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.

…continue reading IBC 2011 Updates: ARRI

One of the most often misunderstood aspects of the ALEXA menu structure pertains to the camera’s frame rate options. There are four separate places to set a frame rate and they all do something very different. Here I’ll walk you through each one of them and give you tips on how to make sure you end up with the correct frame rate for your shoot.

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.

…continue reading ALEXA Frame Rate Safety Guide

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.

ARRI has released the latest Software Update Packet (SUP), v4.0, for the ALEXA and the new ALEXA Plus cameras. All new cameras will ship with SUP v4.0 installed, and it is available as a free download from the ARRI website for all current ALEXA owners. SUP v4.0 is a substantial upgrade for the ALEXA, with several major new features and a host of useful improvements.

Key new features of SUP v4.0 include (for both ALEXA & ALEXA Plus):

Image

• ARRI Look Files to create custom looks for monitoring or recording
• Auto white balance

Operating

• Peaking function for focus check in EVF-1 and MON OUT
• EVF ZOOM adjustable target position
• False color exposure check for Log C images
• EVF ZOOM and EXP buttons are now toggle on/off
• Compare stored image from SD card with live image
• RETURN IN video

Function

• Audio playback from SxS PRO cards enabled
• SxS recording can be turned off
• More silent operation at higher ambient temperatures
• ‘Rec Low’ fan mode for silent operation in extremely hot environments

Key new features of SUP v4.0 for ALEXA Plus include:

• Master/Slave lens motor control
• 3D lens sync
• Lens Data System (LDS) info display in EVF-1 and on MON OUT
• Lens Data Archive (LDA)
• Electronic level in EVF and MON OUT

In addition to SUP v4.0, ARRI is now offering its first Paid License Feature, which is Anamorphic de-squeeze in the EVF-1 and on the MON OUT. Please contact us for information on purchasing this feature.

To download SUP v4.0, 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 v4.0, a White Paper on ARRI Look Files, and a White Paper on ALEXA Anamorphic De-squeeze.

ARRI has just completed extensive testing on the new ALEXA Firmware 4.0, due to be released in early July. It includes so many new features that ARRI has decided to release a Beta version to all ALEXA owners a few weeks in advance of the official release date. This will allow ARRI to receive valuable feedback on the performance of the 4.0 upgrade from its growing ALEXA install base prior to the firmware’s official release.

Here are the key features of the ALEXA 4.0 Beta firmware.

For ALEXA and ALEXA Plus:

- Custom looks through ARRI Look Files

- Audio playback from SxS PRO cards

- SxS recording can be turned off

- Auto white balance

- Peaking focus check in EVF-1 and MON OUT

- False color exposure check for Log C images

- EVF ZOOM position centered or in top part of image

- EVF ZOOM and EXP buttons are now toggles

- HD-SDI Rec start/stop flag recording (without requiring SxS card to be inserted)

- Quieter “Rec Low” fan operation at higher ambient temperatures

- RETURN IN video enabled

- Compare stored image from SD card with live image

…continue reading ARRI ALEXA Firmware 4.0 Beta Release

Arri has quite the impressive booth here at NAB this year, and some of the crowd-pleasers include the new ALEXA PLUS, ALEXA Studio, and the surprise reveal of the ALEXA M. The modular ALEXA M is an especially great candidate for 3D work because of the small size of the camera head, which is separate from the back processing unit.

In addition to all the new hardware being shown, Arri has also announced plans to introduce 120fps shooting (full sensor, no windowing) in all ALEXA bodies. Watch my interview with Marc Shipman-Mueller as he discusses the features of the new ALEXA bodies and some of the future updates coming for the ALEXA software.