Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Hi!

I'm really looking forward to shooting 1080 50p with AF100 when I get it into my hands. But the low bit rate acquisition codec has got me looking up external recording devices and so my eye landed on the upcoming Atomos Ninja. But I don't know if it supports 1080 50p.

Anybody knows anything about this??

There is no mention of 1080p50 support on the Atomos website, so it doesn't look like the Ninja will support it.

Where to buy in the US?
 

This looks interesting and flexible, but I can't see anywhere to buy in the US. Any-one knows who might be carrying it, or does it need to be ordered from Atomos?

Thanks.....

It looks like the Atomos Ninja is finally shipping...
 

1. Atomos says they're shipping...
Enter The Ninja

2. These guys in Britain are the first reference I've seen to someone, somewhere having them in stock for sale. I know nothing about them myself.
Ninja | Atomos | Global Distribution

Atomos Ninja & Samurai
 

Found a new video presentation on Vimeo of the Atomos Ninja.
They also announce having the Atomos Samurai - an HD-SDI version of the product, for NAB.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

wonder if the monitor is sharp enough to draw focus?

Dano

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

I doubt it. At 480x270, it's a low-resolution screen, so adequate for menus and verifying that you are recording and what, but focus? I can't imagine. I'd be looking for a 800x480 screen, minimum, for that.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

The specs on the website say that the Samurai will have an 800 x 480 screen resolution, and the panel will be 5" as opposed to the Ninja's 4.3". I can't see anyone being able to judge focus with the screen on the Ninja...

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

I just received my Ninja last week, purchased from BH Photo. Pleased with results from initial tests, but need a little more time to work out my exact rig and workflow. So far, footage going into Apple Color for grading is looking amazing. Appears much cleaner than importing from HDV into ProRes (purely subjective at this point).

I am supposed to shoot some footage at an equestrian event next weekend, so hopefully some great fast motion clips that I can reference once editing and post are complete.

I am using the Ninja with my Sony HVR-V1U. Purchased 2 of the Hitachi 500GB 7200RPM drives for it.

The drive caddies where very tight initially, causing difficulty in removing them from the unit and the docking station, but appear to be working better after a few cycles.

Rest of the Ninja system arrived and works as advertised.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Hi Jeff,

Very keen to hear your feedback on the unit. The batteries look like Sony NP-F types - the same as used on your V1, is that right? Would be handy if that were the case.

I don't like the idea of touch-screen controls - would prefer a physical button for record start/stop : how are you finding it?

Thanks,

Josh

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Josh,

Yes, they are the same battery type as used on the V1U, NP-F type. Extra nice, since I have the Sony Dual Charger unit, and from the user guide, the AC battery adapter that comes with the sony charger also works with the ninja. (although I haven't test that yet, and probably won't have much use for it, since for long shoots, I will use the adapter on the camera, and then use the hot swap battery feature on the Ninja, and use my extra V1U batteries to ensure enough record time).

The ninja also has a LANC pass through, and is supposed to be able to start/stop recording via LANC. I just ordered an additional cable for my Manfrotto remote so that I can see how well that will work with my rig. I agree that the touch screen record option is less than optimal.

I will post my results regarding the LANC operation as soon as I can try it out. My cable has shipped, and I have an event to shoot this weekend, so keeping my fingers crossed it will arrive in time, and work as advertised.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Update to my previous post: Received my additional LANC cable, and the LANC control passes through the Ninja nicely! I tested out zoom, etc. controls. Everything works as expected. Also tested record function from the remote both with and without an HDV tape installed. In both instances the Ninja started recording as expected. Without the tape in the V1U it gives you a "No Tape Installed" type of message on the LCD, but that has no impact on the record function or the video going into the Ninja. Although there is a alert sound that is played that was picked up by the microphone when the alert was displayed. Of course, that can be easily cut via edit, or removed by an audio replace in most instances.

My plan is to shoot this weekend at an equestrian event using both tape and Ninja, since the shots will be 5 min or less in most instances, and use the HDV tape as a backup. I will post back with my experience. All shots will be outdoors in bright daylight, where the V1U excels.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Jeff,

How is the audio recording via the hdmi???

also is the actual picture sharper and finer than the original hdv picture?

would love a couple grabs to compare!!!!

thanks.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Dale,

The picture appears sharper to me (since it is full 1920X1080 and not 1440X1080, plus not HDV) but I should have some good compares after I shoot this weekend (I will be shoot simultaneously on HDV and the Ninja). I will be doing fast motion (equestrian jumping competition) and will try to do some still exports. When I was color grading some test footage, it appeared to me to have much more latitude as well. You can see the test results here:

Vimeo Version -
YouTube Version - YouTube - NodeProductions's Channel

of course, they are heavily compressed to post to YouTube and Vimeo, but I was very pleased with the richness of the shots after grading in Color. The shots seemed to retain much more of their detail than when working with HDV transcoded to ProRes. I added a blur vignette around the edge as well to see how the blur affected the detail, and it seemed very smooth.

Hopefully some better examples after this weekend though.

Additionally on the Audio, it appears about the same to me. I was recording directly through the HDMI cable/signal. But the audio I was recording was not very challenging.

Re: Atomos ninja 1080 50p
 

Jeff,

Thank you for taking the time to show us what you are getting!!! I must say, that the cleanliness of the video was first class.

I would LOVE to see a double screen shot of HDV footage and the pro res 422 over and under each other!!!

I am a PC editor using both Edius and Vegas, apparently I can bring it in but will have to output in something else in Vegas. Not generally a problem sense I go to blu ray as a rule.

Now the Question, would the improvement of image also be recognizable on the big sdcreen via blu ray?

looking at you vimeo footage I reckon that would be an afirmative.

what camera did you shoot with?


thank you for taking the time, truly appreciated.

dale guthormsen