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Amira: is it a popular rental camera?


omar robles

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So I have a dilemma between choosing a more affordable ARRI AMIRA or going all out and getting a ALEXA MINI. I realize the mini is way more popular then the amira. However the mini is like three times more expensive. Also i hope to rent it out to get a little supplemental income on the side and I have been told by some DP friends that no one rents the amira. I was even told people prefer the way heavier ARRI ALEXA XT over the amira. Is this true why aren't people rushing for a more affordable option in the amira which has the same picture quality as the other cameras?

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You know Omar.. I would put alot less weight on what some DP friends are telling you.. you will get a different answer from all of them.. get whats good for what you want to shoot.. ..the people telling you they prefer the weight of the XT.. what do they mean.. as a door stop or hand holding .. no one rents Amira,s... ??? ..

 

You know the old joke.. how can you tell a cameraman at a party ... don't worry they will tell you straight away..

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The Amira is a great camera, and now that you can upgrade it to shoot Arriraw - it will keep up with anything else image quality wise. The only things you really lose out on is a 4:3 sensor (for anamorphic or the rare 4:3 spherical shoot), and camera controls on the assistant's side (when working with a crew).

That said, outside of the occasional documentary shoot, I haven't heard of many productions that rent them.

So if rental income is an important requirement for you, then the Mini is a no-brainer. It appears to be (comfortably) the single most popular camera in rental departments around the world.

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I know someone in Los Angeles who recently bought an Amira. He does what I interpret as quite a specific type of broadcast TV work, often involving names from the music industry, with high ambitions for look and feel. It makes sense for him; I understand it's been busy, but he would have known exactly what his clients wanted up front. I would gently suggest that if you don't know exactly what your clients want up front, or if you're hoping for clients to arrive once you've bought the thing, you may be on slightly shaky ground.

 

As a camera it's fine. It makes those pictures which are popular. It is also big and heavy, requires expensive lenses and upscale support equipment, and consumes lots of power (around 50W.) It's faster-booting than an Alexa - Arri docs say 13 seconds - but that's still pretty slow, to be honest, if you're going to be running around with it on a documentary.

 

People will laugh at this comparison, but Amira is a lot of money for a not-really-4K camera that only does 100fps up to 2K. The reality is that something like an Ursa Mini Pro is smaller, lighter, starts faster, shoots higher resolution and higher frame rates with higher sensitivity, has more media and codec options, controls more lenses, and has sundry other conveniences such as the shoulder kit which is very nicely done and removable to boot, and that's without even discussing the massive price difference. The only downside is the slightly more noticeable rolling shutter. Obviously, you won't persuade a certain level of client or make the same rental income with an Ursa, so I mention this only for the sake of highlighting the fact that Arri's much-vaunted sensor tech is starting to look a bit long in the tooth, technically.

 

That won't, and shouldn't, stop you buying an Amira as a business decision, but I think you should know what you're getting into.

 

P

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I wonder how much longer Arri are going to be flogging that sensor. I'm surprised they don't have a 4k+ S35mm size sensor yet. But it can't be much longer before they announce a new sensor. The LF Alexa feels like a stop gap. + Sony and Red are catching up/over taking on dynamic range/low light.

 

If I was buying an Alexa/Amira new now, I would have to have a business plan to recoup my investment quiet quickly. In case Arri announces a new sensor in the next year.

 

Or the other option is to wait for the next generation of sensor arrives and then pick up an Amira/Alexa cheap and happily shoot nice images.

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