Arri Alexa 35 xtreme
Arri has announced an exciting upgrade to their flagship Alexa 35 cinema camera. It’s been suitably dubbed the Alexa 35 ‘Xtreme’ keeping with their naming scheme from film cameras with high speed modifications.
We’re lucky enough to be one of the first rental houses in the country to get our hands on one, so let’s take a look at what has been upgraded.
WHAT HASN’T CHANGED
Body & Accessories
Same housing, I/O ports, connectors, and layout as the standard ALEXA 35, just a new “Xtreme” decal. Everything fits right in, no need to swap rigs.
Resolution & Baseline Frame Rates
The existing popular recording formats, resolutions, and frame rates remain available.
Menu Interface
The UI, navigation structure, and on-screen controls are unchanged, just some new options for the additional frame rates and ARRICORE.
WHAT HAS CHANGED
ARRICORE Codec
A new, leaner RGB codec that slots between ARRIRAW and ProRes in file size. It’s optimized for high frame rates and cuts data rates by 50% compared to ARRIRAW without compromising image quality.
Offers post flexibility: EI sensitivity, white balance, and tint remain adjustable in post.
It’s a lower data burden, with the same workflow DITs have been using. Same wrappers, textures, and metadata handling you already know.
High Frame Rates & Sensor Overdrive Mode
Higher speed ceiling: Max frame rates are up across the board up to 330 fps while maintaining full 17-stop dynamic range.
Sensor Overdrive: doubles the ceiling to 660 fps, at the expense of dynamic range (~11 stops) and raising base ISO to EI 1600.
Example increases in real modes:
4.6K Open Gate: from 75 fps → 120 fps standard, 165 fps in Overdrive
3.8K 16:9: from 120 fps → 150 fps standard, 240 fps Overdrive
3.8K 2.39:1: newly available; captures up to 240 fps at full DR
2K 16:9 S16: up to 330 fps standard, 660 fps Overdrive
All high-speed recording require the 2TB Codex Compact Drive media instead of the 1TB.
Other Upgrades
10% reduced power consumption. Longer battery life, less heat output.
Pre-record buffer is 5× longer: up to 30 seconds in 4.6K Open Gate (ProRes 4444), or 5 minutes in HD (ProRes 422 HQ) at 24 fps.
Improved Wi-Fi: now supports the 5GHz band, mesh roaming, and auto-reconnect for tools like Camera Companion. To take advantage of this longer upgraded antenna are included.
QUICK SPEC CHANGE OVERVIEW
| Feature | ALEXA 35 (Standard) | ALEXA 35 Xtreme (Standard Mode) | Sensor Overdrive Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max FPS (4.6K Open Gate) | 75 fps | 120 fps | 165 fps |
| Max FPS (3.8K 16:9) | 120 fps | 150 fps | 240 fps |
| Max FPS (3.8K 2.39:1) | Not available | 240 fps | 240 fps |
| Max FPS (2K S16) | 120 fps | 330 fps | 660 fps |
| Dynamic Range | 17 stops | 17 stops | 11 stops |
| Codec Options | ARRIRAW, ProRes | ARRIRAW, ProRes, + ARRICORE | ARRIRAW, ProRes, + ARRICORE |
| Pre-record (4.6K OG @ 24 fps PR 422HQ) | 8.5 sec | 48 sec | 48 sec |
| Pre-record (2k S16 @ 24 fps PR 422HQ) | 20 sec | 5 min | 5 min |
For more information and a complete overview we’ve linked Arri’s Alexa 35 Xtreme guided tour below.
Questions? Looking test it out?