Carbon Fiber Captures All With Arri’s New Compact Moviemaker

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Be sure to check out our carbon fiber store, where our specialty is in lifestlyle products.

Alexa Mini Front

Sometimes, in order to go big, you have to get little, especially in the realm of moviemaking. To wow a crowd, you need to track, zoom and pan your way from actor to actor, scene to scene, in the most dramatic of ways. Which is why Arri, the largest international provider of moviemaking machinery and equipment, has turned to carbon fiber to help create one of the smallest, most versatile cameras you’ll ever see.

Weighing in at a measly 5 lbs (2.3 kg) — which, for reference, is about the weight of a two-liter bottle of soda — and measuring out to be no bigger than an undersized breadbox — at 7.3” L x 4.9” W x 5.5” H — complete with a solid titanium PL lens mount, the Arri Alexa Mini is a 35 format film-style digital camera that comes equipped with all the glitz, glamour and gadgetry of a high-priced Hollywood blockbuster.

Alexa Mini Dimensions

“To maintain ARRI’s famously rugged build quality in a small and lightweight camera, a number of unique design solutions have been incorporated,” cites the product’s official press release. “Nimble in use and hardy on set, the ALEXA Mini is a go-anywhere tool, easy to transport in backpacks or as carry-on luggage.”

Its “lightweight carbon housing” receives second billing, just behind its “highly integrated and environmentally sealed electronics” — a performance aspect we’re sure was highly supported by its carbon fiber costar.

Alexa Mini Multiple Angles

We won’t get into all the little goodies found in the Alexa Mini’s bite-sized carbon fiber construct — honestly, there’s just too many to name — but we will count off some of our favorites, including its ability to be remotely controlled, via iOS or Android device; its on-the-job metadata delivery and adjustment system for focus, iris and zoom; its supreme rig-ability; its 4k UHD, HDR and HFR future-proof recording capabilities and its 200 fps maximum frame rate, which allows for jaw-dropping, slow-motion filmmaking without the need of a second, high-speed camera.

We’re not sure about its ability to make breakfast in bed, or if it’ll keep Michael Bay from blowing things up in lieu of good filmmaking, but, all in all, it looks like an awesome addition to yet another awe-inspiring industry.

All that’s left to do now is to lower the lights, grab some popcorn, pour some of that two-liter soda into a cup the size of your head, sit back, relax and watch the first movie filmed on Arri’s Alexa Mini.

And then catch carbon fiber’s close-up in The Balloonist: Behind the Scenes.

For more on the Alexa Mini, including a lengthier list of its features, you can visit the product’s official webpage.

Be sure to check out our carbon fiber store, where our specialty is in lifestlyle products.