ARRI has finally debuted the ARRIFLEX D-20 camera. ARRI execs promise the camera will be available in November.


The new ARRI camera uses a single CMOS sensor the size of a 35mm negative frame. The 35mm frame means you can use the same lenses on the camera and get the same FOV and DOF as you would on a “regular” 35mm ARRI film camera.

In Video Mode, the data coming from the D-20 sensor is processed live in the camera. Color reconstruction is performed simultaneously as the 2880 x 1620 pixel grid is converted to 1920 x 1080 resolution. A sophisticated on-board color management system has been implemented to optimize the camera’s performance for different lighting situations including blue and green screen work. In Video Mode, the D-20 can supply a variety of standard HD video signals for different recording formats, including HDCAM SR, thus allowing the D-20 to integrate seamlessly into existing HD infrastructures.

This puts the new ARRI in same league as SONY’s CineAlta in terms of output (1920x108o HDCAM). In terms of renting this beast for your next video production, you’ll need to drive a hard bargain. The price tag is still unknown but if the CineAlta serves as base, the price will be in the $100,000+ range.