ARRI has announced the new SUP 7.2 for the ALEXA Mini LF, and it emphasizes that this ‘large format flagship’ will continue to improve with additional updates during 2023. One of the most fascinating improvements in SUP 7.2, is that the new ARRI REVEAL Color Science, debuted with the ALEXA 35, is now also available for all ARRIRAW material shot with the ALEXA Mini LF or ALEXA LF, and can be processed through updated postproduction tools. Hence, the Mini LF can be matched perfectly with the new ALEXA 35. 

ARRI Mini LF gets improved color capabilities

The recently announced SUP 7.2 for ALEXA Mini LF grants the Mini LF improved color capabilities by allowing the camera to utilize REVEAl color science. The new ARRI REVEAL Color Science, which debuted with the ALEXA 35, is now also available for all ARRIRAW material shot with the ALEXA Mini LF or ALEXA LF. Using the ARRI Reference Tool, users can choose to view and transcode any ARRIRAW footage created from ALEXA Mini LF and ALEXA LF cameras in the traditional LogC3 workflow, or now in the new REVEAL workflow. REVEAL brings many of the image quality improvements from the ALEXA 35 to the ALEXA Mini LF and ALEXA LF, including support for the updated ADA-7 debayer algorithm, ACE4 color engine, LogC4 gamma curve, and AWG4 color gamut. As stated by ARRI: “While some already do, we’re expecting many more third-party postproduction tools to support this new development in the coming months. This will greatly improve post workflows when using ALEXA 35 and ALEXA Mini LF together on the same show”. 

REVEAL in the Mini LF

The REVEAL color science can now be used to process all footage shot with the ALEXA Mini LF and ALEXA LF in ARRIRAW. This gives users access to the new ACE4 ARRI Color Engine, ADA7 Debayering Algorithm, LogC4 gamma curve, and AWG4 color space. ALEXA Mini LF and ALEXA LF ARRIRAW footage processed with REVEAL will give users an extremely close match to footage shot with the ALEXA 35. Currently, a REVEAL workflow is supported by the ARRI Reference Tool, FilmLight Baselight, and other tools. As stated by ARRI: “We’ve actually made some major improvements with the Mini LF by allowing users to use the REVEAL color science that was debuted with the ALEXA 35 with any footage recorded on ALEXA LF or ALEXA Mini LF, if you’re shooting in ARRIRAW. That’s footage that you record today as well as any footage that you have from older projects or ongoing projects as well. Currently, that’s supported by the array reference tool and it will allow you to use the new Log curve, the new color space the new color processing engine —everything to do with REVEAL except for of course the dynamic range improvements that you would see with the ALEXA 35. That means, that if you’re cross-shooting ALEXA 35 and ALEXA Mini LF, well… now those cameras will match pretty well perfectly again apart from the dynamic range differences, but we think we all know that the Mini LF is no slouch in that department either. The reveal color science support will come to third-party tools such as Resolve over the next coming months and we’ll let you know when that happens because that’s going to be pretty exciting for a lot of us”. Watch ARRI’s explanation below:

Colour: ALEXA 35 vs. Mini LF

Images that were shot in ARRIRAW with ALEXA 35 and ALEXA Mini LF, and both processed with REVEAL Color Science, will present a high level of similarity. While there are some differences in dynamic range and depth of field (due to the different sensor sizes), the colors are extremely close, showing that ALEXA 35 and ALEXA Mini LF can be combined on a shoot without causing any difficulties in the grade. For more examples, head over to the ARRI website.

More updates

SUP 7.2 for ALEXA Mini LF brings more updates. For instance, a major update to the WiFi capabilities of the camera will bring improved performance and a stronger connection between your devices and the camera, and enhancements to the Camera Access Protocol offer additional functions in the Camera Companion App. Alternatively, the browser-based Web Remote is now out of Beta status and is a great option for iOS, Android, MacOS, and Windows users looking to remotely control the ALEXA Mini LF. Read the release notes here. 

It’s important to note that the ALEXA Mini LF isn’t going anywhere. This is not the only software update that you’ll see from us this year. The Mini LF is a flagship large format camera and we strongly believe that it has the best image quality available of any large format camera on the market today.

ARRI

“ALEXA Mini LF isn’t going anywhere”

During the SUP 7.2  presentation, ARRI mentioned: “It’s important to note that the ALEXA Mini LF isn’t going anywhere. This is not the only software update that you’ll see from us this year. The Mini LF is a flagship large format camera and we strongly believe that it has the best image quality available of any large format camera on the market today”. Indeed, now with the REVEAL and the advantages of the large sensor, the ALEXA Mini LF becomes an even more capable high-end cinema camera and can be perfectly matched with the ALEXA 35, even though each camera has a whole different sensor.

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