When will ISO adjustment be available while recording?

[JHutch]

Friends at Arri - any idea when new firmware will be coming to the Alexa 35 to allow ISO to be changed while actively recording?

We really need that control for documentary shooting as well as natural light narrative shooting. It’s always been possible with the Alexa Mini and MiniLF cameras. It becomes a problematic limitation frequently with verité doc shooting as well as fast-paced, non-controllable narrative lighting scenarios when internal ND adjustment can't give the correct exposure value but you still have to keep an unbroken clip/roll going as the scene develops. It's impossible in a key dramatic moment to cut and lose an important element of an unfolding scene just to make an ISO exposure adjustment.

And while it's fantastic there's so much dynamic range in the camera, if an image is over or under exposed in the field and dailies are made using that incorrect exposure then anyone viewing those dailies will assume there's an issue or a mistake with the imagery. The DP and camera department understand the abilities of the camera and how dynamic range works and what is recoverable in terms of exposure in post, but most people reviewing footage won't have that same knowledge, and they would assume that the DP is making mistakes during filming. Even if they do realize the camera has enough dynamic range to push or pull the exposure as desired, they'd become accustomed to seeing an incorrect look in the dailies - and when you get to the end of the project and they've spent months seeing it incorrectly, it makes for a tougher fight in the color suite to bring it back to looking the way it was always intended to look.

I know a lot of DPs who would very much appreciate this being prioritized to the top of the list for the next firmware update. Thank you!

[bryanfowler]

Yeah it's a shame this is not an option. It directly impacts me nearly every time I shoot.

[Jan Heugel]

"Good news, everyone!"...

"EI change during rec" is on schedule for an upcoming SUP.

Cheers,
Jan

[JHutch]

Amazing Jan - thank you all very much!

[JHutch]

Jan, any chance you're able to give a rough timeline for when that SUP will be available? Thanks!

[Jan Heugel]

Hi Jeff,

I'll take a rain check on that one.
Predictions are always a tough cookie since one blocker-bug can ruin that in an instant...

Cheers,
Jan

[Sam Choi]

EI change during recording is available now in ALEXA 35 SUP 1.2.1
Please read the Release Note before update, and we do not recommend updating in the middle of a production.

https://www.arri.com/en/technical-servi ... -sup-1-2-1

[JHutch]

Thank you all at Arri for responding to our feedback and bringing us the EI adjustment (while recording) in this recent firmware update - it’s very, very much appreciated!

Best,
Jeff