The ARRI comparisons continue! Recently, we checked out the main differences between the ALEXA 35 and the ALEXA Mini LF – the two top choices in ARRI’s current cinema camera lineup. It’s time to get a little more in-depth by checking out the footage.
Filmmaker Blaine Westropp is delivering on that front with a side-by-side comparison of the two cameras. There are some differences in the results, both due to being different generations of tech and different formats.
However, I think it is safe to say that either the ALEXA 35 or ALEXA Mini LF will deliver top-of-the-line imagery for any project.
All settings were matched:
- ARRI 47mm Signature Prime at T1.8
- ARRIRAW
- Open Gate
- ISO 1600
Footage was captured one after the other for as close a match as possible.
Image Credit: ARRI
SOOC you can see that the shadows for both hold in the same spot. The ALEXA 35 does look darker at first glance but it does have a lot more highlight latitude.
To correct the footage he uses an ARRI LUT to bring the ALEXA 35 footage into Rec.709 and for the Mini LF he uses a color space transform to bring it from LogC3 to LogC4 and then uses the same LUT.
The footage was matched up as close as possible. There was also a series of shots where the ND filter was continually removed to overexpose the image and underexpose the subject.
This is where you can start seeing the extra information captured by the ALEXA 35. It is able to avoid clipping until being set to ND Clear even with the same settings while the Mini LF clips with a 0.6 ND still on.
Image Credit: ARRI
With another test you can see the ALEXA 35 is clearly holding onto extra details in the highlights even when the Mini LF is clipping.
The ALEXA Mini LF is still considered one of the best cameras around and the fact that ARRI has improved image quality in a key metric like dynamic range by a couple stops is incredible. You can’t go wrong with either, but the next-gen sensor and processing technology of the ALEXA 35 is amazing.
And as a side note, the fact that the ALEXA 35 can just take a battery on the back is a huge benefit.
What did you think of this comparison? It’s always fun to see new tech advancements.
[source: Blaine Westropp]
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