Test fly the ARRI Alexa with your computer, laptop or, even better, an iPad. The interactive, touch-sensitive, iPad-friendly simulator is online.

Click here for the fullscreen version.

It’s not an App but a fully functional, cross-platform live demo. Best viewed with iPad, because the touch screen works and you can twirl the rotary dial. For aeasy access: when viewing the full screen version on an iPad, tap the “+” symbol in Safari’s top command bar, and choose “Add to Home Screen”.

The control panel is familiar to anyone who has used a recent Arriflex or Arricam. You don’t have to drill down through layers of complex menus. An elegantly intuitive, Apple-like interface guides you through the essential choices. Push the green HOME button for Exposure Index, Frames Per Second, Shutter Angle, and Color Temperature.

Push the blue MENU button for other chores: Recording Format, Gamma, Frames lines, things like that.

Alexa is the first digital camera that looks, feels and acts like a film camera. Alexa’s menu and navigation is thoughtfully simple and elegant, with Apple-like navigation. Push the soft button closest to the label, make a choice by rotating the jog wheel, push to enter. It takes about 5 minutes to be up and running — faster than you can drink your morning cappuccino. (photo: Canon 7D with ZEISS CP.2 85mm T2.1. Canon EF mount)