We did not have the beginning of December penciled in as a time when major cinema camera brands might announce a major new camera, but here we are. In the middle of the busy holiday season, ARRI has made a surprise announcement of a new small and lightweight ALEXA 265 camera which is set to revolutionize 65mm cinematography.
Roughly one-third the size and weight of the ALEXA 65, this light and compact model is set to feature a revised 65mm sensor which will bring higher dynamic range and sensitivity. The camera itself comes directly from feedback from ARRI 65 shooters and aims to incorporate many of the same LogC4 workflows and REVEAL Color Science technologies, along with some new filter systems and an overall more compact design.
Let’s take a look at this intriguing new camera and its 65mm cinematography possibilities.
Introducing the ARRI ALEXA 265
ARRI ALEXA 265
ARRI
Featuring a more compact size, this new ARRI ALEXA 265 is based on the similarly-compact ALEXA 35, yet still manages to contain a sensor roughly three times as large. The entire camera form is only 4mm longer and 11mm wider than the ALEXA 35, which allows it to achieve a lightweight that is one-third that of the ALEXA 65.
Crammed into this smaller body are plenty of advanced technologies though as ARRI reports that the camera will still be able to take advantage of ARRI’s latest cooling and power management features. This means that shooters will be able to treat this smaller camera similar to their other more versatile options and put it into motion and even flight.
ARRI also shares that this ALEXA 265 will feature some improvements over the ALEXA 35 as well in terms of boot-up time and power draw, yet will still feature compatibility with all of the ALEXA 35 accessories that you might have already considered for your rigging options.
An Increase in Dynamic Range
Perhaps most impressive about this new ALEXA 265 are its improvements over the ALEXA 65 not just in size, but also in many functions. For filmmakers wanting to retain the 6.5K resolution and large pixel pitch, ARRI has kept those specs but also provided a brand-new and comprehensive revision of the 65mm sensor to increase the dynamic range from 14 to 15 stops.
The sensitivity is also increased from 3200 to 6400 EI (ISO/ASA) and the camera will be able to achieve crisper blacks, greater contrast, and an overall lower noise floor. The new-generation LogC4 workflow and 3D LUTs that we saw introduced for the ALEXA 35 will be shared with the ALEXA 265 as well and should shine with the camera’s ability to record ARRIRAW in-camera to the Codex Compact Drives used in all current ARRI cameras.
ARRI reports that standard drive readers and docks will still be able to be used along with Codex HDE (High-Density Encoding) which should help reduce file sizes by up to 40% without diminishing image quality. Shooters can also use on-set monitors that can be set up in HD or UHD, displaying SDR or HDR, or both.
Price and Availability
ARRI ALEXA 265
ARRI
As of right now ARRI has not yet announced pricing for this new ALEXA 265 or an exact release date beyond being told it’s going to be sometime in “early 2025”. However, if you’d like to keep tabs on this new camera you can check out its product page on ARRI’s website here.