ARRI ALEXA 35 Digital Cinema Camera

The ARRI ALEXA 35 is a 4K Super 35 camera that promises to elevate digital cinematography to unprecedented heights. ARRI’s first new sensor in 12 years builds on the evolution of the ALEXA family over that period, delivering 2.5 stops more dynamic range, film-like highlight handling, better low light performance, and richer colors.

The ALEXA 35’s new REVEAL Color Science takes full advantage of the sensor’s image quality and provides a fast, simple workflow, while ARRI Textures enhance in-camera creative control. Easy operation, robust build quality, new electronic accessories, and a complete new mechanical support system round out the ALEXA 35 platform.

Available Set Configurations:

• Lightweight Set
• Production Set (15mm Studio)
• Production Set (19mm Studio)

Key Features:

• 4.6K Super 35 format ARRI ALEV 4 CMOS sensor
• 17 stops of dynamic range
• New REVEAL Color Science
• EI 160 to EI 6400 sensitivity, with lower noise overall
• LogC4 LUTs
• In-camera ARRI Textures "digital film stock"
• Comprehensive anamorphic lens support (e.g., traditional 2x without vignetting)
• Larger than Rec 2020 color gamut
• 500 nits EVF screen for HDR viewing
• Legacy Mini LF mode "easy button" for user interface
• USB-C for firmware, screen grabs, etc.
• 55fps @ 4K to 1TB Codex Compact media
• 120 fps @ 4K to 2TB Codex Compact media
• Max frame rates are the same to either card size when recording ProRes
• 90W power draw at 24V while recording 24fps with the viewfinder attached
• B-Mount battery interface
• Various mount options (LPL, PL Hirose & LBUS, EF, Leitz M) and LPL > PL adapter available

New ALEV 4 Super 35 Sensor

The ALEXA 35’s Super 35, 4:3 native, 4K sensor can be used with the vast global inventory of existing lenses—modern and vintage, anamorphic and spherical, Super 35 and large format. Filmmakers wanting to shoot with ARRI cameras while respecting 4K requirements now have an immeasurably broader choice in optics.

A total of 19 recording formats, incorporating efficient in-camera downsampling and anamorphic de-squeezing, allow productions to optimize data rate, resolution, and other parameters, based on their individual needs.

Mixed Reality Productions (MRP) will benefit from the camera's ability to record lens metadata in all common standards, and output real-time streaming metadata to ARRI's Live Link Metadata Plug-in for Unreal Engine.

Increased Dynamic Range with Filmic Highlight Roll-off

ALEXA 35 measures at 17 stops of dynamic range (exposure latitude). This is far more than any other digital cinema camera. Filmmakers gain 1.5 stops in the highlights and a stop in the shadows over previous ALEXA cameras, while retaining the naturalistic, filmic highlight roll-off.

Sophisticated stray-light suppression ensures that the full character and contrast range of each lens is captured. Together, the increased dynamic range and stray light control make it easier to handle any lighting conditions on set, offer increase flexibility in post, and provide the best possible source for HDR (High Dynamic Range) projects.


ARRI REVEAL Color Science

ARRI’s discussions with filmmakers and careful review of the image pipeline have led to significant image quality enhancements and a faster, easier workflow. REVEAL Color Science is a suite of new image processing steps used by ALEXA 35 internally and available through leading third-party post-production tools for ARRIRAW processing. It includes an improved debayering algorithm for cleaner compositing, a new color engine for more accurate color reproduction, a new wide gamut native color space for faster grading, new LogC4 encoding to contain the increased dynamic range, and new LogC4 LUTs (Look Up Tables) for enriched color fidelity.

• ARRI Debayer Algorithm ADA-7
  • First step in the new and improved image pipeline
  • Converts ARRIRAW into camera native RGB image data
  • Makes the most of the new sensor’s capabilities
  • Cleaner color edges for blue and greenscreens
  • Easy compositing speeds up VFX work in post
• ARRI Color Engine ACE4
  • Transforms camera native RGB image data into the AWG4 color space
  • Brings what the sensor sees closer to human visual perception
  • More subtle and accurate color reproduction
  • Pleasing and naturalistic rendition of all skin tones
  • Better color tracking and differentiation at all exposures
  • Much improved saturated colors (brake lights, neon signs)
• ARRI Wide Gamut AWG4
  • New camera color space for faster and easier grading
  • "Goldilocks" color space: just the right size
  • Larger than Rec 2020 but minimizes "virtual" colors
  • More accurate color space conversions
  • Fully enclosed by and compatible with ACES
• LogC4 Look Up Tables
  • Transform LogC4/AWG4 images into various display color spaces
  • Allow DPs and colorists to create bespoke looks
  • ARRI custom LUTs take full advantage of new sensor and LogC4/AWG4
  • Improved color fidelity
• LogC4 Tonal Curve
  • Encodes brightness changes
  • Captures the sensor’s increased exposure latitude
  • Same curve for all EI (ISO) settings
• Backwards Compatible
  • ALEXA 35 images can be intercut with other ALEXA or AMIRA images
  • Additionally, ALEXA LF/Mini LF ARRIRAW can use REVEAL Color Science workflow

ARRI Textures

ARRI Textures provide a new and unique way for cinematographers to exert greater creative control on set. A texture defines the amount and character of grain in an image, as well as the amount of contrast at different levels of detail, perceived by the viewer as sharpness. Previous ALEXA cameras were pre-programmed with a default texture, but with ALEXA 35 you can choose from an evolving menu of custom ARRI Textures, either to suit a specific shooting environment or to hone your look. This allows you to fundamentally alter the way the camera records images, much like selecting a "digital film stock".

A Note on Creative Look Application from AbelCine Camera Technology Specialist Geoff Smith:

"Image transforms will initially be handled by new LogC4 3D LUTs provided by ARRI in a number of different formats and destination color spaces, as well as an ACES IDT (input device transform) for the new camera and color science. Select LUTs will be available in-camera and more for download from the ARRI website. Note that, in a post-capture environment such as an editing or color grading application, it would be possible to apply LogC3 LUTs or other transforms to the new footage. However the two Log curves are not either backwards- or forwards-compatible so don’t expect usable results with ALEXA 35 footage without a proper LogC4 LUT/transform.

Prior to the application of a display transform on the ALEXA 35 (such as setting SDI 1 to REC709 and SDI 2 to REC2100 PQ HDR for simultaneous viewing of SDR and HDR on set) a new "slot" for creative-oriented looks is available in the camera. Called ALF4 (ARRI Look File 4), the new look file format is designed to both receive and output a LogC4 image, a so-called “Log-to-Log” transform. Since creative look application happens prior to the display, or output, transform, it operates on the pristine, wide latitude, wide color gamut LogC4 data without rendering into a display space.

In the previous ALF look file format, the creative look and display transform were combined, essentially baking or marrying the creative look with a display-referred rendering. This new approach enables a fully color managed workflow to begin arguably where it should: in-camera. ARRI's existing Look Library has been converted to the new format and is available in the ALEXA 35 free of charge. To apply looks made outside of the camera, this format can encapsulate either a 3D LUT or an ASC CDL, provided they operate on LogC4 data without introducing a conversion to REC709 or another display/output space."

Up to EI 6400 Sensitivity with Lower Noise

Impressively low noise and sensitivity settings ranging from EI 160 to EI 6400 make ALEXA 35 a "High ISO" camera. An optional Enhanced Sensitivity Mode can be applied to settings between EI 2560 and EI 6400, producing an even cleaner image in low light.

This exceptional sensitivity, combined with the wider dynamic range and truer contrast, allows ALEXA 35 to capture the most delicate nuances of light and shadow in a wider range of shooting situations. Filmmakers can work with available light in real locations, safe in the knowledge that even at extreme ISO values, any noise will have a pleasingly film-like structure.

Enhanced Color Accuracy

Introduced alongside the ALEXA 35 is ARRI’s new REVEAL Color Science, the collective name for a suite of image processing steps that, along with the new sensor, help the camera to record more accurate colors with greater subtlety in tonal variations. Skin tones of all types and colors are rendered in a flattering, lifelike way.

Highly saturated colors such as those in neon signs or car brake lights are captured with incredible realism, as are typically challenging colors like cyan, burgundy, and pastel shades. Overall, the true-to-life color fidelity and amazing resolving power of the sensor make for beautiful, immersive images.

Compact, Lightweight, Rugged Form Factor

ALEXA 35 is the smallest fully featured ARRI production camera ever at 6.4 lb (2.9 kg; including body, antennas and LPL mount), packing the features and processing power of a larger ALEXA into a Mini-sized body. Crews will be intuitively familiar with the simple menu structure; support for 1TB and 2TB Codex Compact Drives; and MVF-2 viewfinder, now with HDR. Fast and easy operation is assured through usability improvements such as a new left-side display and additional user buttons. Temperature resistant, splash and dust-proof, and conceived with future hardware and software updates in mind, ALEXA 35 is the best A-camera, B-camera, and drone or gimbal camera on the market, all rolled into one.

Electronic Accessories & Mechanical Support

ARRI has crafted a new line of bespoke ALEXA 35 accessories that expand the camera's capabilities and ensure maximum speed and versatility on set. Closely integrated electronic accessories offer additional power outputs or extended audio features. A complete new set of mechanical support items provides flexible options for any situation, scaling quickly and easily from a small and lightweight setup to a full-blown production configuration. ALEXA 35 is available in sales sets that group together components suitable for different shooting styles and production types, with further accessories and system options facilitating countless setups.

B-Mount, the New 24V Standard

ALEXA 35 utilizes the B-Mount battery interface, an open industry standard endorsed by ARRI and the wider industry. Providing high-capacity 24V power, but also able to support 12V, B-Mount offers more efficiency and improved data communication over previous systems. Cross-compatible with camera, lighting, and stabilizer equipment from manufacturers worldwide, it enables productions to streamline their power requirements.

• Specifications are fully documented and open to any company
• High-capacity, future-proof power for cameras and lights
• Robust construction, compact form factor, and seamless interlocking
• Suited to modern camera stabilizer systems and compliant with on-board safety standards for the lighting industry
• Bi-voltage ready, B-Mount will power future ARRI cameras and lights

Software Tools & Apps to Support Your Workflow

ARRI’s functional and educational online resources for filmmakers draw on the company’s uniquely diverse products and services, its direct contact with producers and creatives, and its extensive knowledge of postproduction.

A range of free-of-charge tools, apps, and tutorials can be found in the Learn & Help section of ARRI’s website. In addition to the standalone apps showcased here, they include the ARRI Frame Line & Lens Illumination Tool, ARRI Formats and Data Rate Calculator, and ARRI Camera Simulator to help you navigate the menus of ARRI cameras such as the ALEXA 35.

• ARRI Reference Tool
  
  • Combines the functionality of the ARRIRAW Converter, ARRI Color Tool, and ARRI Meta Extract.
  • Supports all ALEXA 35 recording formats and allows the creation of ALF4 look files, conversion to SDR and HDR color spaces with looks applied, and export to Apple ProRes, OpenEXR, and TIFF files.
• ARRI Camera Companion App
  • The Camera Companion App offers remote control of one or multiple cameras, as well as customization of the user interface.
  • It focuses on the functions that are most frequently needed during production.
• ARRIRAW HDE Transcoder
  • Codex High Density Encoding (HDE) is a lossless encoding technique that reduces ARRIRAW file sizes by around 40%, giving productions a data-efficient method of capturing the highest quality images.
  • The ARRIRAW HDE Transcoder enables easy HDE workflows with ALEXA 35.

Specifications: