Alexa 35

Gates ALEXA 35 Housing: Cinema caliber, comprehensive uses, compact size

Suiting a wide range of applications, Gates ALEXA 35 Housing is adaptable: cinema to commercial, natural history to military, and everything in between.  Independent diver operation or complete surface DP command / control.  Virtually any lens: cinema / anamorphic / DSLR.  “No compromises” AR coated glass dome port options in 8, 10 and astonishing 12″ sizes, or 8 and 10″ flat ports. 

Like it’s cousins MINI / MINI LF,  ALEXA 35 Housing is a deeply integrated marine imaging system, blurring the lines between housing and camera. Twelve user-assignable controls interface directly with the ALEXA 35 camera, allowing access to frequently used functions like white balance, peaking, display overlay, and frame rate.  Gates familiar mechanical Focus / Iris / Zoom controls provide precision handling of hundreds of LPL, PL, Anamorphic and DSLR lenses with the same adaptable Lens Gear Drive system found in the Gates cinema-grade family.

Perhaps the best feature: Gates Mini / Mini LF Housing owners have an upgrade path to ALEXA 35 Housing.  Backward compatibility is retained, supporting all three ARRI cameras.  

The ALEXA 35 Housing is Gates through-and-through: durable machined aluminum, stainless construction; clean, uncomplicated, user friendly design; Gates precision ports for clear, sharp images; extensive line of accessories and custom configurations; and Seal Check II for housing integrity verification.  Experts know that failure is not an option, so they never take a chance…. they take a Gates!

MINI / MINI LF Housing upgrade to ALEXA 35 is available.  Contact Gates for full details.

Compatible cameras:
ALEXA 35.   
ARRI Mini LF and ARRI Mini supported with conversion kit. 

ALEXA 35 KEY FEATURES

External Monitor Housing (included)

Several Gates External Monitors are available with ALEXA 35 Housing.  

Clean, uncomplicated design

User friendly controls are 100% mechanical — no complicated mechanisms or electronics to fail.

Simplicity = Reliability  

Diver Operation or
Surface Command / Control

ALEXA 35 Housing is a chameleon, adaptable to a wide variety of shooting applications, including direct tethered surface control with the ARRI Companion App. 

Precision Ports™

Precision optics means clarity, sharpness and no vignetting (cutoff dark corners) to spoil your images. 
8 / 10 / 12.6 in (203 / 254 / 320mm) Dome Ports are AR coated glass. 

User-Assignable Controls

for direct access to white balance, frame rate and many others.

List of User-Assignable Functions

Adjustable Lens Gear Drive Fingertip Control

Set the Focus / Iris / Zoom control just the way you like: close, mid or stacked knobs make fine lens adjustments easy. 

Extensive Lens Support

Virtually any lens is supported with ALEXA 35 Housing: LPL, PL, Anamorphic, DSLR.

GATES Lens Compatibility Reference

Gates Recommended Lenses for Dome and Flat Ports.

Adjustable Buoyancy and Trim

Add /remove trim weights for ideal buoyancy and balance — a key to stable, fluid shots.

Stackable Port Rings

SPR’s are the ultimate in flexibility.  Any Cinema and DSLR lens supported.  SPR80 size for lightweight travel, SPR110 for cinema and LCS motors. 

Seal Check II

The Gates Seal Check II is included with the MINI LF Housing and assures housing integrity before entering the water.

Learn more….

Adjustable Grips

Adjust the handles for perfect grip and convenient access to controls.

Accessories

An extensive suite of accessories is available for cinema, Natural History, broadcast TV, research, and military applications.  

Quick Media and Battery Change

Flip up the V-Lock battery for fast CFast swap on the ARRI Mini.

2-Year Warranty
Legendary factory direct support

Synonymous with reliability and support, only Gates offers a 2-year, renewable warranty on all housings.

SPECIFICATIONS

Controls (All Mechanical)
  • Power On/Off
  • Record / Standby x2 (Remote & Manual)
  • Assignable x 12.   List of Assignable Functions
  • Direct lens coupled (manual) Focus
  • Direct lens coupled (manual) Iris
  • Direct lens coupled (manual) Zoom
Dimensions: Basic Shell (preliminary)
Construction
  • Machined Aluminum, Type III Hard Anodized finish.
  • Stainless steel hardware.
Depth Rating
  • 250 feet / 76 meters.
Warranty
Weight in Air
  • 25.5 lbs / 11.5 kg
    (Housing, handles, Port Base, 8″ Glass Dome Port
Weight in Water
  • Fully adjustable buoyancy / trim
Batteries
  • B-Mount type.  See Supported Equipment for current compatibility.  Contact Gates for other battery compatibility.
Included Items
Equipment Required

(Basic set. See Supported Equipment  for more info)

  • Camera: ARRI ALEXA 35 camera.  ARRI Mini / Mini LF compatible with conversion kit.
  • ARRI General Purpose IO Box GPB-1 (Item # K2.0007642)
  • Recording Media (CODEX Compact Drive)
  • LCD compatible with Gates External Monitor of choice.
  • Compatible B-Mount type battery
  • LENS of choice.  GATES Lens Compatibility Reference
Upgrade Notes

The Alexa 35 upgrade is based on the MINI LF housing.  You can upgrade from Mini to ALEXA 35, but the upgrade must also include the intermediate upgrade from Mini to Mini LF.  Contact Gates for details and pricing.

EXTERNAL MONITOR OPTIONS

Underwater Monitor Housing is included with MINI LF Housing. LCD’s not included

EM7 CINE Underwater Monitor Housing

Gates EM7 CINE Underwater Monitor Housing is a bespoke, glove-fit for the SmallHD CINE 7 LCD, offering a vivid 1800 nit 1900×1200 resolution display, visible even the bright daylight of shallow tropical waters…

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EM5 ULTRA Underwater Monitor Housing

Gates EM5 ULTRA Underwater Monitor Housing is a tailored, glove-fit for the SmallHD ULTRA 5 LCD, with a powerful 3000 nit HD display, visible even in the harshest daylight…

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EM503 Underwater Monitor Housing

Tailored to the SmallHD 503 Ultrabright LCD, the Gates EM503 Underwater Monitor Housing is a brilliant 2200 nits, visible even in harsh daylight…

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NVS Underwater Monitor Housing

1000 nits bright LCD.  4K/60P recording in ProRes RAW.   Extensive focus / exposure tools.  All in a compact, neutrally buoyant package. That’s the Gates NVS External Monitor Housing. 

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Starlite External Monitor Housing

The Gates Starlite ST5  is specifically designed for the Transvideo Starlite SDI monitor / recorder (not included), a compact, smartphone-size 5.0” / 125mm color LCD.

LEARN MORE

PORT OPTIONS

The best camera in the world can’t make up for poor optics. Poor optical design and materials introduce ‘image killers’ – distortions, aberrations, degraded resolution, or vignetting.  Gates family of Precision Ports are sharp and clear: the finest optics for the finest underwater images.  No image killers. Professional to amateur, super wide to macro, Gates Precision Ports suit a wide range of needs, conditions and experience. Of course all ports are backed by our legendary customer support and the same standard of excellence expected of all Gates products.

Gates Lens Compatibility Reference

Gates Recommended Lenses for Flat and Dome Ports

SP110-12 Dome Port

At a remarkable 12.6 in / 320 mm diameter, the SP110-12 stands alone, a new standard in underwater optics.  Optical glass with anti-reflective coating, SP110-12 is designed for rectilinear cinema lenses, yet equally at home in natural history applications where split shots and close focus are key parameters. ARRI Master Primes, Fujinon Cinema Zoom’s and Anamorphic Lenses all benefit from this superior, ‘no compromises’ Dome Port.

The SP110-12 is available in Anti-Reflective (AR) coated glass only.

LEARN MORE

SP80-10 Dome Port

The SP80-10 is a 10in / 254mm spherical dome port that, like it’s smaller SP80-8 sibling preserves field of view (FOV) underwater for wide to fisheye imaging.  The SP80-10 however, exhibits superior compatibility with rectilinear lenses, mitigating the soft corners classically found with dome ports in general.  This particularly beneficial with certain cinema PL mount glass like Arri Master Primes and Ultra Primes.

The SP80-10 is available in Anti-Reflective (AR) coated glass only.

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SP80-8 Dome Port

The SP80-8 is an 8in / 203mm spherical dome port that preserves field of view (FOV) underwater, and is ideally suited for wide to fisheye imaging.  Medium to macro, too, when paired with compatible macro zoom lenses.  Anti-Reflective (AR) coated glass or optical grade Acrylic (Perspex) versions, the latter field serviceable / replaceable.

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FP80

FP80 Flat Port

Due to its larger front element, the FP80 supports a variety of medium to macro lenses – including external zooms. A simple, versatile port option.  Both Acrylic (Perspex) and Glass versions available. 

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SPECIALIZED PORT / ADAPTERS


MLA80 Macro Probe Lens Adapter

In collaboration with Venus Optics, the Gates MLA80 Probe Lens Adapter allows full submersion of the Laowa 24mm Macro Probe lens for truly unique macro imaging perspective.   A long, tubular barrel with tiny lens tip can extend into the smallest of spaces, yet provide a remarkable 84° FOV, 2:1 magnification, and infinity focus.  Further, the Laowa 24mm Macro covers full frame *and* larger sensors like RED Monstro from a standard Canon or Nikon mount.  

Learn more about the MLA80 Macro Probe Lens Adapter 

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CUSTOM PORTS

Corrective Optics and Specialty Ports

Gates Precision Ports extend to custom designs for specific applications like underwater UV imaging or Corrective Optics (CO) that adapt a specific lens for underwater imaging, and eliminating distortions / aberrations.  Contact Gates to discuss your particular application.

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

Seal Check II

The Gates Seal Check II is included with every DEEP DRAGON and assures housing integrity before entering the water.

Learn more….

Monitor Shades and Stackable Extensions

A Gates Underwater Monitor Housing is included with the Alexa 35 Housing.  Click here for options.

Spare Kits

O-rings, tools, hardware

Travel Case

Travel Case(s) have rollers and retractable handles

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

Stackable Port Rings (SPR’s)

Using lengthy lenses?  SPR’s come in 0.6 / 1.0 / 1.5 / 2.0 / 4.0 sizes for optimal port positioning.

HD-SDI / UHD-SDI Surface Feed

Topside DP monitoring? High speed digital SDI video feed is available.  50 to over 300 feed, the link includes gold contact connectors and certified coaxial cable.

Knob Extensions

Finer control of focus and iris, even with gloves.

Underwater Titan Tube (UT2)

Surface and / or Underwater Command / Control of Astera Titan Tubes, the “the ultimate LED tube for filmmakers, TV studios and any creative person.” 
Learn more….  

Tripod Adapter

Use your own underwater tripod with this adapter.  

Body Cap

Need added protection for travel or harsh setup environments? This body cap bayonets into place just like SPR’s and Ports.

Customization

Special modifications are routine. You really can have it ‘just the way you like’.

Water Alarm

Water Alarm

An extra measure beyond Seal Check, the Gates Water Alarm provides both visible and audible warnings.  The siren is coupled directly to the housing shell and resonates directly to the water, rendering it unmistakable to a diver.

ALEXA 35 Housing Supported Equipment

CAMERA

ARRI ALEXA 35 
ARRI ALEXA Mini LF with Conversion Kit
ARRI ALEXA Mini with Conversion Kit

ARRI GPIO

ARRI General Purpose IO Box GPB-1 (Part No K2.0007642)

LCD’s

Transvideo Starlite HD5 and HD5+
(with Gates ST5 External Monitor Housing)

SmallHD 503 Ultrabright
(with Gates EM503 External Monitor Housing)

ATOMOS SHINOBI SDI
(with Gates NVS External Monitor Housing)

B-Mount Adapter

At this writing, several B-mount battery adapters are available.  Not all adapters are compatible with all batteries.  See next section ‘Batteries” for more details.

B-Mount Batteries

At time of this publication, several B-Mount batteries are compatible with ALEXA 35 Housing.  More are expected, so Contact Gates for the latest information. 

Compatible:

SWIT

  • BIVO-98      Compatible with all B-mount adapters.  Compatible with all housing shell configurations. 
  • BIVO-160, BIVO-200      Compatible with BeBob B-Mount Adapter only.  

BEBOB

  • B90CINE, B155CINE, B290CINE   Use with ARRI / BEBOB B-Mount Adapter Only. Compatible with all housing shell configuration. 

CORE SWX

  • Helix Max 98 WHr     Compatible with all B-mount adapters.  Compatible with all housing shell configurations. 
  • Helix Max 150 WHr    Compatible with all B-mount adapters + Extended rear shell (optional)
Incompatible Adapters / Batteries:

Note:  Custom shell adaptations are available for any of the batteries listed here.

  • Anton Bauer 26V Gold Mount Adapter.  Part number 8375-0254 
  • Anton Bauer 26 Gold Mount 240WHr Battery.  Part number 8375-0156.  Interference with battery shell mounting points.
  • BeBob B90CINE, B155CINE, B290CINE w/ ARRI PDM-1.  Interference at bottom of battery pocket.
  • BlueShape BB145, BB145HS, BB290, BB435.  Interference at bottom of battery pocket. 
  • SWIT BIVO-290, HB-A290B.  Interference at bottom of battery pocket.