
If you have ever wanted an ALEXA 35, but the price was out of reach, ARRI is now offering a lower entry price, lower-cost media, and flexible licenses.
The three core things ARRI wanted to do are as follows:
Lower ALEXA 35 entry price
- ALEXA 35 with Base License
- Core features
- Reduced entry prices, least expensive set: €49,800
- Blue jog wheel
Flexible upgrading through licenses
- ALEXA 35 Base adapts and grows with customer
- Weekly, monthly, yearly, or permanent licenses
- New, improved online ARRI Shop
New Compact Drive Express 1TB
- ProRes-only at €850
- Available individually or in selected ALEXA 35 Base Sets
ALEXA 35 Base Version

The biggest news is that the ALEXA 35 will now be available in several different Base Kits where you are essentially getting the same exact hardware, but with with different software to make it more affordable. The only physical difference between the ALEXA 35 Base Version and the ALEXA 35 with Premium license is that the Base Version has a Blue control dial.
The Base Kits don’t come with the Premium License (which is now part of the ALEXA 35 with Premium License – Camera Sets). The Premium License includes:
- 60 – 120 fps (where recording format allows)
- Uncompressed ARRIRAW recording for all installed recording formats
- Open Gate recording formats: 4.6K 3:2 Open Gate, 4.6K 16:9
- Anamorphic recording formats: 3.3K 6:5, 3K 1:1, 2.7K 8:9
- Anamorphic de-squeeze for ProRes recording and for monitor paths
- Up to 20 seconds of buffered pre-recording
- ARRI Textures, Look Library, Custom Color Management
The ALEXA 35 Base model is available in a choice of eight sets that all bring accessory savings, grouped within three categories:
- Base Entry Sets
- Base Operator Sets
- Base Production Sets
The Entry Sets offer the most affordable way to acquire a lightweight, ready-to-shoot camera package and put the ALEXA 35 at a price point comparable to the original ALEXA Mini. Owner-operators and sports productions will be drawn to the Operator Sets, while the Production Sets are suited to high-end narrative productions and include accessories that would come as standard from a rental house.

The ALEXA 35 Base Kit can be turned it into an ALEXA 35 with Premium License by simply purchasing or renting the various licenses that are now available.
The ALEXA 35 Base and Premium model sets are available to order starting February 3, 2025. They reflect ARRI’s long-term commitment to the ALEXA 35 system platform, for which further upgrades are already being planned.
The planned first customer shipments are scheduled for February and March, depending on the kit you choose
Why is ARRI doing this?

The goal for ARRI was to make the ALEXA 35 more accessible to a wider range of users and production types.
ARRI is primarily targeting the following groups:
- AMIRA/Mini owners
- Owner/Operators
- Corporate clients
- TV productions
- Small production companies
- Film schools
ARRI told me that some potential customers who wanted to buy an ALEXA 35 didn’t necessarily want or need features like ARRIRAW recording, or Anamorphic recording modes. So essentially what ARRI has done is to almost go back to the same sort of tiered system they had with the AMIRA. Having purchasable or rental licenses is also very similar to what Sony is doing with the VENICE 2.

As I have already mentioned, customers now have the choice to purchase the ALEXA 35 with or without certain licenses and they can also rent licenses for a week or a month, or purchase them outright if they are required.
What do you get in the most affordable Base Kit?

The ALEXA 35 Base Entry Set (LPL, CCM) is the most affordable kit you can purchase at €49,800
- Same hardware as ALEXA 35 Premium (except it has a blue jog wheel to quickly identify a Base model at rental houses
- Super 35 4K ALEV 4 sensor with 17 stops of dynamic range
- ARRI REVEAL Color Science
- EI 160 – 6400 & Enhanced Sensitivity
- K445 Default ARRI Texture
- ProRes recording up to 60 fps
- Compact Drive Express 1TB, Compact Drive 1TB and 2TB
- 16:9 & 2:1 spherical recording formats– 4K 16:9, 4K 2:1, 3.8K 16:9 UHD, 2K 16:9 S16
- 3x independent 10-bit monitoring outputs (SDI 1, SDI 2, VF)
- ARRI Look File ALF4 support (CDL & 3D LUT)
- Built-in SDR and HDR output color spaces
- Log C4, Rec 709, Rec 2020, Rec 2100 PQ, Rec 2100 HLG
It comes with the following items:
- ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body
- ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS)
- ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter
- Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1
- B-Mount Battery Adapter
- Camera Control Monitor CCM-1 Set
- Bridge Plate Adapter BPA-6
- Center Camera Handle CCH-4
- Universal Adapter Plate UAP-3

As you can see the ALEXA 35 Base Entry Set (LPL, CCM) doesn’t come with the Multi Viewfinder MVF-2, and instead, you get the CCM-1 monitor.
What don’t you get in the Base Kits?

You don’t get any of the items that are part of the Premium License pack. As I previously mentioned, that means the following items are not included:
- 60 – 120 fps (where recording format allows)
- Uncompressed ARRIRAW recording for all installed recording formats
- Open Gate recording formats: 4.6K 3:2 Open Gate, 4.6K 16:9
- Anamorphic recording formats: 3.3K 6:5, 3K 1:1, 2.7K 8:9
- Anamorphic de-squeeze for ProRes recording and for monitor paths
- Up to 20 seconds of buffered pre-recording
- ARRI Textures, Look Library, Custom Color Management
With the Base Kits, you are limited to 4K up to 60p in any flavor of ProRes. You also don’t get any ability to change the ARRI Textures and you are stuck using the K445 Default ARRI Texture. You also don’t get the ARRI Look Library, and you have no ability to use Custom Color Management.
None of the Base Kits come with the Premium License pack. The only difference between the various Base Kits is the accessories that are included. As this is a bit confusing I have listed all of the available kits and what is included towards the end of the article.
Now, at any time you can individually rent or purchase any of the features that come in the Premium License pack if your production requires it. I will talk more about this in more detail further down in the article.

The ALEXA 35 Base is only available in sets.
- Base sets have about a have a 7% to 10% price advantage over the sum of the individual components
- Most affordable ALEXA 35 sets are comparable to ALEXA Mini set prices
- Ready-to-shoot sets sets include LPL Mount, PL-to-LPL Adapter, lightweight accessories and CCM-1 onboard monitor
- Optionally with 3x Compact Drive Express 1TB and 1x USB C Reader (CDX)
- Operator Sets include an LPL Mount, PL-to-LPL Adapter, Touchdown baseplate system and MVF-2 viewfinder
- Optionally with PL Mount (Hirose) for sports market
- Optionally with 3x Compact Drive Express 1TB and 1x USB C Reader (CDX)
- Production sets include tame accessories as in ALEXA 35 Premium Production Sets. Therefore, full hardware compatibility with most rental packages
- Production sets are available for 15 mm or 19 mm studio rods
What do the Base Kits cost?

ALEXA 35 Flexible Licenses
- Future-proof
- Unlock specialist and high-end features whenever needed
- Permanent licenses: Once installed, always remain on camera
- Temporary licenses: What you want, when you want it, and for how long you want it: Yearly, 30 days, 7 days
- All licenses Must be installed in the correct order
- Licenses can only be purchased through the online ARRI Shop
- Licenses are linked to one serial number camera
Yes, paid software licenses are always a contentious topic, but in this case, it was the only way to offer the ALEXA 35 at a more affordable price. By only paying for what you need, but still having the ability to rent or purchase licenses, ARRI can now arguably get more people interested in the ALEXA 35 who previously may have not been able to afford one.
How much do the licenses cost?

The outright permanent license purchase costs are certainly not what most people would consider ‘affordable’, however, if you rent them for select productions, the cost is arguably relatively small, although that depends on what you require.
The cost of purchasing the permanent Premium License outright is a whopping €18,600. Individual permanent licenses such as ARRIRAW, 120fps, and Open Gate/Anamorphic are €4,500 each. A 7-day rental of any of those individual licenses is €180 each. The €4,500 equates to 175 days of rental.
Improved online ARRI Shop

- Third-party back-end provider (FastSpring) for more payment options
- In local currency; payment options depend on the location
- For instance: credit card, PayPal, Google Pay, Alipay, Amazon Pay
- Anyone can buy a license if they have access to the camera’s hardware info
Previously purchasing an ARRI license was a conflated and difficult process. ARRI has now changed that so it is much easier to purchase a License quickly through a variety of different payment methods. They have done this by partnering with FastSpring.
New more affordable Codex Compact Drive Express 1TB
ARRI has also introduced a new Codex Compact Drive Express 1TB which is around 40% more affordable than a standard Codex Compact Drive 1TB. The new drive will cost €850 and it looks identical to the other Codex Compact Drives apart from the fact that it has a white ring around it so it can be identified easily.
The catch with the new Codex Compact Drive Express 1TB is that it can only record ProRes. It cannot record ARRIRAW.

If you are not shooting ARRIRAW, the drive is still capable of capturing the same ProRes flavors, resolutions, and frame rates that the existing Compact Drive 1TB can capture. This includes 4.6K Open Gate, ProRes 4444XQ, and 120fps. The new card will work in the ALEXA 35 Base model, ALEXA 35 Premium model, and ALEXA 35 Live. It is not compatible with the ALEXA Mini LF.
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB
- Same writing speed and same fps range as Compact Drive 1TB
- Apple ProRes only recording
- White ring
Compatible with
- ALEXA 35 with Premium license
- ALEXA 35 with Base license
- ALEXA 35 Live
- Requires ALEXA SUP 4.0.0 or later
- Not compatible with ALEXA Mini LF or ALEXA 265
Prices & Bundles
- 1x Compact Drive Express 1TB €850
- 3x Compact Drive Express 1TB + 1x USB-C Reader Set €3,000
Does this rule out any new AMIRA?

At this stage, yes, however, there may well still be a new lower-cost camera in the future. ARRI is certainly aware that the market has changed and the position the AMIRA used to sit in arguably doesn’t really exist anymore. With no F5/F55, and the BURANO almost sitting by itself in the $20-30K range, releasing another AMIRA at $40-50K probably doesn’t make much sense.
If ARRI was to ever release a lower-cost camera it would have to arguably be around $20-30K to compete with other options on the market. Whether ARRI ever chooses to go down that path remains to be seen, but they ultimately may to, given how the industry is changing.
ALEXA 35 with Base License – Camera Sets
ALEXA 35 Base Entry Set (LPL, CCM) €49,800
ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Camera Control Monitor CCM-1 Set |
Bridge Plate Adapter BPA-6 |
Center Camera Handle CCH-4 |
Universal Adapter Plate UAP-3 |
ALEXA 35 Base Entry Set (LPL, CCM, CDX) €52,300

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Camera Control Monitor CCM-1 Set |
Bridge Plate Adapter BPA-6 |
Center Camera Handle CCH-4 |
Universal Adapter Plate UAP-3 |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C) |
ALEXA 35 Base Op. Set (PL, MVF) €54,900

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI PL Mount (Hirose) |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Top Operator Plate TOP-1 |
Top Operator Grip TOG-1 |
Touchdown Base Plate TBP-1 |
Touchdown Receiver Plate TRP-1 |
ALEXA 35 Base Op. Set (PL, MVF-2, CDX) €57,400

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI PL Mount (Hirose) |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Top Operator Plate TOP-1 |
Top Operator Grip TOG-1 |
Touchdown Base Plate TBP-1 |
Touchdown Receiver Plate TRP-1 |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C) |
ALEXA 35 Base Op. Set (LPL, MVF-2) €55,900

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Top Operator Plate TOP-1 |
Top Operator Grip TOG-1 |
Touchdown Base Plate TBP-1 |
Touchdown Receiver Plate TRP-1 |
ALEXA 35 Base Op. Set (LPL, MVF-2, CDX) €58,400

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Top Operator Plate TOP-1 |
Top Operator Grip TOG-1 |
Touchdown Base Plate TBP-1 |
Touchdown Receiver Plate TRP-1 |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
CODEX Compact Drive Express 1TB |
Codex Compact Drive Reader (USB-C) |
ALEXA 35 Base Prod. Set (LPL, MVF, 19mm) €60,100

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Power Cable Straight KC-50 2m |
Power Distribution Module PDM-1 |
Production Support Set – Top |
Production Support Set – Side |
Production Support Set – Bottom (19mm) |
ALEXA 35 Base Prod. Set (LPL, MVF, 15mm) €60,100

ALEXA 35 with Base Licence Camera Body |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Power Cable Straight KC-50 2m |
Power Distribution Module PDM-1 |
Production Support Set – Top |
Production Support Set – Side |
Production Support Set – Bottom (15mm) |
ALEXA 35 with Premium License – Camera Sets
ALEXA 35 Premium Production Set (19mm) €78,700
ALEXA 35 camera body |
Premium License Permanent |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Power Cable Straight KC-50 2m |
Power Distribution Module PDM-1 |
Production Support Set – Top |
Production Support Set – Side |
Production Support Set – Bottom (19mm) |
ALEXA 35 Premium Production Set (15mm) €78,700
ALEXA 35 camera body |
Premium License Permanent |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Power Cable Straight KC-50 2m |
Power Distribution Module PDM-1 |
Production Support Set – Top |
Production Support Set – Side |
Production Support Set – Bottom (15mm) |
ALEXA 35 Premium Operator Set €74,500
ALEXA 35 camera body |
Premium License Permanent |
ARRI LPL Lens Mount (LBUS) |
ARRI PL-to-LPL-Adapter |
Balance Utility Dovetail BUD-1 |
B-Mount Battery Adapter |
Multi Viewfinder MVF-2 |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Cable VF Right Angle (0.5m/1.5ft) |
Operator Set |
Thoughts

This is an interesting move by ARRI and one that arguably makes sense. Offering the same hardware and making the camera more affordable by limiting the software certainly opens the camera up to more people.

The ALEXA 35 was announced back on May 31st, 2022, so it is now more than 2.5 years old. The camera has been very successful for ARRI and they have sold more units than they anticipated, but the market is changing and you need to think about new and different ways of selling products to customers.
While paid licenses are always a contentious issue with consumers, it is better to just sell the exact same camera that can be upgraded through the purchase or rental of licenses than to just offer a camera that can only shoot in certain formats, etc. that can’t be upgraded.