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[nealnorton]

The size and weight of a camera are not always the whole story.  If you are skydiving then maybe the Epic is just right for the job - maybe it is even a little big and heavy depending on the lens used.  For my work in narrative production, the size and weight are  somewhat  less important than the scale of the camera.  The Alexa is scaled very well to the size of the human body. I and my assistant can work with the needed parts of the camera with out the irritation of burrowing through a mess of cables and cine arms to find the desired connection/button/knob etc.  The layout is really well thought out.

The Epic is far more 'fiddly' and as an example,  with my sized hands and fingers, getting the bnc unplugged on the Epic can be a real irritant - I now always just ask the A/C or tech to do it because it drives me crazy trying unsuccessfully to perform such a simple task.  I like the Epic camera and in the past week I have been working with the Epic and Alexa side by side.  But for ease of use and economic work flow the Alexa is head and shoulders above the Epic. 

If the size of the camera is the most important aspect of your work then maybe the Epic is just right for you.  A smaller Alexa is not something I personally want to see.

[robstiff]

Well said...We love the body of the Alexa as it is much more balanced.
The workflow has saved us a lot of time and operational costs.
Simply look at all of the TV shows alone being shot on the Alexa...
The Alexa along with the quality of customer service at ARRI has been impeccable.

If anyone does a skydive shoot with the Alexa, please post about your experience!

[Derek]

Like I said, taht was just one of the most extreme examples.

You can't put Alexa on your backbag, take lightweight slider and tripod and go out to do some easy shooting. You need heavy sliders and heavy tripods to use with Alexa. This is big thing when you shoot outdoors.

[cinealta]

I have to disagree with the last post, you can shoot lightweight with Alexa, I have been doing so for the last year with my own camera on a documentary for the BBC.

If I take off the BP-12 and put the tripod plate adapter on I can put it on a Miller Compass tripod with Solo legs, I use a Hawkwoods 26v 100w battery and sharp from the barrel rather than with the FF-4.

I have an LMB-5 clip on to keep the weight down, back pack for my UP's and batteries/cards.

Turn on the EVF peaking to make sharping easier and you've got a very lightweight kit suitable for documentary, OK it's not DSLR weight but it comes with none of the compromises of a DSLR.

[Chris Bell]

I have spent the last 6 months traveling the world with my Alexa... in a carry-on bag.  My docu package consists of the Alexa, 2 Optimo's, 300 Canon, 4 Batteries and AKS which we carried on the plane.  The Alexa proved to be a very portable camera, nimble, and fast to use.  I didn't have a dozen accessories to assemble (to make it a camera)... just threw on a lens and battery and we were up and shooting... fast.  We shot in very inhospitable environments and never had a single glitch.  These were environments where a touch screen and unsealed electronics would have died a quick death. 

No camera is going to be everything, but I have had my Alexa on 2 movies, 10 commercials and a world wide doc.  It's proved to be a system which can scale very well.   

[robstiff]

Tamrac makes a backpack (model 5589) that can nicely hold the Alexa with an Ultra Prime attached, EVF detached,battery, handgrips, etc. I tested it out and to my surprise it was not heavy holding and wearing the backpack. Plus the padding inside is nice and has modular velcro compartment customization.