Another 1st: The Arri Alexa comes to Central Ohio!

Another 1st:
The Arri Alexa comes to Central Ohio!

I have never seen an avalanche of cameras like the one I have witnessed this year.  At Ohio HD Video we have added 9 new cameras to the inventory since the beginning of the year! From the  Panasonic’s AF-100,  Sony’s new PMW F3 CineAlta, Sony  FS100 and now the cherry on the top the Arri ALEXA.  Once again Ohio HD Video is proud to bring the most relevant gear in our industry to our local market.  The Arri ALEXA is becoming the most widely accepted camera used to acquire high-end digital images for commercials and features.  In addition to it’s amazing image quality, we are most excited about it’s potential to streamline the post-production workflow.  The ALEXA has three main post paths: Shoot to Edit (ProRes), Uncompressed HD and Uncompressed RAW. Each has its virtues and each is well supported today.


Perhaps most compelling for our market is its ability to shoot to SXS cards using two slots internal to the camera.  ALEXA calls it a Shoot to Edit workflow, which in the language of ARRI means finished video already compiled into a codec that can be loaded directly into an edit system for post. Currently, ALEXA uses ProRes in both 422 and 444 varieties. In compression quality, it is second only to master-level formats such as HDCAM SR. ProRes is a native format for Apple’s Final Cut Pro and can now also be used natively on the latest version of Avid Media Composer.

ALEXA records ProRes onto Sony SxS cards, the same compact and reliable media Sony uses for its XDCAM EX cameras. A 32GB SxS Pro card can hold about 20 minutes of ProRes 422 or 15 minutes of ProRes 4444.  Recording in ProRes, ALEXA is a compact and self-contained camera. The SxS cards can move directly from the camera to an edit system, and post work can begin immediately with no capturing or recompression.  This can cut hours from your post workflow and make the ALEXA a very affordable option for your next shoot.  Call us to arrange a time when we can show you all that this impressive camera has to offer or check out the Arri ALEXA web resources to learn more.  You can also check out Andy Shipsides, Able Cine blog on an ALEXA/FCP workflow.