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ARRI ALEXA CLASSIC: newbie questions


omar robles

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Hello group:

 

So I am interested in possibly getting an arri alexa classic since they are somewhat affordable right now. However I have some basic questions I keep getting misleading information about.

 

1) Do you need to buy an ARRI RAW license to access the highest resolution of the camera? I own a Odyssey 7Q so i would be able to use to access the highest res.

 

2) If i plan to shoot anamorphic on the classic would I be able to desqueeze the image on the odyssey? Do you need a arri license to shoot anamorphic on the classic as the 4x3 license on the mini?

 

3) Image wise does the camera have the same look as the mini?

 

Thanks in advance

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Not all Alexas can shoot 4x3 or Open Gate, many have sensors where only the 2.8K 16x9 area is active because the outer area above and below did not pass QC. But Arriraw can be 2.8K, it does necessarily mean 3.4K Open Gate. 2K ProRes is a downsample from 2.8K.

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Also, the Odyssey 7Q apparently only supports 2.8K ARRIRAW 16x9, not 2.8K 4:3.

https://convergent-design.com/arri-alexa

 

Basically, the Alexa Classic is not the camera for you if you want to shoot anamorphic. See:

https://www.thevisionhouse.com.au/2014/01/alexa-classic-or-alexa-xt

 

I mean, you could shoot anamorphic in 2.8K 16x9 mode and deal with the lens image being cropped vertically and then having to crop horizontally in post to get back to a 2.40 image.

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If you're wanting to shoot anamorphic on a Classic, you'll either need an Alexa Plus 4:3 (with the anamorphic licence installed), or the Alexa Studio.

 

The Odyssey 7Q will record Arriraw in either 16x9 (up to 60fps) or in 4:3 (up to 48fps). You don't need a raw licence for the camera (the Classics output it natively), but you will need the raw licence for the Odyssey 7Q.

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Hi Omar, you can indeed shoot Anamorphic on the original Alexa Classic 16 x 9, without having the newer 4:3 sensor crop of the later models. Is it ideal? Nah... much better options at this point, however you can upgrade your Alexa Classic to do the 1.5x and 2x de-squeeze for the optical viewfinder and via mon-out. In 2.8K the results are not bad at all but these days, chopping up a 2.8K image is not ideal.

The ARRI Raw licence will naturally be included inside the Odyssey 7Q when you upgrade to the Raw + package, which has not only the ARRI Raw licence, but a number of others as well.

If you do get the Classic EV 16 x 9, you can certainly monitor the desqueeze with the paid ($500) upgrade but the 7Q might... do that for you. I prefer to always use the EVF however you might at least be able to just get a basic idea using the 7Q.

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