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ARRI Delivers a Knockout With Its First Large Format Camera System

By Logan Baker

Published: February 02, 2018

Once again, ARRI is making waves in the industry with the announcement of their new native 4K, large-format camera system.

Top image via ARRI.

Today at the BSC Expo in London, ARRI unveiled their next step in camera and filmmaking innovation with the announcement of their new large-format camera system that is accessible while still pushing industry boundaries. The new addition will be a welcome option instead of the usual upscaling from 2.6K to 4K. Unlike the ALEXA 65, the new ALEXA LF aims to be much more accessible to working DPs. Let’s take a look at what these industry leaders have released into the wild.

ALEXA LF

ARRI Delivers a Knockout With Its First Large Format Camera System — Alexa LF
Image via ARRI.

Featuring a large-format sensor slightly bigger than full frame, ALEXA LF records native 4K with ARRI’s best overall image quality. Filmmakers can explore a large-format aesthetic while retaining the ALEXA sensor’s natural colorimetry, pleasing skin tones and proven suitability for HDR and WCG workflows. Different sensor modes cover any deliverable requirement and versatile recording formats-including efficient ProRes and uncompressed, unencrypted ARRIRAW up to 150 fps-provide total flexibility.

With this insane new sensor, ARRI is releasing 16 ARRI Signature Prime lenses — 12mm all the way up to 280mm. These will be fitted for the new ARRI LPL mount.

ARRI Delivers a Knockout With Its First Large Format Camera System — ARRI Lenses
Image via ARRI.

ARRI is also offering a new lens mount:

The new LPL lens mount has a wider diameter and shorter flange focal depth, allowing the ARRI Signature Primes and all future large-format lenses to be small and lightweight, with a fast T-stop and pleasing bokeh-a combination of features that would not be possible with the PL lens mount. The LPL mount will also be available for other ARRI cameras and is being licensed to third-party lens and camera manufacturers.

Though the new lens mount and lens system is far superior to anything they’ve put out in the past, the new mount will still be compatible with previous PL mounts and other ARRI accessories.

ARRI provided a few working cinematographers early access to the new gear to see what they thought. The interviews and video clips are available here.

Here are some specs:

4448 x 3096 recording (native 4.5K)
Electronic rolling shutter, 5.0º – 358.0º
Weight — 7.8kg/17.2 lbs
62mm LPL Lens Mount
Recording Codecs — QuickTime/ProRes (422, 422 HQ, 4444 & 4444 XQ)