ARRI
German manufacturer of professional motion-picture cameras, lenses, lighting, stabilization systems and post-production equipment.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
ARRI is a German motion-picture technology company founded in Munich on 12 September 1917 by August Arnold and Robert Richter. Its legal name, Arnold & Richter Cine Technik, supplied the initials for the ARRI name. The company began as a film laboratory, production and equipment-rental business before developing cameras and other tools for professional cinematography. Today it is best known for integrated camera, lens, lighting, stabilization and workflow systems used in feature films, television, commercials, documentaries, live production and virtual-production environments. ARRI’s historical importance rests particularly on its camera engineering. In 1924 it introduced the portable Kinarri 35, followed by the Kinarri 16 in 1928. In 1937, the Arriflex 35 introduced a production-ready rotating-mirror reflex shutter that gave operators a parallax-free view through the taking lens while the camera was running. This design became foundational to professional film-camera operation and influenced generations of motion-picture cameras. The Arriflex family expanded through 16 mm, 35 mm and 65 mm formats, with models such as the 16ST, 16BL, 35BL, 16SR, 435, 535 and 765 serving different requirements for portability, sync sound, high speed and large-format photography. From the late twentieth century, ARRI broadened from camera manufacture into lenses, film scanning, film recording, digital imaging, lighting and production services. Partnerships with Carl Zeiss and Fujinon produced high-end spherical, anamorphic and zoom lenses. The Arrilaser and Arriscan supported digital-intermediate workflows, film-out and restoration. The company’s digital transition began with the Arriflex D-20 and D-21, which used a large CMOS sensor and retained compatibility with 35 mm cinematography lenses. This work led to the Alexa system, launched in 2010. The Alexa became ARRI’s defining digital platform. Its image quality, color workflow, reliability, broad lens compatibility and established rental ecosystem made it a major choice for high-end cinema and television. Alexa variants expanded into studio, compact, large-format and specialized configurations, including Alexa 65, Alexa LF, Alexa Mini LF and Alexa 35. ARRI cameras have been used on numerous award-winning productions, including Hugo, Life of Pi, Gravity, Birdman, The Revenant and 1917. The company also developed the Amira for documentary, television and other mobile production applications. ARRI’s lighting business spans conventional Fresnel and daylight fixtures as well as LED systems. The SkyPanel range, introduced in 2015, helped establish ARRI as a significant professional LED-lighting supplier, while the Orbiter and Stellar lighting-control ecosystem extended the company’s programmable and color-management capabilities. Through acquisitions and internal development, ARRI also sells camera-stabilization systems, including ARTEMIS and TRINITY products. The company serves a specialist, high-end market rather than a mass consumer audience. Its positioning is based on optical and mechanical precision, image quality, long product life, professional support, rental availability and compatibility across production workflows. In addition to hardware, ARRI provides training, workflow consulting, system integration, post-production and creative services. ARRI Solutions, established as a dedicated business unit in 2023, reflects the company’s response to demand for virtual production, integrated production systems and workflow development. ARRI remains privately held and headquartered in Munich, with international subsidiaries, distributors, rental partners and service operations.
History
ARRI was established in Munich in 1917 by August Arnold and Robert Richter. Its early activities combined film production, laboratory work and equipment rental, a business model that later developed into a substantial rental and service tradition. The company’s first camera, the portable Kinarri 35, appeared in 1924, and the Kinarri 16 followed in 1928. ARRI also developed a mobile sound camera in the 1930s. The company’s landmark innovation came in 1937 with the Arriflex 35. Designed with engineer Erich Kästner, it used a rotating mirror shutter to provide reflex viewing without parallax while enabling continuous camera operation. The concept made accurate framing and focusing practical for professional cinematographers and became a defining feature of later film cameras. The Arriflex was subsequently used internationally, including in Hollywood productions, and more than 17,000 Arriflex 35 units were reportedly built over time. ARRI’s history during Nazi rule is a significant and difficult part of its corporate record. The company filmed Nazi party events from the late 1920s, and its founders joined the NSDAP in 1933. ARRI participated in a small number of feature-film productions aligned with the period’s cultural structures and in 1938 was commissioned to document the destruction of Munich’s Old Main Synagogue. During the Second World War, the German military became a major customer and camera production moved from Munich to Brannenburg in 1942. The Munich headquarters was destroyed by Allied bombing in July 1944. After the war, ARRI rebuilt its Munich facilities over roughly a decade. Post-war development focused on making professional cameras more portable, quieter and more versatile. The Arriflex 16ST arrived in 1952, the self-blimped 16BL in 1965 and the lightweight 35BL in 1972. The 16SR, introduced in 1975, incorporated through-the-lens metering. The Arriflex 765, released in 1989, addressed renewed interest in 65 mm production. During the 1990s ARRI introduced the 535 and 435 35 mm cameras and expanded its lens partnerships, notably with Carl Zeiss. In the 1990s and early 2000s, ARRI built a broader post-production and imaging portfolio. It developed the Arrilaser film recorder and Arriscan film scanner, supporting digital-intermediate production, film recording and restoration. The acquisition of Moviecam in 2000 contributed to the Arricam 35 mm platform. ARRI’s first digital cinema camera, the D-20, was developed in the early 2000s and evolved into the D-21. Its large CMOS imaging approach and use of conventional 35 mm lenses helped establish the technical direction for Alexa. The Alexa was released in 2010 and became ARRI’s principal digital cinema platform. It supported professional recording formats and workflows designed to move efficiently from camera to edit and post-production. Subsequent models included Alexa Plus, Alexa Studio, Alexa M, Alexa XT and Alexa SXT, followed by large-format Alexa 65, Alexa LF and Alexa Mini LF models. The Amira, introduced in the same period, targeted documentary, television and other production environments. Alexa systems became closely associated with high-end cinematography and were used on many films recognized for Academy Award cinematography. ARRI also expanded its lighting operations. Earlier daylight and studio products were joined by LED systems including the SkyPanel range, introduced in 2015, and the Orbiter, introduced in 2019. The company added stabilization products through its 2016 acquisition of Artemis systems, later developing ARTEMIS 2 and TRINITY 2. Its businesses now cover cameras, optics, lighting, stabilization, post-production, rental, education and production technology. In 2023 ARRI formed ARRI Solutions to focus on virtual production, workflow development and system integration. This reflected the increasing complexity of modern production environments, where cameras, lighting, tracking, displays, post-production and data management need to operate as a coordinated system. ARRI’s present identity therefore combines a century of camera engineering with a wider role as a professional production-technology partner.
- 2023
ARRI Solutions established
[1]ARRI creates a business unit focused on virtual production and integrated workflows.
- 2022
Second-generation stabilization systems
[1]ARRI introduces ARTEMIS 2 and TRINITY 2 stabilization systems.
- 2015
SkyPanel introduced
[1]ARRI enters a new phase of professional LED lighting with the SkyPanel family.
- 2014
Alexa 65 and Amira introduced
[1]ARRI expands into large-format digital cinema and mobile production cameras.
- 2010
Alexa launched
[1]ARRI releases the Alexa digital cinema camera system.
- 2000
Moviecam acquired
[1]ARRI acquires Moviecam and subsequently develops the Arricam platform.
- 1998
Arrilaser enters testing
[1]The Arrilaser film recorder begins beta testing for digital-intermediate workflows.
- 1972
35BL and daylight lighting innovation
[1]ARRI releases the lightweight 35BL and develops the Arrisonne 2000 W daylight luminaire.
- 1952
Arriflex 16ST launched
[1]ARRI introduces a professional 16 mm reflex camera.
- 1937
Arriflex 35 debuts
[1]The company presents a mass-produced reflex film camera using a rotating mirror shutter.
Products and positioning
High-end professional cinematography and production-technology brand focused on image quality, reliability, precision engineering and integrated workflows.
Digital cinema cameras · 2010
Alexa camera system
ARRI’s principal digital camera family, developed from the D-20 and D-21 programs. Alexa cameras are designed for high-end narrative, television, commercial and documentary work, emphasizing reliable operation, cinematic image rendering, broad lens compatibility and established professional post-production workflows.
Large-format digital cinema camera · 2014
Alexa 65
A large-format Alexa system introduced for productions seeking a wider imaging area and distinctive large-format image characteristics. It was used on major feature productions including The Revenant, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Digital cinema camera · 2022
Alexa 35
A later-generation digital cinema camera using a Super 35 image format. It extends the Alexa platform with updated imaging capabilities for contemporary film and television production while retaining ARRI’s professional camera and workflow approach.
Production camera · 2014
Amira
A camera family aimed at documentary, television, factual, commercial and other production settings requiring a mobile and production-ready camera rather than a conventional high-end studio configuration.
Cinema lenses · 2005
Master Prime lenses
A high-speed spherical lens family developed with Carl Zeiss. The lenses were designed around a T1.3 maximum aperture while controlling breathing and distortion, making them suitable for demanding narrative cinematography and low-light work.
Anamorphic cinema lenses · 2012
Master Anamorphic lenses
An anamorphic lens series developed with Carl Zeiss and introduced for productions seeking widescreen imagery with controlled optical characteristics, consistent mechanics and professional lens-data integration.
LED lighting · 2015
SkyPanel
A family of professional, color-tunable LED soft lights introduced in several sizes, including the S30, S60, S120 and S360. SkyPanel fixtures are used on stages, locations, studios and broadcast sets, with electronic control and color-management features.
LED lighting · 2019
Orbiter
A programmable LED lighting platform introduced for professional production applications. Orbiter combines interchangeable optical accessories with digital control and broad color capabilities for film, television, stage and studio use.
Camera stabilization · 2016
ARTEMIS and TRINITY
ARRI’s camera-stabilization systems, originating with the Artemis designs acquired in 2016. The portfolio includes handheld and hybrid stabilization solutions, with later ARTEMIS 2 and TRINITY 2 generations intended for dynamic camera movement.
Film scanning and recording · 1998
Arriscan and Arrilaser
ARRI’s film-scanning and film-recording technologies support digital-intermediate workflows, film-out and restoration. Arriscan became particularly relevant to the preservation and restoration of archival film, while Arrilaser records digital images back to film.
Controversies
2011
U.S. email-access case involving subsidiary executive
Michael Bravin, an executive at ARRI’s U.S. subsidiary, pleaded guilty after allegations that he unlawfully accessed a rival company’s email account. ARRI denied knowledge of or benefit from the conduct. A separate action against the company was resolved through an out-of-court settlement.
Brand decisions
2023
Create ARRI SolutionsStrategyBackground
Virtual production and integrated production workflows were creating demand for coordinated hardware, software, system design and technical services.
Action taken
ARRI established ARRI Solutions as a dedicated business unit under Kevin Schwutke.
Aftermath
The move positioned ARRI to provide broader virtual-production, workflow-development and system-integration services.
2016
Acquire Artemis stabilization systemsM&ABackground
ARRI sought to broaden its production-technology offering beyond cameras, lenses and lighting.
Action taken
ARRI acquired the stabilization systems developed by Curt O. Schaller from Sachtler/Vitec Videocom and became their exclusive seller.
Aftermath
The stabilization portfolio developed into ARRI ARTEMIS and TRINITY product lines, including later second-generation systems.
2010
Launch the Alexa digital cinema platformProduct launchBackground
Digital cinematography was becoming central to professional film and television production, while cinematographers continued to value large-format lenses and established motion-picture operating practices.
Action taken
ARRI introduced Alexa and developed a family of related cameras supporting professional recording formats, direct-to-edit workflows and established cinema lenses.
Aftermath
Alexa became ARRI’s most influential digital product family and was adopted widely across high-end cinema and television.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
ARRI aims to become a consumer brand[3]
Reported:
ARRI has stated an intention to become a consumer brand, according to Y.M.Cinema.
Honor launches Magic 9 series flagship smartphones, including Magic 9 Pro Max, in China[4]
Reported:
Honor launched its new Magic 9 flagship smartphones, including the Magic 9 Pro Max, in China on September 28, 2026. The 9 Pro Max features a design revamp, an Arri-inspired camera island drawing from Arri's three-lens turret design, camera features contributed by Arri (Arri LogC3 shooting support, 14 preset Arri Look LUTs, access to Arri's LUT library, and the APV 10-bit 4:2:2 codec), an 8,800mAh battery, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset. Honor has confirmed an international launch is coming but has not announced when.
Honor launches Robot Phone, billed as world's first robot phone[5]
Reported:
Honor launched the Robot Phone on August 12, 2026, described by the company as the world's first robot phone, featuring a four-degree-of-freedom flip-and-rotate mechanical gimbal camera system with AI visual recognition and subject tracking, and integrating ARRI cinematic color science from a prior partnership.
Imax partners with camera makers on large-format production program[6]
Reported:
Imax partnered with ARRI, Panavision, Red and Sony to create a program intended to open its large-format production to more filmmakers.
ARRI launches Stellar 2 lighting control app[7]
Reported:
ARRI launched Stellar 2, a new version of its lighting control app. The update added support for controlling third-party products, among other features.
Sources11 sources
- 1Arrien.wikipedia.org
- 2ARRI official websitearri.com
- 3ARRI谋求成为消费级品牌news.google.com
- 4荣耀在中国发布Magic 9系列旗舰手机(含Magic 9 Pro Max)theverge.com
- 5荣耀发布全球首款机器人手机Robot Phoneengadget.com
- 6Imax 与相机制造商合作推出大画幅制作计划hollywoodreporter.com
- 7ARRI 推出 Stellar 2 灯光控制应用tvtechnology.com
- 8荣耀发布全球首款机器人手机 机械云台摄像头拍出电影级画面zaobao.com.sg
- 9荣耀发布全球首款机器人手机Robot Phone：四自由度云台+AI影像革新ai.zol.com.cn
- 10荣耀Robot Phone发布：全球首款机器人手机 9999元起finance.sina.com.cn
- 11Honor launches Robot Phone in China with 200MP titanium gimbal cameragsmarena.com
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