Arri Announces Alexa 35 Base
The new entry model can be upgraded with an array of licenses that can be installed for seven days, 30 days, one year or permanently.
Arri has introduced the Alexa 35 Base, an entry model that offers a core feature set that can be upgraded via temporary or permanent licenses. The existing Alexa 35, with all its software-based features, will now be known as the Alexa 35 Premium.
In tandem with the release of the Base model, Codex will introduce the Compact Drive Express 1TB, which has the same write speeds and fps range as the Compact Drive 1TB but costs about 40 percent less. Recording only ProRes and identified by a white ring, the Compact Drive Express will be included in Alexa 35 Base sales sets.
In terms of hardware, the Alexa 35 Base is identical to the Premium model apart from a blue jog wheel that will help identify Base cameras at rental houses. Both models feature the same Super 35 sensor, 17 stops of dynamic range and Reveal Color Science.
The core features of the Base model include ProRes recording up to 60 fps in 4K 16:9 and other formats, Arri Look File (CDL and 3D LUT) support, Enhanced Sensitivity modes up to EI 6,400, and three independent 10-bit monitoring outputs in SDR and HDR color spaces.
Arri’s new, flexible feature-licensing concept enables users to unlock specialist and high-end features whenever they need them. Each license can be installed for seven days, 30 days, one year or permanently. The five individual licenses are: “120 fps” for higher frame rates; “ArriRaw” for uncompressed image quality; “Open Gate/Anamorphic” for the full 4.6K sensor area and anamorphic modes; “Pre-record” for up to 20 seconds of buffered pre-recording before the record button is pressed; and “Look” for in-camera Arri Textures, the Arri Look Library and Custom Color Management. With these five licenses installed, a Base becomes as fully featured as the Premium model. There is also a temporary or permanent Premium License that combines all five individual licenses in a cost-effective bundle. License purchases are no longer restricted to the camera owner, so productions can pay for them as well.
The Alexa 35 Base is available in a choice of eight sets that all bring accessory savings, grouped within three categories: Base Entry Sets, Base Operator Sets and Base Production Sets. The Entry Sets offer the most affordable way to acquire a lightweight, ready-to-shoot camera package; owner-operators and sports productions will be drawn to the Operator Sets; and the Production Sets are suited to high-end narrative productions and include accessories that would come as standard from a rental house.
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