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Hi Thomas.

I did have to use a sliding base plate because of the required lens support. The new Arri QR-HD1 is very versatile and a little less weight than the Chrosziel version. I was able to slide the camera inordently further back with the sliding base plate. So having to use it for the support rods had the benefit of further range of balance in the aft direction.post-282-094315700 1286281242_thumb.jpg

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Ramon, how much does the ARRI QR-HD1 weigh and what is the aprox. cost? Brilliant device.

 

Don't know the weight. Maybe.......1.5 lbs. Not exactly sure. Don't know the cost. It does accomodate two matte box rods widths and you can use 15mm or 19mm rods with the proper adapters. It's very cool.

I would bet it cost around $1200. That's the price of the chrosziel plate costs.

 

r

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Hi there,

we are are prepping a feature, being shot in Berlin and Kiew this winter. Right now we are trying to find out if the Alexa is an option for us. It´ll lower the camera budget a bit, gets us more possibilities with available light in dark situations, etc. The problem that might occur is the cold. We expect temperatures around minus 15 centergrades and lower in the night in Kiew.I heard rumors that the Alexa needs a certain temperature minimum to get started. What i heard, it was around 20 degrees and more. Once started there shouldn´t be any temperature issues any more. But if we need to create a really warm enviroment to get the thing started, i think the camera is not an option at all for us. Does any of you guys have experiences in the cold with the Alexa? And another question. What is the best on board recording solution you worked with; pros and contras are highly appreciated.

Thank you very much for sharing your experiances

all the best

 

Fabian

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I flew it for the 1st time Tuesday and it balances really nice. Incase nobody here has weighed it...it was 26 lbs with the 15 to 40 Optimo zoom, 2 preston dm2 motors, mattbox, 1 filter, cinetape on an israeli arm, aja down conv, 2 rods in the camera body, pro plate.

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I flew it for the 1st time Tuesday and it balances really nice. Incase nobody here has weighed it...it was 26 lbs with the 15 to 40 Optimo zoom, 2 preston dm2 motors, mattbox, 1 filter, cinetape on an israeli arm, aja down conv, 2 rods in the camera body, pro plate.

 

Here's a little update. I've been operating the Alexa for the last two weeks. Easy to balance as Ron said and a very familiar feel with accessories being Arri. The quick release plate is definitely and advantage with its 19mm rod bracket. Don't have that on this show but used it on a prior job.

The view finder is, IMHO is the achilles of the camera. Make sure you set the refresh rate to its highest, which I beleive is 30fps. Even at the rate their is substantial blurring which makes judging focus a real crap shoot. The diopter on the finder is easily turned during operating so you are constantly resetting to your eyes focus. At the end of the day I find that my eye is exhausted from not only adjusting to the misaligned diopter but the poor quality of the LCD finder. There is an upside in that the finder gives you an image larger than what is recorded like a film camera viewfinder. Not much but enough to be useful.

The other issue is frame rate. The fastest frame rate is 30fps for recording.

The image quality of camera has been spectacular. Shooting at night at 800 ASA has been a joy. Solid blacks, great color rendering and it takes less than a minute for the camera to boot up. The menu system is terribly straight forward and uncomplicated.

Having the ability to Hot Swap between 12 and 24 volt power supplies has been helpful as well. We can run the camera on a 24volt block battery and put a dionic 90 on the Camwave on the rear of the camera and run for hours. Obviously its a different setup on the sled.

We've been in contact with ARRI on a weekly basis on issues and concerns and they've been very supportive. The Frame Rate issuse is a matter of software and I'm not sure about the viewfinder improving. There have been some rumblings about an optical finder but only rumblings.

The Alexa is a step in the right direction for cinematic digital imaging. We'll be shooting until March so I'll update as things progress.

 

Ramon

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I didn't care much for the viewfinder either, Ramon. After a while I realized that the image was similar enough on the onboard monitor so I ended up operating entirely off that, except for handheld. It certainly made it more comfortable on those complex shots with big pans and a lot of booming, not having to be tied to the viewfinder. Much less fatiguing in terms of eye strain at the end of a long day. Many operators will talk about the feeling of connection they have with the scene that is specific to using a viewfinder but to me that was much more relevant when we were talking about an optical eyepiece and a film tap on an SD monitor. Gven that the image quality with HD cameras is at best comparable, and the onboard doesn't strobe, I think the old argument holds less water. Certainly it makes it easier to configure when you never have to hang off the end of the dolly; I learned how to operate just fine from either side of the camera body.

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I didn't care much for the viewfinder either, Ramon. After a while I realized that the image was similar enough on the onboard monitor so I ended up operating entirely off that, except for handheld. It certainly made it more comfortable on those complex shots with big pans and a lot of booming, not having to be tied to the viewfinder. Much less fatiguing in terms of eye strain at the end of a long day. Many operators will talk about the feeling of connection they have with the scene that is specific to using a viewfinder but to me that was much more relevant when we were talking about an optical eyepiece and a film tap on an SD monitor. Gven that the image quality with HD cameras is at best comparable, and the onboard doesn't strobe, I think the old argument holds less water. Certainly it makes it easier to configure when you never have to hang off the end of the dolly; I learned how to operate just fine from either side of the camera body.

 

I also operate on my current show with a 7" LCD on-board. It took me a couple of days to get used to it, but now I love it. I think being used to it form the steadicam work made the transition easier... Arri has to improve the viewfinder for sure.....

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I agree about the Steadicam indoctrination making it conceptually easier to embrace using a monitor for conventional operating, Jens. However there are quite a few Steadicam operators who will make the old argument about the advantages of viewing through the tube. I think it may often be chalked down to an "old habits die hard" kind of thing. If one is on the wheels, it is a bit less relevant than on a fluid head which opens up the possibilities of operating from anywhere around the camera body as required.

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I agree about the Steadicam indoctrination making it conceptually easier to embrace using a monitor for conventional operating, Jens. However there are quite a few Steadicam operators who will make the old argument about the advantages of viewing through the tube. I think it may often be chalked down to an "old habits die hard" kind of thing. If one is on the wheels, it is a bit less relevant than on a fluid head which opens up the possibilities of operating from anywhere around the camera body as required.

 

 

I prefer the tube and will try to use it whenever possible, but I do enjoy the flexibility that a monitor or two placed in odd spots about the body do provide. There is something that happens mentally and physically when you have your eye in a proper viewfinder, a greater connection to the image, there also seems to be more precision when using a tube rather than a monitor. Having said that I also only try to use a monitor when I'm doing a HD job, not like my next show which is arricam! (Viva la film!)

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