One of my greatest missions since I first launched this blog has been to achieve the “Alexa look” on a budget. While most of my efforts involve using unique combinations of color grading As well as carefully planned lighting using lower budget cameras, I’ve been exploring another path lately – making the real Arri Alexa more cost effective.
It all started when I heard about Arri’s CPO program. This article. In short, the price of Arri’s original Alexa bodies has dropped significantly over the years, and Arri’s new pre-owned platform makes it easy and reliable to buy them.
But as we all know, the camera body itself isn’t the only expense to consider when investing in a camera system. Lenses are another important consideration, especially when you get into the PL mount world, where even a modest lens can cost thousands of dollars.
While I’ve never been a Canon shooter, I’ve invested in a lot of EF glass over the years…largely because the EF mount has become standard on cameras like the Blackmagic URSA Mini (which I also own) and can accommodate large Most mirrorless cameras.
When I first bought the Alexa Plus 4:3, I weighed whether I should keep my Canon glass and simply switch the Alexa mount from PL to EF, or sell all the EF glass and buy all new PL lenses.
In the end, I decided it would make more sense to convert the camera to EF using a Leitax mount (more on that below), and I could easily switch back to PL when future projects require it.
I made this decision not just because I own EF lenses – although that’s part of it… The bigger factor was my discovery of the Leica R mount lens, which is not only optically beautiful, but also very affordable and easy to adapt to EF.
If I went the PL route, I’d probably get a mid-range new lens kit (quality-wise), or an older kit that needs a lot of work. I actually paid more for the casing than the glass itself.
By adopting the EF path, the door is opened to easily adapt vintage Leica R lenses, which offer excellent quality and smaller form factors.
I shoot with a lot of vintage lenses, and for me the Leica R is great value for money in many ways. Not only are they extremely cost-effective on the used market (my 50mm cost about $300), but they also have a truly stunning look. They’re very sharp and easily match many modern lenses in terms of overall resolution. But because they’re decades old, they also have unique qualities (especially in bokeh) that give them a bit of a vintage glow.
Another huge advantage of the Leica R is that they cover the full frame of the sensor. While I don’t need the Alexa’s FF coverage, I can still benefit from the added coverage when using these lenses on some of my DSLRs or other cameras with larger sensors.
While doing research, I discovered a company based in Europe called Lytax. They make mounts and adapters for a variety of cameras, and make EF mounts for Alexa cameras, as well as EF adapters for Leica R lenses.
I decided immediately to buy a 50mm Leica R lens, and the Alexa kit from Leitax.
Installing the new bracket was surprisingly easy, but also quite nerve-wracking. Every time you perform open-heart surgery on Alexa, your own heart starts racing… Here’s a visual breakdown of how the mount installs.
First, let’s take a photo of the camera installation——
The first step is to remove the existing PL mount. If you have Alexa and you try to do this, know that you’re going to need a series of Torx screwdrivers. I bought a multi-tool that covers all different sizes for $10 and it’s been a lifesaver. Each component uses slightly different plum sizes.
First, you must unscrew all 7 main Torx screws that hold the mount in place. These screws don’t come off completely, they just need to be loosened. Once you’re done, you can pull the mount off very carefully, but it will take some force – there’s a suction system that keeps it on the camera body even after the screws are loosened.
However, to completely remove the PL mount, you must also disconnect the electronic ribbon that connects from the camera to the mount. There are 4 screws on the side of the PL mount, after removing these screws, a small flap opens where you can loosen the electrical connections.
Once you’ve completed this step, you can slide the mount away and the ribbon/wire will slide through the small opening on the circuit board.
Then, you’ll end up with something that looks like this –
In the picture above I have carefully pushed the ribbon cable back into the body where it is stored. You can see it on the left side of the silver plate – that little rectangular opening.
The next step, of course, is to install the Leitax EF mount. This part is pretty quick and easy. Start by placing the Leitax coupling ring inside the Alexa – this is a black rubber part that acts as a buffer between the camera body and the mount.
Then, screw the metal Leitax mount into the camera body using the screws provided.
The final result is as follows –
Just like that, the new mount is installed!
My final step was to convert my Leica R 50mm lens to EF so that it could be used with the new camera mount. Simply screw the Leitax EF ring onto your existing 50mm lens rear cap. This is a before and after photo of the lens with the EF ring added.
This step only took a minute or two to complete and allowed me to fully secure the Leica 50mm to the camera body –
I breathed a sigh of relief when I fired up the camera and saw a clear image in the viewfinder. No focus issues or other issues, just gorgeous images projected onto the Alexa sensor through the tiny 50mm lens.
The great thing about the Leitax mount is that it rotates to really lock your lens in, just like the PL system. It doesn’t simply click in like a standard EF mount, which gives you more confidence when using heavier lenses or follow focus systems.
If I wanted to use a PL lens on a camera, I could simply use a Leitax PL adapter, which would allow me to switch from EF to PL on this camera without having to completely change the mount again.
All in all, I spent about $300 on the lens and $500 on the Leitax kit. So for a total of about $800, I was able to modify the camera and outfit it with some awesome glass.
This setup may not be suitable for everyone, but for my specific needs, it’s nearly perfect. Now I have the flexibility to use more lenses on Alexa than ever before, and doing so is very cost-effective.
I definitely still shoot with mirrorless cameras, Blackmagic and other low-cost systems on many projects. Each camera is suitable for different types of shooting scenarios…
But this revision has opened the door for me to use Alexa for more productions, and it’s more versatile than ever. Now I will definitely invest in more Leica R glass to build the complete kit.
Hope this helps those considering a similar path. Feel free to leave questions in the comments section below!
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