The Arri Alexa (stylised as ΛLEXΛ) is a digital motion picture camera system developed by

Arri The Arri Group () is a German manufacturer of motion picture film equipment. Based in Munich, the company was founded in 1917. It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production equipment. Hermann Simon menti ...

. First introduced in April 2010, the camera was Arri's first major transition into

digital cinematography : Digital cinematography is the process of capturing (recording) a motion picture using digital image sensors rather than through film stock. As digital technology has improved in recent years, this practice has become dominant. Since the mid- ...

after previous efforts such as the

Arriflex D-20 {{short description, American digital motion picture camera The Arriflex D-20 is a film-style digital motion picture camera made by Arri first introduced in November 2005. The camera's attributes are its optical viewfinder, modularity, and 35m ...

and D-21. Alexa cameras are designed for use in feature films, television shows, and commercials. Alexa uses the ALEV series of image sensors manufactured by

ON Semiconductor onsemi (stylized in lowercase; legally ON Semiconductor Corporation; formerly ON Semiconductor until August 5, 2021) is an American semiconductor supplier company, based in Phoenix, Arizona and ranked #483 on the 2022 ''Fortune'' 500 based on it ...

Overview

The Alexa camera system introduced their Log-C

imaging science Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's form; especially a visual representation (i.e., the formation of an image). Imaging technology is the application of materials and methods to create, preserve, or duplicate images. ...

as a digital negative to make

digital cinema Digital cinema refers to adoption of digital technology within the film industry to distribute or project motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of reels of motion picture film, such as 35 mm film. Whereas film reels have to b ...

images process like scanned film images. The camera has several methods of recording, including SxS cards, CFast 2.0 cards and SXR Capture Drives at resolutions up to 3424 × 2202 pixels in either Rec. 709 HD Video

color space A color space is a specific organization of colors. In combination with color profiling supported by various physical devices, it supports reproducible representations of colorwhether such representation entails an analog or a digital represent ...

or Log-C to

ProRes Apple ProRes is a high quality, "visually lossless" lossy video compression format developed by Apple Inc. for use in post-production that supports video resolution up to 8K. It is the successor of the Apple Intermediate Codec and was introduced ...

or ARRIRAW codecs. The Alexa camera offers additional optional

software license A software license is a legal instrument (usually by way of contract law, with or without printed material) governing the use or redistribution of software. Under United States copyright law, all software is copyright protected, in both source ...

s that unlock different capabilities of the Alexa Camera including High Speed 120fps recording, DNxHD codec and 4:3 "Open Gate" Mode for anamorphic lenses. The Alexa camera system includes modularity,

PL mount The Arri Group () is a German manufacturer of motion picture film equipment. Based in Munich, the company was founded in 1917. It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production equipment. Hermann Simon (manag ...

lenses, a

Super 35 Super 35 (originally known as Superscope 235) is a motion picture film format that uses exactly the same film stock as standard 35 mm film, but puts a larger image frame on that stock by using the space normally reserved for the optical anal ...

sized

CMOS sensor An active-pixel sensor (APS) is an image sensor where each pixel sensor unit cell has a photodetector (typically a pinned photodiode) and one or more active transistors. In a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) active-pixel sensor, MOS field-effec ...

shooting up to 3424×2202 resolution and supports

uncompressed video Uncompressed video is digital video that either has never been compressed or was generated by decompressing previously compressed digital video. It is commonly used by video cameras, video monitors, video recording devices (including general-pur ...

or proprietary

raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

(ARRIRAW) codec. The price of the camera depends on model and accessories; as an example in 2015 an Arri Alexa XT cost approximately $66,000-100,000, depending on accessories included.

Model range

The range of Alexa models has expanded over time:

Alexa

The Alexa, announced in April 2010, was the first camera released of the product family. The Alexa's CMOS Super-35mm sensor is rated at 2.8K and ISO 800. That sensitivity allows the camera to see a full seven stops of over exposure and another seven stops of underexposure. To take advantage of this, ARRI offers both industry-standard REC709 HD video output as well as the Log-C mode that shows the entire range of the chip's sensitivity, allowing for an extreme range of color correction options in post.

Alexa Plus (4:3)

The Alexa Plus added integrated wireless remote control, the ARRI Lens Data System (LDS), additional outputs, lens synchronization for 3D, and built-in position and motion sensors and a 4:3 sensor making it ideal for anamorphic cinematography.

Alexa M

The Alexa M had its imaging and processing unit broken down in two parts to be small, compact and lightweight for 3D rigs and other uses where size is a concern. A special version of the Alexa M, called the Alexa SXT-M, was created for '' Gemini Man''.

Alexa Studio

The Alexa Studio features an optical viewfinder, mechanical shutter, and a 4:3 sensor for anamorphic cinematography.

Alexa XT

In February 2013, the range was renewed as Alexa XT (XT standing for extended technology). This range is upgraded versions of the original Alexa cameras, which are equipped with a so-called XR module, which replaces the SxS module on the cameras, and allows direct raw recording without the need for an external recorder. This module records on dedicated SSDs. Further improvements are an internal

ND filter In photography and optics, a neutral-density filter, or ND filter, is a filter that reduces or modifies the intensity of all wavelengths, or colors, of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. It can be a colorless (clear) or ...

unit, a 4:3 sensor, an Open Gate sensor mode, and a quieter cooling fan. The range accordingly comprises the Alexa, the Alexa XT, the Alexa XT M, the Alexa XT Plus, the Alexa XT Studio, and the Alexa Fiber Remote. Existing cameras can be upgraded with the XR module for internal raw recording.

Alexa 65

On 21 September 2014 at the

Cinec CINEC Campus is Sri Lanka's private institute of higher education. It is registered as a private limited liability company under the Companies Act. It is also the largest maritime educational training facility approved by the Directorate of Merch ...

convention in Munich, Arri announced the Alexa 65, a 6K 65mm digital cinema camera. As with cameras from competitor

Panavision Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company founded in 1953 specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during ...

, the Alexa 65 camera was available by rental only, provided through the ARRI Rental Group. The Alexa 65 uses the A3X sensor, composed of three vertical ALEV III sensors, which has a maximum recordable resolution of 6560x3100. The first production to use the camera was '' Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation'', which was used to shoot the underwater sequence, and around forty percent of '' The Revenant''. In May 2015,

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

announced that '' Avengers: Infinity War'' and '' Avengers: Endgame'' will be shot entirely with the brand new camera, marking the first time a narrative feature film was shot entirely with a customized version of the Alexa 65 camera, Alexa IMAX 3D, as the camera had only been used to film specific scenes in '' Captain America: Civil War''.

Alexa Mini

On 24 February 2015, Arri announced the Alexa Mini. It has the same sensor as the other Alexa cameras. It features in-camera recording to CFast 2.0 cards, 200 FPS and 4K UHD in-camera upscaling.

Alexa SXT

On 18 March 2015, Arri announced the SXT line of Arri Alexa cameras which will support in-camera upscaling of

Apple ProRes Apple ProRes is a high quality, "visually lossless" lossy video compression format developed by Apple Inc. for use in post-production that supports video resolution up to 8K. It is the successor of the Apple Intermediate Codec and was introduced ...

to 4K resolution and

Rec. 2020 ITU-R Recommendation BT.2020, more commonly known by the abbreviations Rec. 2020 or BT.2020, defines various aspects of ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV) with standard dynamic range (SDR) and wide color gamut (WCG), including picture ...

color space. Arri also announced the SXR module which can upgrade XT, XT Plus, and XT Studio cameras with the SXT features.

Alexa LF

On 2 February 2018, Arri announced the Alexa LF at the BSC Expo. It is a 4K Large Format Camera. The Alexa LF's A2X sensor is based on two vertical ALEV III sensors, which are stitched together to create a seamless

large format Large format refers to any imaging format of or larger. Large format is larger than "medium format", the or size of Hasselblad, Mamiya, Rollei, Kowa, and Pentax cameras (using 120- and 220-roll film), and much larger than the frame o ...

image. This is the same principle that was used to create the Alexa 65, which uses three Alexa sensors that are arranged vertically. The Alexa LF can record in Open Gate in a resolution of 4448 × 3096.

Alexa Mini LF

On 28 March 2019, Arri announced the Alexa Mini LF, which houses the same sensor as the Alexa LF inside a camera body similar to the Alexa Mini. Additional improvements over the Alexa Mini include an improved EVF (MVF-2) with larger flip-out monitor and power outputs for camera accessories. The camera also features a new Codex recording module, which accepts 1TB Codex Compact Drives. It was ARRI's top-selling camera prior to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Alexa 35

On May 31, 2022, Arri announced the Alexa 35. It is based on a Super 35 ALEV 4 sensor, Arri's first new sensor for the Alexa family since the release of the first model in 2010. The sensor is sized 27.99 x 19.22 mm and records at a resolution of 4608 × 3164 with 17 stops of dynamic range.

Sensors

The ALEV III sensor debuted in the first Alexa model in 2010. It has 3424×2202

effective pixels Image resolution is the detail an image holds. The term applies to digital images, film images, and other types of images. "Higher resolution" means more image detail. Image resolution can be measured in various ways. Resolution quantifies how cl ...

used for generating an image. 2880×2160 pixels are generally used for recording on the Alexa Studio and M in 4:3 mode, and 2880×1620 pixels are used for recording on the regular Alexa and other models in 16:9 mode. The rest of the sensor is used for looking around in the viewfinder. Alternatively, the full sensor resolution may be employed in 'Open Gate' mode for resolution-demanding situations. It has a native

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

of 800 and records 14.5 stops of

dynamic range Dynamic range (abbreviated DR, DNR, or DYR) is the ratio between the largest and smallest values that a certain quantity can assume. It is often used in the context of signals, like sound and light. It is measured either as a ratio or as a base-1 ...

. The Alexa LF and Alexa Mini LF use the A2X sensor, composed of two vertical ALEV III sensors, which has a 36.70mm × 25.54mm active imaging area. It provides up to 4448×3096 maximum recordable resolution. ARRI Alexa-Plus Digital Cinema Camera

The Alexa 65 uses the A3X sensor, composed of three vertical ALEV III sensors, which has a 54.12 mm × 25.59 mm active imaging area. It provides up to 6560×3102 'Open Gate' maximum recordable resolution. The ALEV 4 sensor debuted in 2022 with the release of the Alexa 35. It is sized at 27.99 x 19.22 mm and records at a resolution of 4608 × 3164 with 17 stops of dynamic range.

Recording media

The Arri Alexa can record to 1920×1080 ProRes 422 or ProRes 4444 on

SxS SxS (S-by-S) is a flash memory standard compliant to the Sony and SanDisk-created ExpressCard standard. According to Sandisk and Sony, the cards have transfer rates of 800 Mbit/s and burst transfer rate of up to 2.5 Gbit/s over the ExpressCard's ...

Cards or 2880×1620 ARRIRAW to external recording devices. The Arri Alexa Firmware 7 increases the resolution on the SxS cards to 2k ProRes 4444 (previously 1080p)

ArriRaw

ArriRaw is a

codec similar to

CinemaDNG CinemaDNG is the result of an Adobe-led initiative to define an industry-wide open file format for digital cinema files.Adobe Press ReleaseAdobe Starts Initiative to Develop Open Format for Digital Cinema Files CinemaDNG caters for sets of movie cl ...

that contains unaltered

Bayer sensor A Bayer filter mosaic is a color filter array (CFA) for arranging RGB color filters on a square grid of photosensors. Its particular arrangement of color filters is used in most single-chip digital image sensors used in digital cameras, camco ...

information. The data stream from the camera can be recorded via T-link with certified recorders like those from

Codex Digital Codex Digital creates digital production workflow tools for motion pictures, commercials, independent films, and TV productions. Codex products include recorders and media processing systems that transfer digital files and images from the camer ...

or Cineflow.

Reception

According to cinematographer

Roger Deakins Sir Roger Alexander Deakins (born 24 May 1949) is an English cinematographer, best known for his collaborations with directors the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes and Denis Villeneuve. Deakins has been admitted to both the British Society of Cinema ...

, Alexa's tonal range,

, and latitude exceed the capabilities of shooting in

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. "This camera has brought us to a point where digital is simply better", says Deakins.American Cinematographer: Time Bandit
The ASC. Retrieved 7 June 2012. Deakins used the camera to shoot ''

In Time ''In Time'' is a 2011 American science fiction action film written, directed and produced by Andrew Niccol. Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake star as inhabitants of a society which uses time from one's lifespan as its primary currency, with ...

'', the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film ''

Skyfall ''Skyfall'' is a 2012 spy film and the twenty-third in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. The film is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and features Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the villai ...

'', ''

Prisoners A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

'', '' Unbroken'', '' Sicario'', '' The Goldfinch'', ''

Empire of Light ''Empire of Light'' is a 2022 romantic drama film written and directed by Sam Mendes. The film stars Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Monica Dolan, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Hannah Onslow, Crystal Clarke, Toby Jones, and Colin Firth. ''Empire o ...

'', and the

Academy Award for Best Cinematography The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work on one particular motion picture. History In its first film season, 1927–28, this award (like others such as the acting awards) ...

winners ''

Blade Runner 2049 ''Blade Runner 2049'' is a 2017 American neo-noir science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. A sequel to the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'', the film stars Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, w ...

'' and ''

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

''. The Alexa is the dominant camera in the professional film industry, and was used as the primary system on over 70% of the top 100 grossing films since 2016. Since its introduction, eight movies shot on Alexa (''

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...

'', '' Birdman'', ''

Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...

'', ''

Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...

'', ''

The Shape of Water ''The Shape of Water'' is a 2017 romantic fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer ...

'', '' Green Book'', ''

Parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

'', and ''

Nomadland ''Nomadland'' is a 2020 American drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book '' Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century'' by Jessica Bruder, it stars Frances McDormand ...

'') won an

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

. Also, movies shot on Alexa won

ten times, including five in a row between 2011 and 2015, for ''

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on a ...

'', ''

Life of Pi ''Life of Pi'' is a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, India who explores issues of spirituality and metaphysics from an early age. He s ...

'', ''

Gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

'', '' Birdman'', '' The Revenant'', ''

'', ''

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

''.

Similar cameras

* Arriflex D-20 and D-21 * Panavision Genesis, released in 2005 * RED Digital *

Sony CineAlta , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

* Panasonic VariCam *

Blackmagic URSA The Blackmagic URSA is a digital movie camera developed and manufactured by Blackmagic Design, released on August 8, 2014. It is the first camera to be user-upgradeable for additional equipment manufactured by Blackmagic and other third-party make ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.arri.com/
Frameline Generator Advanced , FLAG
– free web tool for creating highly customized framelines for the ALEXA and AMIRA family of digital cameras
metavisor
– free browser viewer for Arri Raw metadata Cameras introduced in 2010 Digital movie cameras Film and video technology