The Fall 2026 festival season gives us another useful snapshot of what cinematographers are actually choosing when image quality, reliability, workflow, and creative flexibility matter most. Based on IndieWire’s latest cinematography survey, one conclusion stands out immediately: ARRI continues to dominate, and the ALEXA 35 remains the camera to beat. That result should sound familiar. In our analysis of The Most Popular Cinema Cameras of Fall 2025, the ALEXA 35 was already the clear leader, while film maintained a surprisingly strong presence and Sony VENICE remained the most significant digital alternative to ARRI. One year later, the overall hierarchy has changed very little. What has changed is how established the ALEXA 35 now feels. This is no longer a new camera gaining momentum. It has become a standard choice across a remarkably wide range of productions.

This article is based on the excellent camera survey conducted by IndieWire, which gathered detailed cinematography insights directly from the DPs behind these productions.

2026 Fall Festival Cinematography: Cameras and Lenses

1. After Elena — DP: Pau Monras | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Cooke S4, Angénieux 25–250mm HR Zoom
2. Ah Girl — DP: Teck Siang Lim | Camera: Sony VENICE | Lenses: Leica R set, rehoused by Whitepoint Optics; Canon Sumire 14mm
3. Always Lalisa — DP: Emily Topper | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, Sony FX9, Sony FX3, iPhone 16 Pro | Lenses: Angénieux EZ-1, EZ-2, Angénieux 25–250 Optimo, IB/E FF Doubler
4. Atonement — DP: Jon Peter | Camera: ARRI 416 | Lenses: ARRI/Zeiss Ultra16 Primes, Canon 6.6–66mm Zoom
5. Babies — DP: Edu Grau | Camera: ARRI ALEXA LF | Lens: Cooke 18–100mm Zoom
6. Bardi — DP: Tala Hadid | Camera: Fujifilm GFX100, first generation | Lenses: Fujinon GF 45mm F2.8, GF 32–64mm F4
7. Behemoth! — DP: Damián García | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 65 | Lenses: Panavision Sphero, Panavision GW
8. Being Heumann — DP: Jamie D Ramsay, BSC, SASC | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Panavision Anamorphics
9. The Betrayers — DP: Jared Raab | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: ARRI Moviecam Primes
10. Blindspot Berlin — DP: Tim Kuhn | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: Xelmus Apollo
11. Clarissa — DP: Jonathan Bloom | Camera: ARRICAM LT | Lenses: Cooke S4
12. Djinn Wedding — DP: Serdar Özdemir | Camera: Sony VENICE 6K | Lenses: Cooke Anamorphic/i Full Frame
13. Everest: The Other Side — DP: Clair Popkin | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA 35, ALEXA Mini LF, Canon C400, C70, C80, R5 C, R5, GoPro | Lenses: Canon RF Zooms and Primes, ARRI Signature Primes, Angénieux EZ Zooms
14. Everything Else Is Noise — DP: Nicolás Pereda | Camera: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro | Lens: Great Joy 35mm Anamorphic
15. Faith — DP: Simona Susnea | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Cooke Anamorphic Super 35
16. For the Moon — DP: Claire Mathon | Cameras: RED Komodo, Sony FS7, Sony DCR-DVD310E DV | Lenses: Leica R 35mm and 50mm, Cooke S16 Zoom
17. Furies — DP: Tony Kopec | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Atlas Orion Anamorphics, mainly 40mm, 50mm and 65mm
18. Gentle Monster — DP: Judith Kaufmann | Cameras: ARRICAM LT S35 3-perf, 16mm Bolex | Lenses: Leica Summilux-C
19. Glaxo — DP: Pedro Sotero, ABC | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA 35, Sony F55 | Lenses: Cooke Varopanchro 10–30mm T1.6, Super 16mm Zoom, Bausch & Lomb Standard Baltar Primes rehoused by Zero Optik, ARRI/Zeiss Master Anamorphics
20. God Bless You, Mr. Kopu — DP: Michael McDermott, ACS | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA 35, Sony VENICE Rialto | Lenses: Hawk V-Lites
21. How We Stand — DP: Adam Madrzyk | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: ARRI/Zeiss Master Anamorphics
22. I Play Rocky — DP: Sean Porter | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, ALEXA 35 | Lenses: ARRI Signature Primes and Zooms, Angénieux 25–250mm
23. I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming — DP: Volodymyr Usyk | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini | Lenses: Zeiss High Speed MK3
24. Growth of the Soil — DP: Oskar Dahlsbakken | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: ARRI Signature Primes
25. The Idiot(s) — DP: Michal Englert | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: Mamiya, Petzval, Angénieux
26. In Alaska — DP: Martijn van Broekhuizen | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: TLS-rehoused Canon K/FD lenses
27. Joy of Joys — DP: Robbie Ryan | Cameras: Sony FR7 Cinema PTZ, various MiniDV cameras | Lenses: Sony 16–35mm and 28–135mm power zooms
28. L’autre — DP: Steve Asselin | Camera: Sony VENICE | Lenses: Lomo 2x Anamorphic
29. Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney — DP: Alexandre Lampron | Cameras: RED Ranger Gemini, SLcine35, Aaton XTR 16mm, Canon 1014 8mm | Lens: Angénieux HR 25–250mm T3.5
30. Le Faux Soir — DP: Jordan Vanschel | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Leitz Summilux-C, Angénieux Optimo 28–340mm
31. Lemonade — DP: Colm Hogan | Camera: Sony VENICE | Lenses: Tribe7 Blackwing7 T-Tuned
32. A Long Winter — DP: André Turpin | Cameras: ARRICAM LT, ARRIFLEX 235 | Lenses: Canon K35
33. Love of Your Life — DP: Todd Banhazl, ASC | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA 265, DJI Ronin 4D | Lenses: Panavision Ultra Panavision II, expanded Panavision Speed lenses
34. Minotaur — DP: Mikhail Krichman | Camera: Sony VENICE 2 | Lenses: Cooke Anamorphic 1.8x Full Frame
35. Misty Green — DP: Kira Kelly | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Panavision C Series
36. Neverman — DP: Rodrigo Michelangeli | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini | Lenses: ARRI/Zeiss Master Anamorphics
37. Nobody’s Violence — DP: Vincent Biron | Cameras: ARRI 416, Bolex SBM | Lenses: Zeiss 16mm Super Speed MKII Primes, Canon 11–165mm Zoom
38. Once Upon A Time In Harlem — DP: David Greaves | Camera: Arriflex | Lenses: Zoom and telephoto lenses
39. Onwards and Sideways — DP: Danny Cohen | Camera: Sony VENICE 2 | Lenses: Zeiss Supreme Primes, Angénieux Zooms
40. Phoolan — DP: Pip White | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Canon K35 Primes, Angénieux Optimo 24–290mm
41. Pretenders — DP: Conor O’Grady | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF, AMIRA | Lenses: Sigma Cine Zooms, Chiopt 75–250mm
42. River — DP: Nick Matthews | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: ARRI Signature Primes
43. Rose — DP: Gerald Kerkletz | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: ARRI Signature Primes and Zooms
44. The Row — DP: Jake Swantko | Cameras: Canon C500 Mark II, GoPro Hero, ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Canon CN-E Primes, CN-E 30–105mm and 15.5–47mm Zooms
45. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives — DP: Malcolm McLean | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: Meike Primes
46. The Smell of Apples — DP: Lennert Hillege | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: Tribe7 Blackwing7 T-Tuned
47. Smudge the Blades — DP: Liam Mitchell | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Panavision Ultra Speeds and Super Speeds
48. Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars — DP: Mercy Lam | Cameras: Sony FX9, Sony FX6 | Lenses: Panavision Primo Full Frame / Panaspeed
49. A Talent for Murder — DP: Robbie Ryan | Camera: ARRICAM ST | Lenses: Zeiss Master Primes
50. Tehran, Under the Skin — DP: Mohamad Hadadi | Camera: Panasonic Lumix GH6 | Lenses: OM System M.Zuiko
51. Tender Loving Care — DP: Lucy Bristow | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Canon K35
52. Tenzing — DP: Stefan Duscio | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini LF | Lenses: Panavision UltraVista 1.65x Anamorphic
53. Toy Gun Bandit — DP: Xavier Bossé | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Cooke 10.4–52mm S16 Zoom, Zeiss Super Speed S16 Primes
54. Trash Mountain — DP: Andrew Rydzewski | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini | Lenses: Canon K35
55. Vintage Violence — DP: Sean Price Williams | Camera: Sony BURANO | Lenses: Cooke S4, Angénieux 25–250mm, Athena 14mm
56. We Are All Strangers — DP: Teoh Gay Hian | Camera: Sony VENICE 2 | Lenses: Zeiss Supreme Primes
57. Where the River Begins — DP: Nicolas Canniccioni | Camera: ARRI ALEXA Mini | Lenses: Vantage One, Hawk V-Lite 2x
58. Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother — DP: Katelin Arizmendi, ASC | Cameras: ARRI ALEXA 35, ARRI LF | Lenses: Panavision VA lenses, Primo Zooms
59. Zjili: A Story of Sisterhood and the Burdens of Excess — DP: Erin G. Wesley | Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 | Lenses: Panavision Primo 70 Series

Camera Chart

Discussion

ALEXA 35 still leads

The ALEXA 35 appears repeatedly throughout the Fall 2026 survey, across narrative films, documentaries, period pieces, handheld productions, anamorphic cinematography, and more controlled visual approaches. The interesting part is that cinematographers are not choosing it to produce one recognizable “ALEXA 35 look.” Pau Monras used the ALEXA 35 on After Elena with Cooke S4 lenses and an Angénieux 25-250mm HR zoom, working extensively with handheld photography, natural light, and practical fixtures. The camera’s latitude was central to maintaining image quality in restrained lighting conditions. How 58 Cinematographers Shot Th… For Faith, Simona Susnea paired the camera with Cooke Anamorphic Super 35 glass and worked heavily in low light, including practical lighting and small LED sources. How 58 Cinematographers Shot Th… Furies combined the ALEXA 35 with Atlas Orion anamorphics, while Growth of the Soil took a very different approach with ARRI Signature Primes. How 58 Cinematographers Shot Th… How 58 Cinematographers Shot Th… That variety is probably the real reason behind the camera’s continued success. Cinematographers are using the sensor as a reliable foundation, then creating character through lenses, lighting, filtration, framing, and grading.

Super 35 is still very much alive

Our Fall 2025 analysis carried a clear message: Super 35 still rules. The 2026 survey gives us little reason to change that conclusion. Large-format cameras remain important. The ALEXA Mini LF appears frequently, while the ALEXA LF, ALEXA 65, and even the newer ALEXA 265 are represented. Sony’s VENICE platform also keeps large format firmly in the conversation. But the continued prominence of the ALEXA 35 demonstrates that cinematographers have not simply moved toward larger sensors as an inevitable technical progression. Sensor size is now a creative choice rather than a hierarchy in which larger automatically means better.

Sony remains the main digital alternative

Sony has substantial representation across the Fall 2026 projects, but it is distributed across many different cameras. The VENICE and VENICE 2 remain the company’s main high-end narrative tools. Minotaur uses VENICE 2 with Cooke Anamorphic 1.8x Full Frame lenses, while We Are All Strangers combines VENICE 2 with Zeiss Supreme Primes. Other productions employ the original VENICE, VENICE Rialto, FX9, FX6 ($8,876 on Amazon), BURANO, F55, FS7, and FR7. This is broadly consistent with what we saw in Fall 2025. At that time, we described VENICE as having a more focused role than the ALEXA 35 rather than competing with ARRI through sheer frequency. The 2026 survey reinforces that idea, while also showing the breadth of Sony’s cinema lineup.

Film refuses to disappear

Just as importantly, analog acquisition remains part of the festival landscape. ARRICAM, ARRI 416, ARRIFLEX, Bolex, Aaton, and other film cameras appear throughout the survey. Clarissa was photographed on 35mm with an ARRICAM LT and Cooke S4 lenses, while A Long Winter used ARRICAM LT and ARRIFLEX 235 bodies with Canon K35 glass. This continues another trend we highlighted in Fall 2025: film is not surviving merely as a nostalgic novelty. Cinematographers are still selecting it when grain, texture, highlight behavior, and the discipline of analog production fit the story.

Vintage glass meets modern sensors

Perhaps the most interesting creative pattern in the 2026 list is not the cameras at all, but what cinematographers are putting in front of them. Canon K35s, Cooke S4s, vintage Angénieux zooms, rehoused Leica R lenses, Baltars, Moviecam Primes, Panavision C Series, Lomos, Hawk anamorphics, and many other character lenses are being paired with some of the most advanced digital sensors available. That combination says a lot about contemporary cinematography. Camera technology keeps improving, but filmmakers frequently use lenses to remove some of that technical perfection.

The bottom line

Fall 2026 does not reveal a major revolution in camera choice. Instead, it confirms a hierarchy that has been developing for several festival seasons. ARRI remains the dominant ecosystem. The ALEXA 35 remains the key camera. Sony VENICE continues as the strongest high-end digital alternative. Large format remains important without replacing Super 35. And film continues to hold a meaningful creative position. Compared with our Fall 2025 analysis, the most significant conclusion may simply be consistency. The ALEXA 35 was already on top last year. In Fall 2026, it is still there. There is no news under the sun. Boring….