A Quick Look at the New ARRI ALEXA Mini

Posted February 24, 2015

Hey Rocketjumpers! (Rocketeers? Rocketjumpees? BestFans4EverFreddieis#1?)

 

Lauren (Dean of the RocketJump Film School) here. We want to start keeping you up to date on the new filmmaking tech that is coming out and the exciting news this week is the release of ARRI’s new camera, the ARRI ALEXA Mini.

Alexa Mini

 

In short, it’s all the great things about the existing ARRI ALEXA Camera system (35mm ALEV III CMOS Sensor, the highly sought-after ALEXA color space, 14 stops of dynamic range, up to 4K resolution, Pro Res and ARRIRAW codec options) all crammed into a smaller, more versatile package.

 

Alexa Mini
 

Let’s cover the more interesting points that I’ve gathered from reading the initial press releases:

 

The ALEXA Mini offers a solid option for multi-cam shoots.

    Instead of spending your time in post trying to match color profiles and looks between your main ALEXA camera and your smaller, secondary cameras, you can have the same exact settings and looks across all your footage, and still fit multiple cameras into those tighter spaces. It is also designed symmetrically, so it can be operated in any orientation, including upside down and in portrait mode.

 

More available options for newer generations of rigging, mounting and operation.

    The new size and weight finally brings the ALEXA up to speed (and size) with more compact cameras like the RED Dragon. The ALEXA XT captures beautiful footage, but it’s a large, heavy rig. According to ARRI, the Mini was designed specifically with the newer generations of rigs in mind, its size and weight accommodating brushless gimbals, multicopters, gyro-stabilized aerial systems, and other specialized rigs– and not to mention, easier hand-held operation.

Alexa Mini Rig
 

Integrated motorized systems and completely wireless remote control.

     One of the most exciting things about the Mini is that it can be operated completely remotely: built-in wi-fi connectivity makes remote control of camera functions possible from iOS or Android devices, with no need for a special app. The ALEXA Mini also boasts an integrated lens motor controller, allowing focus, iris and zoom settings to be controlled directly by ARRI hand units. The internal internal ND filters are also motorized as well– giving you remote control of nearly every camera function. And of course, it can also be operated normally with the ARRI MVF-1 viewfinder attached, or with an on-board monitor using the camera’s button interface.

 

High Frame Rate ability.

    The Mini can internally record up to 200fps in Pro Res HD. If you have an external recorder, you can record up to 120fps in uncompressed ARRIRAW.

 

No real difference in price.

    The ARRI ALEXA Mini price tag is not significantly different than the ALEXA price tag (starting around $30,000-$40,000 depending on options), so those hoping for a less expensive option won’t find it this time around. Orders will be open in March, to begin shipping out in May.

 

Here’s a small preview of footage shot with the Mini, on the Freefly MōVI M15:

The Balloonist from Freefly on Vimeo

You can also check out their behind the scenes.

 

And for those who’d like to check it out in more depth, here are the specs:

Camera type
35 format film-style digital camera with lightweight and compact carbon body, 4:3/16:9 switchable active sensor area, support for ARRI MVF-1 viewfinder, built-in remote control capabilities via ARRI Electronic Control System and Wi-Fi, support for cforce motors, built-in motorized ND filters, interchangable lens mounts and ARRI Lens Data System

Dimensions
Length: 185 mm/7.3″
Width: 125 mm/4.9″
Height: 140 mm/5.5″
Weight ~ 2.3 kg/5 lbs (camera body with titanium PL lens mount)

Sensor
35 mm format ARRI ALEV III CMOS, with Bayer pattern color filter array

Photo sites (with surround view)
16:9
     HD: 2880×1620 (3168×1772)
     2K: 2868×1612 (3154×1764)
     3.2K: 3200×1800 (3424×1926)
     4K UHD: 3200×1800 (3424×1926)

4:3
     2K: 2867×2150 (3168×2160) *

Shutter
Electronic shutter: 5.0° to 356.0°

Exposure latitude
14+ stops over the entire sensitivity range from EI 160 to EI 3200
as measured with the ARRI Dynamic Range Test Chart (DRTC-1)

Exposure index
EI 800 base sensitivity

Filters
Built-in motorized ND filters, 0.6, 1.2, 2.1

Lens mounts
Titanium PL mount with L-Bus connector and LDS
EF mount
PL mount with Hirose connector and LDS
B4 mount with Hirose connector

Recording media
CFast 2.0 memory cards

Recording formats
HD 1920×1080
2K Cine 16:9 2048×1152
2K Cine 4:3 2048×1536 *
3.2K 3200×1800
4K UHD 3840×2160
ARRIRAW 2.8K 16:9 2880×1620 *
ARRIRAW 2.8K 4:3 2880×2160 *

Recording codec
ProRes 4444XQ, 4444, 422 (HQ), 422, 422(LT), ARRIRAW *

Recording frame rates chart, from the ARRI site:

arri_mini_framerates

Color output
Rec 709, custom look or Log C

Look control
Import of custom 3D LUT, ASC CDL parameter (slope, offset, power, saturation)

Adjustable image parameters
Knee, gamma, saturation, black gamma, saturation by hue

Focus and exposure control
Peaking, zebra, false color

White balance
Manual and auto white balance

Sound level
< 20 dB(A) at standard frame rates

Environmental
-20° C to +50° C (-4° F to +122° F) @ 95% humidity max, non-condensing
Splash and dust-proof through sealed electronics

Viewfinder
Multi Viewfinder MVF-1 (OLED and LCD ) with flip-out LCD screen and military-grade connector to camera

Control interface
Soft buttons and OSD on SDI output, integration of Transvideo StarliteHD touch interface *

ARRI lens motor control
Built-in radio interface for ARRI lens control
L-Bus motor output for daisy-chainable cforce lens control motors

Wi-Fi remote control
Built-in Wi-Fi interface and web-based remote control from phones, tablets and laptops

Custom control
Optional GPIO interface for integration with custom control interfaces

Power input
Lemo 8-pin, 10.5-34 V DC

Video outputs
2x HD-SDI out 1.5G and 3G: uncompressed HD video with embedded audio and metadata, SDI-6G interface to external CODEX recorder *

Inputs
SDI-Genlock (optional activation through ARRI Service), timecode (in and output)

Other interfaces
USB 2.0 (for usersets, looks etc.)
Ethernet
EXT accessory interface w. RS pin

*may not be available at product launch, but will become available as a software upgrade later in 2015