At the IBC show in Amsterdam back in September, ARRI made a huge splash unveiling the AMIRA, which has the same 16:9 sensor as some of the higher-end ALEXA cinema cameras. While the AMIRA is an ENG-style camera marketed towards documentary filmmakers by the company, the possibilities for its use certainly don't stop there. The promise of ALEXA image quality in a cheaper rental package is certainly enticing, but what if you want to own one of your own? Click through for some pricing information that has finally been revealed.
[Update 2]: The base price for the three different camera tiers is $40,000, $45,000, and $52,000 in the US. Full packages for those tiers depending on what you get will be $50,000, $58,000, and $66,000.
[Update]: ARRI has issued a press release with some pricing information for the US (thanks to AbelCine). It looks like instead of being cheaper in the States, it's actually going to cost more. The basic AMIRA package is going to start at $40,000, and then presumably cost close to (or more than) $50,000 for the highest spec package. It's worth noting since it was not mentioned below, that these software licenses for more functions can also be rented, so if you owned the base package, you could likely rent licenses when you need them for specific projects.
As a refresher, here are the specs, followed by the product demo from ARRI:
- Super 35mm 16:9 Sensor (Same Exact Sensor as Other 16:9 ALEXAs)
- 2K/1080 Rec 709/Log C using ProRes LT, 422, 422HQ, or 444 codecs
- Up to 200fps
- Records to CFast 2.0 (New Compact Flash card standard)
- 1280 x 1024 OLED Viewfinder and Separate LCD Monitor
- Internal ND filters
- 4-Channel PCM Audio: 48KHz 24-bit
- Selectable 3D LUTs can be recorded
- Aimed at Documentary, TV Magazines, Trailers, Corporate, Factuals, Live Events
- Interchangeable Lens Mounts: PL, PL Broadcast, B4, and Canon EF
CVP Group tweeting the details of the pricing options for the AMIRA:
25,980, 28,980, and 32,980 Euros is obviously the price for Europe, but if that's translated directly to American dollars, what would it look like?
$35,444, $39,537, $44,994 for the three different packages.
Now, as we know, prices don't always work like this, and often cameras can end up being more expensive in Europe even accounting for exchange rates. It's unclear if this will be the case with the AMIRA, but if it is, these prices may end up being a little less in the US (or maybe quite a bit less).
The AMIRA does have a lot going for it that the lower-end ALEXAs do not have, including built-in ND filters and full audio controls. What you lose with the AMIRA package is the ability to shoot any higher than 2K (and you're going to pay the most if you want that 2K and high frame rates), and also the ability to record RAW. For the market this camera is aimed at, neither of those things are really an issue, but it's something to keep in mind if you were considering using it on all sorts of different projects.
It will be interesting how a camera like the ALEXA HD fits into all of this, but it could very well be that ARRI sees them as completely separate markets even though they aren't too different in pricing. It has been stated that the sensor in the AMIRA is the same one found in the 16:9 ALEXA, but it has also been mentioned by ARRI people that the processors inside differ, so final image quality may not be exactly the same.
It's worth noting again that this kind of gear is a rental for the vast majority, but the price of the camera does affect how much it's going to cost to rent. Either way, I think it's clear that ARRI isn't really interested in trying to be the lowest cost option out there, even among the highest end of cinema and TV. First and foremost for them are usability and image quality -- and it's hard to argue with that philosophy when the company has pretty much ruled the Oscars this year.
We'll update if this information changes, and will add US pricing when it is official.
Links:
[via CVP Group Twitter]
