ARRI ALEXA Mini Camera Body with 4:3 and ARRIRAW License Keys

The ARRI ALEXA Mini Camera expanded the ARRI line to deliver a self-contained camera with enough versatility to enhance your shooting options. The ALEXA Mini camera body with titanium PL lens mount weighs approximately 5lbs which should help you leap into the next frontier of gimbal and aerial work while using other ARRI cameras on the same production in a more traditional manner. Your recorded footage can then include the same look when you shift into post production. Also, the ALEXA Mini offers the ability to interchange lens mounts to allow you access to most of the latest lenses and anamorphic options available. The Mini supports the ARRI MVF-1 viewfinder and it features built-in remote controls, motorized ND filters, and WiFi.

Not only does the compact and rugged ALEXA Mini camera fit on gimbals and aerial vehicles, the ARRI ALEXA Mini also suits small camera rigs for long production schedules. Your shoulder will thank you for the lighter weight-not just on long shoots-but when you transport your camera as carry-on luggage.

ARRI incorporated a handful of design elements to elevate the ALEXA Mini to the professional level. The ALEXA Mini’s carbon fiber housing includes a solid titanium PL Mount to connect with the internal, titanium sensor mount. This helps ensure a stable flange focal distance with large lenses. Integrated and sealed electronics fill out the interior of this nimble camera body.

This kit will upgrade your 4:3 ALEV III sensor in two ways with these pre-installed license keys:

• 4:3 License Key – achieve ProRes in 4:3, 4:3 cropped, or 16:9 anamorphic, plus de-squeeze both the viewfinder image and the HD-SDI signal
• ARRIRAW License Key – records 2.8K 16:9 ARRIRAW internally

Installing both upgrades on your camera unlocks Open Gate ARRIRAW functionality.

Versatility

Size isn’t the only thing which matters; versatility is king. Operate the ALEXA Mini camera via wireless remote control, attach the ARRI MVF-1 multi viewfinder to function as a normal camera, or use the camera with an on-board monitor and control it via the user button interface on the camera body. In addition, the symmetrical nature of the ALEXA Mini means you can operate it upside down or sideways, should you choose to do so. It is also ideal for 360° plate shots and works well in a multi-camera productions.

The lightweight ALEXA Mini camera can be held comfortably-at arms length-to achieve shots on-the-go with a gimbal rig. Its compact body suits shooting within tight spaces. You can also leap to new heights with aerial work.

Of course, all of that is hype when you consider the inside of the ARRI ALEXA Mini camera and the ability to interchange your lens mounts.

Interchangeable Lens Mounts

Lens Mount options include:

• Titanium PL mount with L-Bus connector and LDS (Lens Data System)
• EF mount
• PL mount with Hirose connector and LDS
• B4 mount with Hirose connector(A)

Sensor & Image Quality

The same image quality you have come to expect across the ARRI family of cameras resides within the small form of the ALEXA Mini: the ALEV III sensor. The Mini delivers 14+ stops of dynamic range.

When you require multiple cameras on the same production, you prefer well-matched images in post. It saves you time and money. ARRI has provided you that capability now the ALEXA Mini joined the ranks of the ALEXA SXT and others in their line-up. That means, not only do the images you record on multiple ARRI cameras share the same sensor, they deliver the same color space. Your variance is mainly the size of the unit. Check out the comparison image we posted to view the size difference between these cameras.

You shoot only anamorphic productions? Good news for you: the ALEXA Mini camera can match your other ARRI cameras on set thanks to a 4:3 sensor and automatic de-squeeze function. The license for this is included with this kit and will be preinstalled to unlock Open Gate functionality.

Recording

You have options to record ProRes or uncompressed ARRIRAW either in-camera to CFast 2.0 memory cards or to a specially-designed, external Codex recorder. The Codex recorder, should you choose to go that route, records streams from up to four ALEXA Mini cameras simultaneously. You can also capture slow-motion imagery with the ALEXA Mini’s maximum frame rate of 200fps in HD instead of using a high-speed camera. Like the ALEXA AMIRA, capture 60fps when in 3.2K or UHD modes. Visit the specifications for this product to view its recording format particulars.

The ARRI ALEXA Mini, like its big brother the high-end ARRI ALEXA, can record 4K UHD ProRes 4444 images and deliver real-time 4K UHD output on the ALEV III sensor with bayer color filter array. The sensor provides an image with high dynamic range, low noise, natural skin tones, and the true colors you require.

NOTE: Verify current recording media compatibility with ARRI's Supported Recording Media Overview.

The Look

The color and look of the ARRI ALEXA Mini camera includes several focus and exposure control functions to assist you, including: peaking, zebra, false color, and waveform. Choose to either automatically or manually white balance. You can import custom 3D LUTs and adjust image parameters such as knee, gamma, saturation, black gamma, and saturation by hue.

Should you desire control over the Log-C image you may use ARRI’s Colour Tool which is a free software download to create, modify, and store LUTs.

Got Wireless?

The ARRI wireless controller WCU-4, which is sold separately, makes use of integrated ARRI Lens Data System (LDS) technology. This delivers metadata about focus, iris, and zoom settings to the palm of your hand so you can make precise adjustments during a shot. The data also permits lens mapping to pre-marked focus rings.

Use the built-in WiFi connectivity for remote control of camera functions from iOS or Android devices without a special app. Our very own Ian explains how remote control via WiFi can boost your capture abilities in various rigging scenarios in his ALEXA Mini Quick Tip video.

Additional Features

The ALEXA Mini can be powered with 10.5-34 V DC or via Lemo 8–pin. A USB 2.0 interface has been provided for user sets, looks, etc.

Another feature of the ARRI ALEXA Mini camera is how well-suited it is to capture footage from gimbals, UAVs, or specialty rigs. Its compact and lightweight shape not only suits the sizing constraints with room to spare, it allows standard PL mount lenses to fit on aerial systems or gimbal rigs. The camera’s ability to shoot in low-light also makes it ideal for underwater work. Several third-party underwater housings are available which fit the ALEXA Mini.

Connect active lens motors to the titanium PL mount on the ARRI ALEXA Mini to control focus, iris, and zoom settings from ARRI hand units, such as the WCU-4, without an external box due to the integrated lens motor controller built into the camera. Additional functionality is available with the WCU-4 to alter camera settings.

Internal ND filters (0.6, 1.2, 2.1) inside the camera are motorized and can be remote controlled. They permit rapid response to changing light conditions and eliminate the need for a mattebox for ND filters when you’ve no room for one.

Collect sound via the 4-pin Lemo connector on the front of the camera. There is no on-board microphone to conserve space so you’ll need to determine your audio capture strategy. If you are unsure what works for you, please reach out to your local AbelCine sales team.

Remember that the size of the ALEXA Mini means there is no exterior LCD screen. Pair it with an ARRI MVF-1 Viewfinder or a third-party external monitor/recorder (each sold separately) to navigate camera settings. The MVF-1 Viewfinder includes a flip-out touch screen display to help with this, along with the traditional eyecup.

Third-party camera rigs are also available to fit the ARRI ALEXA Mini. Mounting points exist on the titanium sensor carriage instead of the carbon fiber body.

4:3 License for ARRI ALEXA Mini camera

Enabled by ALEXA Mini SUP 4.0, this license key provides three ProRes recording modes which access the full 4:3 sensor area and support the use of anamorphic lenses. The first mode records the highest 4:3 resolution possible, while the other two modes de-squeeze and re-scale the recorded images in-camera for an efficient, specialized workflow. Monitoring paths for all 4:3 modes offer SDI setups featuring dual 1.5G or 3G outputs.

Details on the 3x ProRest recording modes:

• ProRes 4:3 2.8K - Use this mode with anamorphic or spherical lenses. It records the full 4:3 sensor area (288 x 2160). It delivers frame rates up to 50 fps and an optional 2x anamorphic de-squeeze for the EVG and SDI monitoring paths.

• ProRes 2.39:1 2K Anamorphic - Record up to 120 fps! Due to in-camera scaling the data rate is reduced. Records a 2.39:1 standard 2K format (2048 x 858), which does not require any cropping or scaling in post.

• ProRes 16:9 HD Anamorphic - This mode produces the look for anamorphic lenses yet the end product delivered is the full 16:9 (without letterboxing). You can record up to 120 fps with this mode, too.

ARRIRAW License Key

Enabled by ALEXA Mini SUP 4.0, the ARRIRAW License Key allows ARRIRAW to be recorded to your ALEXA Mini in-camera CFast 2.0 cards by wrapping the files in an MXF container. Like ARRIRAW, the new MXF/ARRIRAW format is uncompressed, unencrypted, and contains audio and metadata. Only the packing is different, so third-party ARRIRAW processing tools such as DaVinci Resolve and Baselight must be updated with a new SDK, which ARRI has provided for them. ARRIRAW Converter supports MXF/ARRIRAW from version 3.4, available free of charge on the ARRI website.

MXF/ARRIRAW clips do not require specially formatted CFast cards. MXF/ARRIRAW and QuickTime/ProRes clips can be mixed on the same card.

MXF/ARRIRAW 16:9 2.8K records an area of 2880 x 1620 and supports frame rates up to 48 fps.

Internal MXF/ARRIRAW Open Gate recording

Installing both the ALEXA Mini 4:3 License Key and the ALEXA Mini ARRIRAW License Key on your ARRI ALEXA Mini camera activates the MXF/ARRIRAW Open Gate 3.4K recording modes enabled by SUP 4.0.

MXF/ARRIRAW Open Gate 3.4K produces a 3424 x 2202 resolution and records up to 30 fps. Like the ProRes 4:3 recording modes, an optional 2x anamorphic de-squeeze is available for all monitoring paths and a dual 1.5G or 3G SDI setup is supported.

In order to offer anamorphic ProRes productions an easy way to capture some shots in MXF/ARRIRAW, three additional Open Gate 3.4K recording modes were introduced:

• MXF/ARRIRAW 4:3 2.8K (OG 3.4K)
• MXF/ARRIRAW 2.39:1 2K Ana. (OG 3.4K)
• MXF/ARRIRAW 16:9 HD Ana. (OG 3.4K)

These modes record 3.4K Open Gate at up to 30 fps, but the monitoring paths reflect the corresponding 4:3 ProRes modes. The active image area is noted in the metadata, so postproduction tools will crop images automatically.

ARRI SUP 5.2 Update

Download the free-of-charge update available: ARRI SUP 5.2 to enhance the capabilities of your ARRI ALEXA Mini Camera. Remember that your cameras will benefit from the latest improvements, features, and bug fixes from ARRI. Please be sure to download and install the ARRI SUP 5.2 update.

The Release Notes from ARRI, available on the same page as the download link above, will explain the update process for you and also provide more detailed information regarding the changes highlighted for your convenience below.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ARRI and AbelCine do not recommend installing the new update in the middle of a production.

False Color Mode

False Color to show exposure levels based on monitoring processing or based on Log C.

NOTE: The activation of this is global and will be valid for all monitor outputs, in case you are using a Director's monitor or other on-set field reference monitor.

Viewfinder Gamma Option

Gamma options Standard (SUP4) and Lifted (SUP5)

User Buttons for Audio Gain Control

User buttons (increase/decrease) to control audio gain of audio channel 1 or audio channels 1+2 simultaneously

NOTE: With channel control set to AUTO, the user buttons are non-functional.

Green Tally for Multicam Mode

Support of green tally command via Telnet or Camera Access Protocol (CAP). This displays a green tally overlay in the viewfinder, on your viewfinder monitor, and on SDI processed outputs.

Support of new Recording Media

• SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 128GB (SDCFSP-128G-xxxD)
• SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 256GB (SDCFSP-256G-xxxD)
• SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 512GB (K2.0016648)**

**NOTE: SanDisk Extreme Pro CFast 2.0 512GB with a special firmware for ARRI will be available in 2018