2012Cameras (Film/Video/HD) forum
Alexa camera firmware updates for image flipping capability and new anamorphic lens development
14 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- The Alexa camera gained horizontal image mirroring for 3D applications in firmware release 5.0
- Vertical image mirroring for the recorded image was promised for firmware 8.0 in the fourth quarter of 2012
- Vertical image flipping capability for steadicam applications was under development but not yet available as of the discussion timeframe
- A workaround for image orientation issues involves having a digital imaging technician flip the image at their monitor distribution cart before sending to displays
- New Master Anamorphic lenses were being developed jointly by Arri and Zeiss and scheduled for release over one to two years
- The new anamorphic lenses featured clean optical performance without traditional old-school anamorphic artifacts
- When vertical image flip is not available, alternative approaches include inverting the physical camera position and having video village invert monitor displays
Depends on
- The discussion spans 2010 to 2012 with conflicting reports about when firmware features became available
- Uncertainty exists about whether image flip applies only to monitor output or to both recorded footage and monitor output
- The discussion does not clarify which Alexa model variants received these firmware updates
- Actual implementation details and limitations of the vertical flip feature remain unspecified