Cinematography: Cameras and Formats: D-20: An Open Learning Guide

The D-20 is ARRI's concept of a practical digital movie camera. Like the Panavision Genesis, it uses a single image sensor the same width as a standard 35mm film frame, but unlike the Genesis, this also has the same height as a 35mm frame.

The D-20 uses a custom-designed CMOS sensor rather than the older CCD technology of the Genesis. Instead of the Genesis's RGB stripe filter, the D-20 uses a Bayer Array, similar to that used on digital still cameras. The CMOS sensor's "native resolution" (before the color mask is applied) is 3018 x 2200 pixels, which allows a 1920 x 1080 standard HD output with a resolution similar to the Genesis. Recording can be either on HD Beta tape or a hard disk array.

The D-20 is actually based on a modified ARRIFLEX 435 film camera chassis. It can use any "PL-Mount" cinematography lens, and was specifically designed to be as familiar in operation to a film camera operator as possible. In particular, it retains the rotating mirror shutter/reflex viewfinder that is standard on all ARRI film cameras, which allows the incorporation of a standard optical viewfinder.

The optical viewfinder image can safely be used for critical focussing, whereas current model electronic viewfinders tend to have insufficient resolution for this.

No power is needed while setting up a shot, nor is there any particular need for a "video village" of monitoring equipment.

The camera operator can see outside the frame that is actually being recorded, so (s)he (and/or the focus puller)"can see what's coming". (A major shortcoming of all-electronic viewfinder systems is the camera operator can only see what is actually being sent out to the recording system).

At present (Oct 2005) the D-20 is still undergoing refinement and to date no commercial projects have been shot with it. It has been observed that ARRI seem far less serious about the D-20 than Panavision do about the Genesis, since the CMOS sensor it is based on was principally designed for use in ARRI's advanced film scanner, the Arriscan.

Currently, as of during the Sundance Film Festival for 2006, there is only one ArriFlex D-20 located in the United States of America. In about a month from the festival, Arri Rental facilities should have the D-20 available for rent. However, rental prices are still unknown.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Movie Making Manual/Cinematography/Cameras and Formats/D-20 by Wikibooks contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.