Atomos have been industry leaders in the external monitor and recorder market for several years, providing cinematic workflow solutions for video professionals. They have now brought their HDR 4k60p functionality to a smaller, entry-level model; introducing the Atomos Ninja V.The Ninja V is similar to the Ninja Inferno that was released in 2017, but at 1 inch thin with a 5.2 inch touchscreen display and weighing just 11oz, the Ninja V is more portable than its older brother. Atomos have stated the Ninja V’s display provides 1000nits of brightness for daylight viewing, 500nits less than the Ninja Inferno. There is space for only one Sony L-series battery, compared to the Ninja Inferno’s dual battery slots.
You get all the usual goodness you’d expect from an Atomos monitor/recorder, 4k60p 10bit HDR recording through an HDMI input, the usual toolset of monitoring aids, and recording formats up to ProRes HQ and DNxHR HQX.
The reduced size has led to Atomos introducing a smaller SSD solution, the AtomX SSDmini which is 20% shorter than standard SSDs, yet keeps the SATA III connector so these new smaller SSDs are backward compatible.
Atomos are attempting to fill a gap in their product range, offering consumers a genuine portable monitor/recorder solution, but with the reliability and build quality of other Atomos products. The Ninja V will feel better balanced with a smaller mirrorless camera like a Panasonic GH5S if you are mounting direct into the hotshoe, compared to the Ninja Inferno, and priced at $695, is $300 cheaper.
As with other Atomos products, the Ninja V will not ship with batteries or SSDs, so the entry cost to monitoring/recording in the field is more than the RRP of the product, and worth considering when comparing with alternative monitor/recorders. First models are due to be shipped in July.
I'm just starting out in video and film making. This looks interesting.
If you are "just starting out" then definitely you don't need a 700 bucks external recorder... unless you have a lot of money, keep in mind that you may need a new camera, new lenses, or at least a video rig (and this can add up to thousand of dollars if you go for the prime stuff), with a follow-focus; a proper video tripod, a gimbal, continuous lighting etc etc it goes up really fast... my advice : you don't need this. Get a proper DSLR viewfinder (unless you have a camcorder), a proper rig, and then see what money you have left. Oh don't forget that you need to pay for the SSDs, and SSDs are *way* pricier than SD cards...! Not all pros use external recorders neither. There are pros and cons to them, so definitely don't jump in and spend 700S$ on a luxury item - because it's what it is. Beautiful, and I will get one soon, but...
"SSDs are *way* pricier than SD cards...!"
This is the case for slower cards, but if you want cards that are as fast as SSDs, then no.
When you get to 4k 60fps those slow cards won't keep up. The moderate priced ones won't keep up with the eventual ProRes Raw.
A SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I is $36.52 or 57 cents/GB.
SDXC UHS-II is $119.95 or $1.87/GB.
It gets worse for Sony XQD.
But a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB is $280 or 28 cents/GB. I got one on supersale for $230 or 23 cents/GB. It made more sense for me to buy an Atomos and SSD than enough cards to cover a shoot.
Also, in reference to your other comment, the Ninja V has an expansion port. You can expect an SDI adapter eventually (nothing exists at the moment).
Robert, your math are correct; however, you don't need a 1TB capacity unless you shoot in ProRes 4x4 or RAW... which is not the case when you are "just starting out"...
Keeping in mind you start out generally with a basic DSLR (depends on photography experience tho) you use basic SD cards let's say for 420 8 bits, and you shoot in HD - because 4K is not needed when starting out and way way overrated, it's only twice the definition of HD (8 MP vs 4,4 MP) and doesn't make a real difference once compressed and downscaled on a 1080p screen *unless you get a top camera with an amazing dynamic range* - which is not the case of our friend who is just "starting out".
So keeping this in mind, when you do not need a 1TB capacity, and when you don't need 4K, but need to build a rig...
Then spending a thousand bucks for the recorder and one and only SSD is a waste of money.
Keep in mind also, that you need back-up in case the disk fails...!
So your points are all true... when using a top camera recording in Prores 4x4, RAW, or the new ProRes RAW format! Not when starting out shooting HD on a DSLR... ;)
Thanks for the info about the expansion slot, I'll keep an eye out... definitely interested in this model.
Cheers!
4k is definitely not overrated in my book, especially if you are chasing new business. I've shown Art Directors and Social Media reps my 4k footage on my beautiful, color-calibrated 4k screen and they are in awe. They want their work to look like that. I'm guessing it's the same for the small Mom & Pop shop. It doesn't matter that most people will be viewing things compressed to death online, it makes an emotional connection when you're pitching in the room.
4k is great even when you down sample to 1080, there will be more color information and you can pan or zoom within the shot for a cool effect, though not nearly as cool as a real pan slide.
4k raw is also a good crutch for a beginner, if you do unfortunately screw something up, there's more latitude to save the footage.
While it might be expensive at first, buying once might be cheaper in the long run.
But you're right that a good camera, lenses, lights and especially technique are way more important than this recorder.
Well Robert, I get that same reaction on my beautiful, calibrated, Asus MX279 HD display... they don't make the difference...
That logic works sure but investing everything to get 4K just to get a reaction you would have with the above mentioned HD set-up?
Again : *4K is excellent when you are already established in the business and who your work to people who can make the difference.*
But the difference in the end doesn't worth the investment in camera, display, cable... etc at all.
8K will be worthing it because it will add-up to 36 megapixels.
My side is on the HDR HD camera like the Canon C300 as of now.
Also... 4K RAW good for a beginner, really? My man... you know as well as I do that cameras shooting 4K RAW are extremely hard to masted (RED...), extremely expensive even to rent, and that the workflow is *insane*. 1TB full in 40 minutes...!
In my opinion unless you're shooting in Hollywood and dedicated data wranglers are taking care of your datas, 4K RAW doesn't worth it.
The new RAW ProRes format looks excellent tho, but RAW was simply never made for video, and is too much hassle.
Shoot in LOG if grading is a priority, or HD RAW, unless you have a dedicated server and a multi-thousand dollars computer...
Spending a lot money to get 4K RAW in the beginning, and relying on it to fix your mistakes, is probably the worst idea to approach this business I had ever seen.
In my book.
Then again, I want this recorder ;)
Hi Mike, I'd like to point out (as Atomos' PR rep) that we aren’t pitching Ninja V as an entry level model, it’s every bit as good, if not better, than previous models, just smaller.
Denise! What's in the SSDmini? Is it an M.2?
Hi Robert, inside the SSD Mini is the same tech as the standard SATA SSD that is currently used, but fitted into a smaller space. Staying with SATA means Atomos can keep media costs down for customers and at the same time as support all the data rates needed. SATA is still benefiting from
improved performance and reliability year on year and Atomos is confident it is the best choice for Ninja V.
I would love something that was entry level at the $299 mark.
Hi Denise I have a question for you! Why not 4K with SDI? I know it's less and less common, but I still feel that HDMI is not that reliable compared to SDI... in terms of cable that is. And I don't need the sound recorded. I wonder - if you had a converted from HDMI to SDI (and not the contrary) to get HDMI out of the camera but SDI in for a more secure connection, would it create interlacing? What you think? I am definitely interested in this new product. Cheers! JB
oh sorry wrong reply button xD
Hi Jasmin, Atomos built the Ninja V with mirrorless and DSLR owners in mind, that’s why it’s HDMI at this point. In the past Atomos has always provided an SDI solution for customers a bit later on - i.e. HDMI Ninja Blade became SDI Samurai Blade, Ninja Flame is HDMI and Shogun Flame is SDI.
If you'd like further information or further discussion, I'm happy to put you in touch with someone at Atomos directly. Thanks! dw
Hi Denise I have a question for you! Why not 4K with SDI? I know it's less and less common, but I still feel that HDMI is not that reliable compared to SDI... in terms of cable that is. And I don't need the sound recorded. I wonder - if you had a converted from HDMI to SDI (and not the contrary) to get HDMI out of the camera but SDI in for a more secure connection, would it create interlacing? What you think? I am definitely interested in this new product. Cheers! JB
Wow, the ultimate selfie rig, narcissists are gonna love this!...
Finally something sub-1000 that has а LUT support.
? But the GH5 has built in LUT support...
Many people don't shoot with videos with a GH5.
"SSDmini"? This sounds like a custom drive (eww). Why not use NVMe M.2 drives - Super small, much faster than an SSD (~1,800MB/s Seq. Write) and not that much of a price premium (less than double the price).
I'm struggling to find information on if there's a way to power this via a power supply (which it says is included) or if you could use a connector that comes with the Atomos Power Station..it says "patent pending" for external power, but there's no photos of the back of it :(