Gunleik,
looking forward to your comparison test results.
Harry,
of course there is a room for Alexa and any other camera too, no doubts.
"Before you decide to have sex you should know some facts."
Thread: MX vs Alexa
|
|
09-03-2010, 05:28 AM
Gunleik,
looking forward to your comparison test results.
Harry,
of course there is a room for Alexa and any other camera too, no doubts.
"Before you decide to have sex you should know some facts."
09-03-2010, 06:17 AM
I am definitely looking forward to seeing how the MX stands up in the tests compared to Alexa just for information's sake alone, but, in point of fact, Alexa will never be a possibility for us and little indie features. We just can't afford to buy one, and since we shoot over periods of about four months at a time, we certainly can't afford to rent one, either.
For better or worse, we're a RED shop for now. And we've got no complaints on that score at all.
:-)
Stephen
09-03-2010, 06:37 AM
My impression is that Alexa is focused on solving today's problems in a way that's comfortable for conservative producers/DPs. Meanwhile, Red is seriously questioning basic assumptions about how to design a camera, and in the process is inventing the future of cinema. This holds true across a wide range of areas:
- Resolution -- Epic's 5K vs. Alexa's 1080p (and 3K raw).
- Frame rate -- Epic's 120 fps vs. Alexa's 60.
- Controls -- Alexa's (supposedly very nice) button/menu system vs. Epic's touch screen and detachable wireless remote.
- Form factor -- Epic's modular system vs. Alexa's traditional cine form factor.
- Recording format -- Red's compressed on-board raw vs. Alexa's on-board ProRes or external uncompressed raw.
- Price -- Red seems to be pricing its cameras as the technology allows and shooting for volume, whereas Arri seems to be pricing more according to the traditional industry model of We have a small number of customers, and they have deep pockets -- what can we get away with charging them?
- Red's interest in autofocus, building electronic lenses, on-board HDR, the wirelessly accessible H.264 proxy module, etc.
I understand why some people want something like Alexa, but I certainly know which of these approaches I prefer....
09-03-2010, 08:55 AM
Great post; I second that opinion.Originally Posted by Chris Kenny
Three possible other factors to add, in deference to the Arri crowd:
- Latitude -- Some allege that Alexa has an edge here. From the chart post I looked at, the difference seems EXTREMELY minimal, but I look forward to more data here. And I also look forward to seeing Epic's HDR, which sounds like a huge advantage in the works for Red (but unclear how it might apply to R1-MX).
- Workflow -- Some allege that Alexa's workflow is head-and-shoulders above R3D. Common criticisms of R3D: "Oh my god, Red added new features that weren't magically supported by all the 3rd parties on the same day!" and "I insist on using legacy workflow X, and R3D should automagically fit into that instead of requiring me to change anything!". On the former point, Arri has just released Alexa (and it really is still Beta), so it's not clear whether they WILL offer new features at any point. If they do, they will undoubtedly encounter the same timing issues with 3rd parties (and if I know Arri, new features probably will not be free). On the latter point, Arri is generating a legacy format to appease those who fear change... marketing point to Arri (though it's been answered by Red to one extent with 264, and may be further answered with other modules the future). IMO, the native R3D support that is now available across Adobe, Avid, Assimilate, DaVinci, etc. makes this moot, but I know that there are those who disagree.
- Look -- This is a subjective determination which is subtly (and not-so-subtly) impacted by many factors. I've already seen some expressions of love for Arri's image over Red's (and vice-versa)... this is a tough one to debate given that it is SO subjective, but it's a factor some will latch onto nonetheless - perhaps for the very reason that by nature of its subjectivity, they know they won't have to back down :).
And two to add for the Red side:
- Weight -- Alexa was described as "built like a tank", which could be appended to also say: "weighs as much as a tank". This is more marked versus Epic and Scarlet, but Alexa is no slender beauty -- I think "Bertha" might have been a more appropriate choice of names. Granted, this is an industry that still slings around 535's on a daily basis, but lighter weight is meaningful for location, for 3D, for Steadi, for ENG, wildlife, etc.
- Upgrades -- Sure, we all expect bug fixes. What was unexpected, unprecedented, and altogether wonderful, were the myriad of new features and improvements that Red has made FOR FREE over the life of R1. There may even be some more to come. Maybe Arri will follow suit for Alexa, but color me skeptical.
Anyhow, I really appreciate the circumspection that others are showing, and I can't wait to see the comparisons. Speaking for myself, I reserve the right to refer to the Alexa as "Meh-lexa" until I see something that makes me feel otherwise. :)
09-03-2010, 09:05 AM
Arri has already stated that as new features are enabled in Alexa, they will be made available to current customers via firmware at no additional cost. At lease for those features that are designed for the current model. So in this I think they are similar to Red, not over charging as you imply.
Their dependency on 3rd party software and how that eco system responds to new firmware updates will be an interesting thing to watch. Currently they have little of that interdependency due to both newness and their using existing standards (to a degree) rather than pioneer new territory as much as Red has.
09-03-2010, 10:47 AM
Wait a second: The Alexa is even HEAVIER than the Red One ?
09-03-2010, 10:49 AM
Just get the Epic out and that debate will be over really quick.... ;-P
09-03-2010, 10:51 AM
I've heard that the features Arri promised but which are not yet enabled will be free, but whether there are new innovations ahead (and whether those would be free) is an open question. I hadn't heard of that happening for the previous Arri digital cameras, but maybe I'm wrong. It would be great if they started to follow Red's lead!
Cheers,
Tim
09-03-2010, 11:10 AM
Yes. Alexa body weighs nearly 7 lbs. or 3kg MORE than the R1 body. For some reason people seem to not realize that... Could be the Arri is not very forthcoming with that bit of info in their marketing. As far as *cinema* cameras go, the RED One is actually not that big.
Although, I haven't heard anyone say they want to shoot Alexa because it's small... LOL
Anyway, I might get to shoot on an Alexa next week. We're set to shoot RED MX, but the director has a chance to bring in a beta Alexa and he's thinking of doing it, just to check it out. Fine by me, I guess. I've played with the Alexa at NAB and got a good hands on with it a while later in a demo session of sorts. Fine camera, really. Some of the RED crowd is too hard on it. Then again, Arri has some seriously devoted fanboys that are fully prepared to view the world through 1080p beer-goggles while insisting that ProRes is more than good enough.
09-03-2010, 11:58 AM
lol...kind of remind me of Apple fanboys as well... ;-P
| « Previous Thread | Next Thread » |
