ARRI's New ALEXA HD is a 'Budget' Version of the Industry-Leading Digital Cinema Camera

Want that sweet ALEXA look but can’t quite afford the full price to buy one? Or need the rental to be just a little cheaper? What if you don’t need that fancy schmancy RAW option? Then the new ARRI ALEXA HD might be in your immediate future. ARRI has taken everything that’s good about the camera series — like the 14-stop 800 ISO sensor, 10-bit Log-C ProRes, SxS cards, and the intuitive menu system — and is passing the cost savings on to the customer. Here is AbelCine’s Mitch Gross explaining exactly what this camera has to offer for users who want their ARRI just a little cheaper: 

So what about price? This isn’t going to be Canon DSLR affordable (obviously), but it is a good $10,000 to $20,000 cheaper than a comparable setup from one of the lower-end ALEXA models that has the ability to shoot RAW. It was looking like this might be a steal for the hardware at around $30,000 for body, but it must be purchased with a few key components that bring the price up a bit. Thanks to Katie Shipsides from AbelCine for the clarification on Twitter (AbelCine is selling the camera exclusively for ARRI):

Alexa HD Body Only is $30,300 but MUST be purchased w/ ProRes Codec, ALEXA SxS Module, ARRI QT File Format = $44,008

AbelCine has a starter package available for $65,000, but you might be able to find a used ALEXA with RAW for somewhere around that price. The base price, however, is probably the cheapest you’re going to find an ALEXA that could theoretically shoot with some cards and a battery, but this will likely appeal to shows already using ALEXA, who want a few additional cameras but don’t need the extra capabilities, like the 4:3 sensor or RAW of higher-end models. We’ll see if it will do anything to bring back users who might be moving to the F55, but I think if ARRI had figured out a way to get a full starter package under $30,000 they’d really be putting serious pressure on Sony and Canon.

Links:ARRI ALEXA HD Body