Alexa Mini timing suggest C300 Mk II announcement at NAB

[Andrew Reid]

Due to feedback from filmmakers in favour of smaller cameras Arri has introduced the Mini – but the timing is very interesting.

We are just over 1 month away from NAB in early April. The Alexa Mini is still a prototype and it isn’t due to ship until May. Clearly in the long term development process of this camera Arri aimed for NAB 2015 – so why rush out an announcement and a rough looking prototype at BVE in February?

This is the clearest signal yet that new Cinema EOS cameras are coming at NAB and Arri wanted to avoid having their announcement drowned out by a glut of other cameras.

So let’s look ahead just 1 month and predict what the C300 Mark II will look like…And whether a new 4K DSLR is coming from Canon too.

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[Jimmy]

I doubt Arri even care about RED, let alone Canon. The reason they announced it now is they simply don't need to make waves at NAB. The Mini will likely be the most rented camera ever.

That's not to say the C300 mkII isn't happening though. It has to happen.... and I have a feeling it will be good.

[Greg R Greenhaw]

I think canon needs to achieve a much higher dynamic range now as well. I think that is a major factor in why arri dominated the oscars.

Another factor that makes the arri sensor look better is its ability to clearly distinguish colors variations. See this article comparing red dragon,epic and alexa. 
When shoot a chart with the red epic the vector scope shows the points with much more color smear than the alexa. A smeared color patch means that hues along that smear will all look the same. There won’t be much subtlety between hues.

http://www.dvinfo.net/article/ultra-hd/dragon-color-does-tungsten-or-daylight-make-a-difference.html

 

[douglaurent]

the future product upgrade path most likely will be:

C300 2:  4K but only 30fps and other limits

C500 2:  4K and full options

1DC 2:  might never come.  4K and some video improvements will be part of a 1DX 2 in later 2016.

5D4:  will be the first cheap dslr that features 4K, but with limitations compared to the 1DC.

this means again:  you can always get any feature from canon in their products, but you will not get all features for a cheap price or in one product.

 

 

[richg101]

I think If I were Arri I wouldn't even bother with NAB just to make a point.  

 

Damn, If I was in the position to be taking out finance on an executive car, I;d sooner get finance for an alexa mini as a business asset, however buying cameras is a mugs game the way things are going.  The guys buying red dragons to shoot corporate dross in a cinematic way without even thinking about price can now spend their money on an Arri - and I imagine a lot will.    

[Tim Naylor - DP]

 

When shoot a chart with the red epic the vector scope shows the points with much more color smear than the alexa. A smeared color patch means that hues along that smear will all look the same. There won’t be much subtlety between hues.

http://www.dvinfo.net/article/ultra-hd/dragon-color-does-tungsten-or-daylight-make-a-difference.html

 

​Great article. It pretty much sums up why Arri dominates episodic TV, commercials and movies. The mini will be a hit as productions won't be compelled to using an inferior chip for drone and gimbal work. Sure its 3.2k but at the end of the day it'll always be flesh tones over rez. After reading the article I'd be curious as to how Sony FS7, 5/55 square up in the vectorscope test. When I've done comparative tests, Sony has always come dead last in color chart/fleshtone accuracy.

[Simon Bailey]

 

5D4:  will be the first cheap dslr that features 4K, but with limitations compared to the 1DC.

​I can't imagine how they could limit a 5D4 more than a 1DC already is. 

[MattH]

If the c300 mk2 does 4k internally then the c500 mk2 will have to be announced simultaneously because the c500 will have been completely out specced.

Maybe its still possible that the c300 mk2 will only give 1080p but now with 10 bit option.  And with 4k output but only at 8 bit.  60p in both but nothing more.

Then the c500 mk2 would have internal 10 bit 4k, and High speed 1080p options.

I wouldn't be surprised if this happened. 

[Ed_David]

I think they just wanted to be used more in smaller rigs - the last frontier for Alexa - to become ubiquitous.  Arri successfully went from film to digital, unlike any other camera maker I know.

[Tmfilmpro]

I can´t see why an Arri announcement should be the "clearest signal yet" for a C300 update, but otherwise your analysis is very plausible. I was surprised and disappointed that nothing happened last year...

I watched "Need for Speed" yesterday just because I wanted to see more C500 footage from big productions. Pretty good, although I have to admit that many of the daylight shots filmed on Alexa looked even better. 

Personally I feel not really in the mood for Sony yet, especially I doubt that a 7000.- sony camera like the FS7 can have the colour accuracy of a Canon C500 which can almost be had for about the same price used and with Shogun. I´m just not impressed by the test footage on vimeo from the FS7, and the official introduction video did not even have a proper grade (I´m sure they forgot about the delogging). On the other hand I ordered a very early C300 immediately after the first good demos. 

The battery life of the C300 is just stunning, I´d never ever go back to less, let alone bulky V-mount batteries and the need to lug around generators when going on field trips.

So, I´m keeping my fingers crossed for the C300/C500 Mk2. 

I hope and I´m quite sure Canon will not offer Full Frame models, as NOBODY in the professional field would give a damn. Just use a F2.8 instead of F4.

[johnoloco]

When was the last time you saw more than 5% of a feature film in slow motion?. These amateurish morons think high frame rates and 4k should be at the top of the list, please. I want a professional video camera to shoot 24p(required for DCP). Give me global shutter, and proper ergonomics, top it with a good codec and improve your color science.

[Simon Bailey]

When was the last time you saw more than 5% of a feature film in slow motion?. These amateurish morons think high frame rates and 4k should be at the top of the list, please. I want a professional video camera to shoot 24p(required for DCP). Give me global shutter, and proper ergonomics, top it with a good codec and improve your color science.

​Where did you get the idea that everyone is shooting feature films?? Feature films are a small part of the production industry. The majority of cameras are used in commercial and corporate projects. Areas where slow-motion and 4K are very desired (not necessarily for 4K delivery). 

It doesn't make us morons or amateurs.

[mtheory]

This confusion comes from the fact that C stands for Cinema while the cameras are actually specced for TV production. To me, a true Cinema camera would have had RAW recording as one of the primary features, the way Digital Bolex, Blackmagic, Kinemini, RED and Alexa cameras do.