If you are an ARRI Amira owner operator, but have always lusted for the Alexa MINI’s ability to shoot ARRIRAW wishing your AMIRA camera did the same – ARRI just granted your wish. In a very surprising move, earlier today, ARRI announced the company is enabling owners and operators of AMIRA cameras to record in ARRIRAW via a paid license upgrade with the latest SUP 5.3 firmware update.
I say surprising, because ever since it was released back in 2014, the AMIRA has been heralded and pitched as a “documentary camera workhorse”, which it is, and not having the ability to record RAW was a major differentiation between the AMIRA and the ALEXA lineups, among other audio and form-factor differences.
The AMIRA has received numerous major upgrades since release, including the ability to shoot UHD via a UHD license (check out our post here), as well as the ARRI Looks Library, and now with the ability to shoot 2.8K Raw it becomes an even more appealing option for those, who want to get in the ARRI camera ecosystem, but don’t want to get the Alexa MINI due to the increased cost of entry or its shape or whatever.
Needless to say, this is fantastic news for AMIRA owner/ops and rental houses, as they can now offer their clients some extra quality thanks to ARRIRAW.
ARRI Amira – Image by ARRI
With the latest SUP 5.3, ARRI gives cinematographers the option to record ARRIRAW in 2.8K up to 48fps. Just like the Alexa MINI, now the AMIRA can record ARRIRAW onto CFast 2.0 cards in the .MXF wrapper, while not having to specially format the CFast 2.0 cards in anyway – meaning you can record ProRes and ARRIRAW on the same card.
“It’s a response to an increasing demand”, said Markus Duerr, the ARRI AMIRA product manager. “With the growing popularity of ARRIRAW more and more AMIRA users have been asking us to make it available to them”.
According to ARRI, the decision to add ARRIRAW to the AMIRA has been well received by AMIRA users, with wildlife filmmaker Tom Rowland giving it an enthusiastic welcome. “With the onset of ARRIRAW to the Amira it will certainly strengthen its place in the wildlife filmmaking game,” he said. “It will certainly add a whole new level of post-production flexibility to rushes.”
ARRI AMIRA SUP 5.3 New Features
- ARRIRAW 2.8K
- 16:9 2.8K (2880 x 1620) MXF/ARRIRAW recording with AMIRA ARRIRAW license key
- Complete Look Functionality for Cinematic Multicam with AMIRA Eco/Advanced
- Import and export of look files, 3D LUT support, full in-camera grading
- Support of the ARRI Look Library (requires separate license), Log C monitoring and recording.
- Support of Cforce Mini RF motor
- Direct remote lens control with cforce mini RF and WCU-4, no additional motor controller needed.
- Includes Start/Stop recording command with WCU-4.
- EVF Power Option “ON”
- Option to override the proximity sensor of the MVF-1 and constantly enable the viewfinder display.
- Camera Access Protocol (CAP) Enhancements
- CAP support for full control of in-camera playback and access to clip metadata.
- WCU-4 User Buttons 5 and 6
- Camera menu offers assignment of WCU-4 user buttons 5 and 6.
- Changes to Previous Versions
- MENU > System > Sensor > Image de-noising has been renamed to Noise reduction.
Images by ARRI
The ARRI AMIRA is a versatile camera system that combines exceptional image quality and affordable CFast 2.0 workflows with an ergonomic design optimized for single-operator use and extended shoulder-mounted operation. You get the amazing ALEXA sensor for organic and pleasing skin tones and sublime detail, as well as the ability to ramp up to speed of 200fps.
Its shoulder design makes it really easy to just pick it up and shoot straight out of the camera bag; and as with anything with an ARRI badge – the AMIRA is tough enough to take anywhere and features in-camera grading with preloaded 3D LUTs, making it suitable for everything from documentaries, to commercials, TV drama and low-budget movies. But you already knew that.
The ARRI AMIRA 2.8K ARRIRAW license is priced at €3,180, that’s Euro.
But don’t fret, ARRI are doing an Instagram #hashtag contest (I guess these things are a “thing” now) where they are giving you the chance to win a free ARRIRAW license for the AMIRA.
To participate at the contest users have to:
- Upload an image or a short video that shows their work with ARRI AMIRA.
- The submitted pictures need to have a minimum resolution of 600 x 600 pixels.
- Explain why they need ARRIRAW Licence for their camera
- Use the hashtag #arriraw4amira in the description
- Tag @arri.
Rules of participation
- Participation is free
- By taking part the users accept the conditions of participation
- The user has to be the rights holder of the entered picture
- By taking part, users give ARRI the rights to use the picture online and in print
- They also agree that their profile and user name can be published
- Users may submit a maximum of 3 pictures
Read all the contest rules and other awards here. Follow ARRI on Instagram here.
For more details on SUP 5.3 and to download it head over to ARRI’s website.
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