At this week’s Cinec show in Munich ARRI revealed their new and oft rumored 6K camera, the Alexa 65.
The 6K equipped Alexa 65 is a “…complete large-format solution for high-end theatrical motion pictures…”, and is an enhanced version of ARRI’s Alexa XT camera. Its A3X CMOS sensor is the exact same as the one found in ARRI’s 35mm cameras, only obviously larger with its resolution of 6560 x 3102. The Alexa 65 comes with an XPL lens mount with the with the ARRI Lens Data System, letting you use the lenses wireslessly via remote control. Along those lines, ARRI has also released a series of 65mm one zoom and eight prime lenses for the Alexa 65, with the prime lenses ranging from 24mm to 300mm. Finally, it shoots in uncompressed ArriRaw (no option for ProRes) with a dynamic range of over 14 stops in up to 27fps, though an upgrade has been planned for the start of 2015 that will allow shooting up to 60fps.
While we’d usually list the price at this point in the story, however ARRI will not be selling the Alexa 65, only renting it through its rental chain, meaning prices could vary. Availability also seems up in the air right now, though ARRI will be holding a Los Angeles launch for the camera some time this October.
For more detailed info on the upcoming Alexa 65, check out the specs below, and be sure to visit ARRIRentalGroup.com/Alexa65.
Overview
| Camera type | 65 mm format digital cinema camera | |
| Sensor | ARRI A3X CMOS sensor | |
| Image aperture | 5-perf 65 mm (54.12 mm x 25.58 mm active image area) | |
| Sensor resolution | 6560 x 3102 (Open Gate – maximum recordable) | |
| Dimensions | Length: 387.8 mm | 15.3 in Width: 208.3 mm | 8.2 in Height: 163 mm | 6.4 in (body only with XPL mount) |
|
| Weight | 10.5 kg | 23.2 lb | |
| Lens mount | ARRI XPL mount with Lens Data System (LDS) functionality | |
| Shutter | Electronic, 5.0º to 358.0º. Adjustable with 1/10º precision. | |
| Frame rates | 20 to 27 fps (Open Gate) * | |
| Exposure index | EI 200 to EI 3200. Base sensitivity EI 800 | |
| Dynamic range | >14 stops |
Recording system
| Recording file format | Uncompressed ARRIRAW | |
| Recorder crop modes | 5-perf 65 mm (Open Gate, 1.78 extraction) 8-perf 35 mm (future) |
|
| Storage (type) | Codex XR Capture Drive * | |
| Storage (capacity) | 480 GByte capacity / 850 MByte per second data rate * | |
| Storage (recording time) | 11 minutes @ 24 fps |
System interfaces
| Viewfinder | Electronic color viewfinder ARRI EVF-1 | |
| BNC connectors | 4 x 3G SDI – MON (1) OUT: 2 x 3G SDI – MON (2) OUT: 2 x 3G SDI |
|
| SD card | For software updates and menu settings etc. as with ALEXA New high speed operating mode for fast ARRIRAW frame grabs (planned feature) |
|
| Miscellanous interfaces | Focus / iris / zoom motor control with full wireless lens control support 5 x RS 24 V 1 x 12 V TC I/O (5-pin Lemo) 1 x LDD 2 x LCS BAT and ACC connection |
Monitoring and playback
| Monitoring | 3 independent color outputs, all with optional overlays: EVF-1 OUT MON (1) OUT MON (1) OUT MON OUT assistive displays: Zoom, overscan, overlay info, frame lines, false color exposure check, peaking focus check |
|
| CDL | CDL server support is provided as ALEXA XT | |
| In-camera playback | Playback via EVF-1, HD-SDI MON OUT including audio |
* Upgrade planned for Q1/2015
