amount of space on an SxS card (21 minutes on a 32G card).

For more info, read Arri’s full press release.

At IBC this year, ARRI announced several products that were expected, along with a few surprises. The ALEXA and ALEXA Plus cameras welcomed two siblings to their Digital Cinema family, and it turns out pre-production versions of these new models are already out in the field working. The ALEXA Studio has an optical viewfinder with a spinning mirror shutter like a traditional film camera. It also has a taller sensor than the other ALEXAs, with an aspect ratio of 4:3 so that anamorphic lenses can be used with proper field of view. The ALEXA M is a split-head camera, meaning that the sensor section of the camera connects to the rest of the camera (where the signal processor and recording section live) by way of a fiber cable. This allows the ALEXA M to be used in various rigs where size and weight are critical issues, such as helicopter mounts, car interiors and 3D beamsplitter rigs. The ALEXA Studio pre-production units are currently testing on real shoots in Europe, while the first ALEXA M production prototypes are starting to ship to the Cameron-Pace Group, a leader in 3D production.

ARRI has partnered with Fuji Optical to create two more ALURA lenses, a 14.5-45 T2.8 and a 30-80 T2.8. Both lenses are physically small and lightweight (about 4.5 pounds) and, while designed as companions to the ALEXA cameras, both new ALURAs (as well as the original 18-80 T2.8 and 45-250 T2.8) can also be used on film cameras. In addition to the ALURA lenses with Fuji, ARRI continues to expand their unsurpassed prime lens line with partner Carl Zeiss, debuting the new Master Prime 135mm T1.3. Long-regarded as the perfect portrait focal length for S-35, the 135mm Master Prime is the 14^th focal length in the set which ranges from 12mm to 150mm.

While new model cameras and lenses debut, ARRI continues to develop within the current ALEXA series. Some details of the next firmware, version 5.0 due in October, were released. Most awaited is support for the licensed-feature for 120fps capture, which will also be available in October – 120fps recording will be in ProRes 422 HQ to Sony’s new 64G SxS Pro cards. These new cards have an incredibly high sustained data read/write capability, which allows them to capture the vast amount of information with no errors or additional signal compression. A 120fps image on any of the ALEXA cameras will utilize the full S-35 image area of the chip and retain the rich picture quality and 14 stops of Dynamic Range for which the camera is known. The new 64G SxS Pro cards can also be used without the licensed-feature to record 12-bit ProRes 4444 at frame rates up to 60fps (a 32G SxS Pro card can only sustain 40fps in ProRes 4444). As the new flagship ARRI camera, the ALEXA Studio will come bundled with both the 120fps and currently-available anamorphic monitoring licensed-features already installed.

ARRI is also innovating in lighting with the release of its new LED-based fresnel lighting line, the L7 series. There are three fixtures being introduced: The L7-T (3200K tungsten-balanced), the L7-D (5400K daylight-balanced), and the L7-C (color-controllable). The L7-C can be adjusted from 2700K-10,000K with an additonal green/magenta control. The fixtures have a wide range of beam control, produce single, sharp shadows like conventional fresnel fixtures, are fully dimmable from 0-100% with no color shift, and have an even field of illumination.  Most importantly, at less than 250w, the L7 LED lights use less than 1/4^th of the power of the 1000w tungsten fresnel fixtures to which they are equivalent.

Finally, ARRI’s Professional Camera Accessories division has introduced new items as well. The popular MFF-1 follow focus is now joined by the MFF-2, which features a removable handwheel so that the various handwheels from the rest of ARRI’s follow focus line can be used, including the two-gear transmission FF-3 handwheel. The lightweight and petite MMB-2 mattebox can now accept two 4×5.65 filters, and ARRI offers a lightweight rod-mounted shoulder pad for small camera rigs. Yours truly begged for a way to quickly remove it for switching from tripod to shoulder, and ARRI went one better, turning the quick-release mounting unit into a universal mount plate that could also be used for attaching various accessories to rods such as a monitor, battery mount or a recorder such as the KiPro Mini.

Project Frame Rate: This can be found by navigating to MENU > PROJECT > Project frame rate. Your options are 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, and 30 and they all represent playback rates. This should be set to your final deliverable’s frame rate. If your show is being broadcast n the States, it might be set to 29.97fps or 23.976 (to emulate a film look). If your show is going to be shown projected on film, you’ll want 24fps, and so on.

Sensor Frame Rate: This can be found by going through the Home Screen on the side of the camera and pressing the FPS Menu button on the top left. Here you’ll see the available Sensor fps list, with an option to create your own ranging from .750fps to 60.000fps. Think of this as your variable frame rate option. If your project is set to 24fps and your sensor is set to 24fps, then what you see is what you get and you’ll be able to record audio. However, if you wanted to shoot 60fps over 24fps for an over-cranked slow motion effect, you would keep your project at 24fps, but set your sensor for 60fps. At this point, your audio will be disabled.

Rec Out Frame Rate: This can be found by navigating to MENU > RECORDING > REC OUT> Frame rate. Your options are 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 48, 50, 59.94, and 60 and they all represent output signals to send to an external recording device. The only way to access frame rates of 48 or higher is by changing your HD-SDI Format to 422 1.5G Dual Link or 422 3G Single Link. You also have the option of using the REC OUT frame rate to set your sensor frame rate. Scroll down to “REC OUT fps sets sensor fps” in the REC OUT menu and turn the option on. This is a good option to have turned on if you’re recording both to an external device and the SxS cards, to make sure both recordings have the same frame rate.

Monitor Out Frame Rate: This can be found by navigating to MENU > MONITORING > MON OUT> Frame rate. Your options are 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 48, 50, 59.94, and 60 and they all represent output signals to send to a monitor.

An easy way to see where all your frame rates are set is by hitting the INFO button and choosing FPS INFO. You’ll see a list of all the places you can set a frame rate and what they’re currently set to. It’s really important to do this before shooting begins for the day. If you have ended up shooting the wrong frame rate, you can use Apple’s Cinema Tools conform function to change the frame rate to the appropriate one.

ARRI has released their Anamorphic De-squeeze download license for purchase. This eagerly anticipated license for the ALEXA will correct the “squeeze” effect that occurs when shooting with anamorphic lenses. With the license installed, ALEXA and ALEXA Plus cameras with the Software Update Packet (SUP) 4.0 can now readily accept anamorphic lenses with 1.3x or 2x magnification. Anamorphic lenses contain optical elements that capture a 2.39:1 image and squeeze it onto the 1.78:1 ALEXA imager. With the Anamorphic de-squeeze activated, the image appears “normal” in the camera for monitoring and playback.

The Anamorphic De-squeeze includes four modes for monitoring: De-squeeze off, De-squeeze 2.0x, De-squeeze 2.0x & magnify, and De-squeeze 1.3x.

De-squeeze 2x

2x Anamorphic lenses squeeze the image by a factor of two. In 2x, the de-squeezed full sensor image appears normal in the viewfinder and monitor with extra recording image area to the left and right of the 2.39 aspect ratio.

De-squeeze 2x & Magnify

In 2x & magnify mode, the 2x image is enlarged to practically fit the 2.39 aspect ratio, with little extra area on the left and right. This mode is for monitoring use only, as it does not work in Playback mode.

De-squeeze 1.3x

Developed specifically for the 16×9 sensor, the 1.3x anamorphic lenses squeeze the image by a factor of 1.3 instead of 2. Used with 1.3 lenses, the De-squeeze 1.3x mode will compensate for the squeeze and fit the 1.78:1 (16×9) sensor size.

For more information, download ARRI’s white paper on the Anamorphic De-squeeze option.

The ARRI ALEXA has become so popular that many clients are asking to use it in ways outside of the traditional Digital Cinema market. Documentary and ENG-style productions, long the playground of 2/3” cameras, are now beginning to use the ALEXA. With this demand, AbelCine has worked to adapt the camera to the style of “One Man Band,” everything-on-the-camera shooting.

Audio
The ALEXA does not have the traditional mounting points for microphones, nor does it provide power for them. Importantly, it also only accepts Line level audio, as opposed to the Mic levels that commonly come out of microphones and wireless mic receivers. To attach a standard shotgun microphone, we use the K-Tek K-SSM Short Shock Mount, which nicely isolates the microphone from the camera and allows precise positioning. The smallest professional two-channel mixer available is the Sound Devices MixPre-D.

Lensing
Super-35 lenses are large, heavy, expensive and do not have servo control handgrips for efficient operation. Fast-moving productions have come to rely on compact, high zoom-ratio lenses with built-in motorized zoom servo handgrips. The HDx35 B4/PL Optical Adapter allows these lenses to be used on the ALEXA for efficient, ENG-style shooting.

Power
Documentary-style crews are used to powering accessories off two-pin P-Tap (PowerTap) sockets commonly found on camera battery plates. The Anton Bauer QR Quad PT sandwiches between the battery plate and a battery, and provides four P-Tap sockets for power. Anton Bauer also makes the QR-Hotswap-AR, which provides mounting for two batteries as well as a topside mounting flange for attaching accessories such as wireless microphone receivers.

Cables & Mounting
Having assembled the various parts, AbelCine created some custom cables and mounting hardware to attach it all cleanly and efficiently to the ALEXA. We call this configuration the ALEXA One-Man Band Kit.