ARRI has added a set of dedicated cables that connect the Hi-5 hand unit (and its sibling, the Hi-5 SX) to SmallHD monitors and to the ARRI CCM-1 camera control monitor. On paper it reads like an accessory catalogue update. For a focus puller it’s one of those things that changes the day: lens data (focus, iris, zoom) reaches the AC’s monitor in real time, over a cable, without going through USB.

What was released

ARRI’s official Hi-5 page lists four cable sets, all with a 5-pin connector on the SmallHD end:

  • KK.0057235: Hi-5 4-pin straight → SmallHD 5-pin, 90° rear angled
  • KK.0057236: Hi-5 4-pin straight → SmallHD 5-pin, 270° forward angled
  • KK.0057237: Hi-5 USB-C → SmallHD 5-pin, 90° angled
  • KK.0057238: Hi-5 USB-C → SmallHD 5-pin, 270° angled

The 4-pin SERIAL versions are available now; ARRI lists the USB-C ones as “coming soon”. The cables work with the SmallHD Monitor Overlay License for Hi-5 and Hi-5 SX, the licence that draws the configurable lens-data overlay on the monitor. No pricing has been announced; Newsshooter covered the release on 29 September.

Why focus pullers should care

These days the first AC works almost entirely off a monitor, often well away from the camera. Having distance, stop and focal length drawn over the image, taken straight from the unit driving the motors, removes a constant mental step. Until now many did this over USB, and anyone who has tried knows the problem: a connector on a hand unit that gets knocked around all day will work loose sooner or later. The 4-pin SERIAL port is a locking connector built for set life, and in our view that’s the real point of this release.

The two angles (90° and 270°) are not a detail. Depending on how the AC mounts the monitor on the handle or arm, a cable exiting on the wrong side ends up kinked or snagged. Picking the right orientation during prep costs nothing and saves you a broken cable on day three.

What it doesn’t do

The cable carries lens data from the hand unit to the monitor; it doesn’t carry video and doesn’t replace your transmission system. The picture on the AC’s monitor still comes from a wireless link such as the Teradek Bolt 6 750. And you need the overlay licence on the SmallHD side: on its own, the cable draws nothing.

What it means for productions in Abruzzo

On our high-end cameras, from the ARRI Alexa Mini to the Sony BURANO, wireless focus is now standard even on small productions. Many ACs turn up with their own Hi-5 and their own monitor: for them this is a small purchase that pays for itself in peace of mind. For a production renting the full package, the usual rule applies: during prep, ask what your AC works with and build the rest of the package (camera, wireless video, power) around them, not the other way round.

Our practical advice: if your focus puller works with Hi-5 and SmallHD, tell us when you ask for a quote. We’ll prep the camera with outputs and power in the right places, so on the shoot day it’s plug in and go. The rest of our inventory is under equipment, and ready-made packages are under kits.