Atomos has had a very popular line of their Ninja monitor/recorders that are seeing wide use in TV/Film production, especially with mirrorless cameras, as an efficient means to monitor and record content. At NAB 2018, they introduced their latest model, a 5.2” version called the Ninja V.
The Ninja V features a 1080p display, but it can record 4K/60 content in HDR. The monitor itself produces 1000 cd/m² and weighs a mere 11 oz (320 grams). That brightness level is great for outdoor viewing. The AtomHDR engine delivers 10+ stops of dynamic range to the LCD in real time from Log/ PQ/HLG camera signals. Users can also playout Log as PQ or HLG to a larger HDR-compatible screen. Some have commented that the black levels are not very good, but it is the brightness that is the attractive feature.
The monitor is said to be color-accurate to see in High Dynamic Range, or load creative LUTs at the touch of a button. And, it has critical monitoring tools including histogram, false color, peaking, movable 1-1 and 2-1 pixel magnification, waveform, RGB parade, Vector scope, and 8 channel audio level meters and more. Users can record up to 4K/60p 10-bit video over HDMI 2.0 in edit-ready Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR direct to affordable SSD drives.
Atomos HDMI control protocols allow recording to be automatically triggered, timecode matched and HDR metadata set by a wide variety of cameras. Realtime Log-to-HDR profiles allow users to take away the exposure guesswork in HDR production.
Audio can be input directly from the camera digitally via HDMI, or fed in analogue via a stereo 3.5mm line/mic socket – especially useful for cameras that do not have a mic input.
The Ninja V should ship in June for $695 MSRP.
