LARGE FORMAT | GEAR GROUP
LARGE IT Large format cinematography is in its infancy but these cameras are at the forefront of the new techniques
WORDS JULI AN M ITCHELL
ALEXA 65 ARRI Rental
ARRI ARRI LF
Canon EOS C700 FF
Verdict TV drama is also picking up on the Alexa 65, even if the full sensor isn’t always used. There are now also enough large format lenses suited for this huge sensor. remarkable camera. It has this giant sensor that delivers exquisite picture detail. Not sharper, just more detailed. I don’t really care about the number of pixels – I care about their quality. The Alexas are quite large, which allows for this tremendous breadth of colour and dynamic range. They call the camera ASA 800, but I think it is so much more than that.” ARRI’s Alexa 65 is the original large format cinema camera, initially produced by ARRI to help rejuvenate the appeal of going to the cinema with its widescreen 65mm aesthetic and sensor size. But could ARRI have dreamed of the success that the camera has had since then? As of the end of 2017, 48 major movie productions have used the camera for main unit cinematography; movies such as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald , Han Solo: A Star Wars Story , Avengers: Infinity War and Bohemian Rhapsody . In fact Newton Thomas Sigel, DOP of that Queen biopic, commented, “The Alexa 65 is a
ARRI’s LF camera answered questions from companies like Netflix and Amazon who demand 4K HDR. Now we wait to the see the results. Verdict way to achieving that beautiful three- dimensional rendering of medium format stills cameras that I also love to shoot on.” Introduced to the market in March this year, ARRI’s LF camera was the missing piece in their camera line-up – this is a true 4K camera, with a sensor that is slightly bigger than full frame (commonly referred to as ‘large format’ cinematography). The German company now has cameras to cover 2K, 4K and 6K resolutions. This larger ALEXA LF sensor has the same optimal pixel size as other ALEXAs, resulting in a 4448x3096 image. The first Australian television commercial captured with an ALEXA LF has been shot by DP Stefan Duscio for Target. Explaining his choice of camera, Duscio said, “I’d seen test images of the ALEXA LF matched with their Signature Primes and believed it would be a perfect fit for fashion and beauty work. I think the introduction of larger sensor cameras like the ALEXA LF and ALEXA 65 go some
The Canon EOS C700 FF is Canon’s drama camera with a choice of EF or PL mounts. A sensor ratio of 17:9 encourages anamorphics. Verdict Netflix production: “For portraiture and people, the full frame look is stupendous. Obviously, if you’re doing CG work you just have more sensor size to play with as well, and ultimately more resolution. “We went full frame with Canon CN-E primes, then for Super35 shooting we used the Canon 30-300 zoom lenses.” Earlier this year, Canon took the C700 body and electronics and added a brand new full frame sensor, with a 17:9 ratio. This is their first full frame cinematography camera. For existing C700 owners, you could and still can send your camera back to your Canon service centre and have the S35 sensor swapped out for the FF one. The camera records a 5.9k image and downsamples to 4K, but you can also record 5.9K Raw direct to the optional CODEX recorder, recording up to 60fps. DOP and company owner Jonathan Jones of Ember Films recently used an FF to shoot a trailer for a possible
SENSOR SIZE PIXEL PEEPING
54.12x25.58MM
SENSOR SIZE PIXEL PEEPING
36.7x25.54MM
SENSOR SIZE PIXEL PEEPING
38.1x20.1MM
14+ STOPS 6560x3100
4448x3096
5952x3140
LATITUDE
LATITUDE
14+ STOPS
LATITUDE
15 STOPS
DECEMBER 20 1 8 | DEF I N I T ION 47
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