Taking a look at the Arri Amira Camera

[Travis MacRitchie]

I know, I know, this is REDuser. And I love my REDs. But ignoring the fact that other companies have offerings available too is just foolhardy. I was pretty impressed with the Amira at NAB, although it has very real downsides. Cost and lack of 4K in my opinion. But it is a beautiful and intuitive camera, and because it's Arri, we're going to start seeing a lot of them around, so I think it's best to be educated.

Wrote up a quick overview and have a good informative video on the blog here.

 

[Travis MacRitchie]

video link here for the lazy.

 

[Michael Dalton]

being a doc guys I disagree. I think two factors come into the play. 4k and cost. It's too expensive for most doc makes who prefer cheaper cameras. I'm just getting into selling my first films that were shot in 4k. 4k is a buzz word right now. They don't understand it, but they remember the SD/HD jump and people ARE thinking ahead.

Interest in my 4k series are HUGE, so it adds a new dimension to getting revenue. If you think 4k is far away, it's a different perspective from a broadcaster who will licence a program for 3-5 years duration. This year might not matter, maybe not even the next, but 3 years out when UHD is catching one, the broadcaster needs to anticipate what things will be 8 years from now.

Can an ARRi look outweigh the possible benefits long term of shooting in 4k now. I know for me it does not.

 

[Travis MacRitchie]

Hi Michael,

I agree with a lot of what you say. However, I also know there is a large population of active shooters in the tv / nature / doc world that may not be as vocal on forums, but are very eager to start shooting with this camera, and are already raving about how much it simplifies their job. For some, the lack of 4k is a big deal, and I don't expect Arri will sit around on that forever, but for many the Arri name, look, and build quality will trump resolution, at least in the short term.

The reality is most digital cinema prints are done in 2k still and I still don't know anyone in my circle of friends who has a 4K tv. 4K is a reality, and it is here and ready, but the truth of the matter is that the amount of projects delivering in 4k is still small... but growing of course.

But for the next 2-3 years I think the Amira will be a workhorse. And I'm sure a 4k version will come out at some point.

 

[Michael Dalton]

Maybe, but I think you'd have to be shot sighted not to consider 4k at this stage.

I think the fact that networks are starting to require that the option be there trumps everything. My network is going 100% 4k in terms of production. They are not finishing yet, but all productions must be shot in 4k with the option in place to get a 4k master. I'm sure Nat Geo and Discovery will also be considering this now. Networks like Nat Geo and Discovery benefited greatly by adopting HD early on.

I think Arri missed big with this camera by not going 4k.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Maybe, but I think you'd have to be shot sighted not to consider 4k at this stage.

I think the fact that networks are starting to require that the option be there trumps everything. My network is going 100% 4k in terms of production. They are not finishing yet, but all productions must be shot in 4k with the option in place to get a 4k master. I'm sure Nat Geo and Discovery will also be considering this now. Networks like Nat Geo and Discovery benefited greatly by adopting HD early on.

I think Arri missed big with this camera by not going 4k.

Despite its lack of 4K, I expect the Amira to be very successful. One question I would ask everyone is have you seen an Amira 2K image upres to UHD? I'd want to see that before jumping to conclusions that the Amira has no use in a UHD world. I think we are all guilty sometimes of living by the spec sheet. I have been a member of the RED family since 2006 when I first put down my deposit for a Red One. I enjoy using Red cameras now and think 4K+ looks great. And eventually I think the whole industry will move towards 4K+ acquisition and delivery. But I think we need to understand that some segments of the market will choose to shoot on cameras that make sense for their productions. You can tell a DP all day long that 4K blows away 2K but if the DP doesn't actually like the 4K image and prefers the IQ of the 2K camera, they will shoot with the 2K. Will their 2K footage suddenly be useless when UHD takes over the industry? Let's hope not because there has been some beautiful work shot by excellent DPs at that resolution. Again, I think in order to declare 2k useless in a 4K world, we need to see some evidence that the upres looks bad. And, pixel peeping only means something to those who work in this industry. You have to look through the eyes of the audience. Will they not watch a 2K movie presented on a 4K screen?

I know it's natural to wonder why anyone would want to shoot at a lower resolution when there are more affordable higher resolution cameras available. But resolution is only part of the story. Think about all of the other improvements RED is making to their camera systems beyond just increasing resolution. Their goal is to give filmmakers an incredible image, the best that digital cinema can offer. To do that, they are looking at all the components of the imaging process and ultimately, that's what I think will allow them to compete for a long time.

 

[mikeburton]

Despite its lack of 4K, I expect the Amira to be very successful. One question I would ask everyone is have you seen an Amira 2K image upres to UHD? I'd want to see that before jumping to conclusions that the Amira has no use in a UHD world. I think we are all guilty sometimes of living by the spec sheet. I have been a member of the RED family since 2006 when I first put down my deposit for a Red One. I enjoy using Red cameras now and think 4K+ looks great. And eventually I think the whole industry will move towards 4K+ acquisition and delivery. But I think we need to understand that some segments of the market will choose to shoot on cameras that make sense for their productions. You can tell a DP all day long that 4K blows away 2K but if the DP doesn't actually like the 4K image and prefers the IQ of the 2K camera, they will shoot with the 2K. Will their 2K footage suddenly be useless when UHD takes over the industry? Let's hope not because there has been some beautiful work shot by excellent DPs at that resolution. Again, I think in order to declare 2k useless in a 4K world, we need to see some evidence that the upres looks bad. And, pixel peeping only means something to those who work in this industry. You have to look through the eyes of the audience. Will they not watch a 2K movie presented on a 4K screen?

I know it's natural to wonder why anyone would want to shoot at a lower resolution when there are more affordable higher resolution cameras available. But resolution is only part of the story. Think about all of the other improvements RED is making to their camera systems beyond just increasing resolution. Their goal is to give filmmakers an incredible image, the best that digital cinema can offer. To do that, they are looking at all the components of the imaging process and ultimately, that's what I think will allow them to compete for a long time.

I have done a few Alexa to UHD and 4K DCI uprez and its shocking how good the image holds up. Arri Raw more than ProRes4444 which the Amira only shoots but its not a major issue. When done with care and done properly it looks great.

 

[Travis MacRitchie]

Upressing is an interesting option to be sure. And as the algorithms advance as more and more demand for the service increases I expect results to get even better.

Arri, if memory serves, even published a chart showing how that at certain distances from the screen, most people aren't able to tell much difference between 4k and 2k. Up close of course it's a different story. I do think 4k (and maybe beyond) is the future, but it's not yet mainstream.

Anyway, as an owner of many camera types I'm going to throw my hat into the Amira camp so I can give clients the option, but I'm still holding onto my two Dragon's with an iron grip

 

[Vadim Bobkovsky]

When done with care and done properly it looks great.

Same words can be said about performing noise reduction on high ISO Red footage, and yet some guys call it a gimmick, still. At times, surprisingly, it is the ones rooting for upressing 2K footage to 4K with post sharpening tools etc. Well, as long as it looks decent...