Atomos has been busy implementing ProRes RAW compatibility between a variety of cameras and its devices and recently the company announced that early May a brand-new family member would be revealed. Well, May it’s not here yet, but Atomos could not keep its secret for any minute longer, so the news is out: the new Ninja V+ and Ninja V+ Pro Kit, building on the foundation of the Ninja V, are coming to you in May 2021. But there is more…
The original Ninja V, launched in 2018, remains the most popular Atomos product and receives the ability to add the H.265 (HEVC) codec. The 5” 1000nit 10-stop HDR-monitor allows users to accurately monitor and record from either HDMI or SDI. Atomos continues to expand Apple ProRes RAW support on all partner cameras over HDMI and SDI. The Ninja V will continue to receive updates for cameras and additional functionality via AtomX modules whilst remaining at the price of $595.
The popular Ninja V is the workhorse and creative tool of choice for the wider film and pro-video industries and will now benefit from the addition of H.265 workflows, with up to 4Kp60 10-bit 4:2:2 full ‘i’ frame with options for 8-bit at various data rates. Atomos will be adding these features through a simple one-click $99 upgrade from my.atomos.com in May 2021.
While owners of the original Ninja V have the option to upgrade, newcomers to the Atomos universe will probably look at the new options, Ninja V+ and Ninja V+ Pro Kit. The Ninja V+ delivers high quality accurate monitoring and extended recording capabilities for your camera of choice. Delivering support for continuous recording of 8Kp30 and 4Kp120 in Apple ProRes RAW adding to the great workflow of Ninja V, that bring together the great partnerships with camera manufactures and the world’s leading editing systems for our customers.
Included in the codec arsenal is the ability to record video inputs using the10-bit H.265 (HEVC) codec for high quality compressed recordings with small file sizes, which is perfect for the world we now live in, where streaming and sharing online has dramatically increased.
Ninja V+, sports a new stealth grey bezel and expands the processing power to deliver for 8k and high-frame-rate RAW recording. Using the latest chip technology, this premium Ninja has plenty of grunt to be able to record ProRes RAW at even higher frame rates and higher resolutions than the Ninja V. The extra horsepower under the hood allows the platform to add other ‘plus’ features when combined with future Atomos products and upcoming AtomX modules. The efficiency of ProRes RAW opens the possibility for creativity with the increase in resolution or frame rate whilst maintaining a workflow that can seamlessly slide on to the timeline of your existing ProRes RAW projects.
There is more, though, and Atomos announces that the Ninja V+ will be able to record 8Kp30 ProRes RAW when connected to a Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera. This is, Atomos claims, “a world first for capturing stunning pristine 8K images with such an affordable, capable and compact camera system. This will be a true game changer in content creation.”
The ProRes RAW format is a perfect vehicle for an 8K workflow, from ease of use natively on the timeline within Final Cut Pro, to the flexibility of the image processing with full adjustment of WB and ISO control. Coupled with the proven full frame Canon EOS R5, this combination will propel content creators to a whole new level of production values. This feature is coming later in 2021.
The new products from Atomos offer a series of options, which are:
Ninja V+ and 4Kp120
Capture and visualise the unseen with 4Kp120 recording at up to ProRes RAW from the Ninja V+ and the Z CAM E2 and E2-M4 models. Fully harness the dynamic range of the sensor and capture every aspect of motion and movement directly via RAW over HDMI. Add to this the benefit of being able to play back the high-frame rate video captured on the Ninja V+ with your choice of over cranked framerate for real-time preview.
Ninja V+ Pro Kit and 4Kp120
To support SDI users, we are also introducing the Ninja V+ Pro Kit which comes packed with additional accessories and enables 4Kp120 ProRes RAW recording mode from the SDI RAW output of the Sony’s FX9* and FX6*. Customers of both Atomos and Sony will now be able to experience the benefits of working with images at a high frame rate and resolutions, whilst recording in pristine ProRes RAW directly from the Ninja V+ Pro Kit monitor-recorder for maximum flexibility in the edit.
*The FX9 requires the XDCA-FX9 Extension unit and both the FX6 and FX9 require the AtomX SDI module with RAW activation (or the Pro Kit).
H.265 (HEVC) 10-bit 4:2:2 Recording
The expanded codec family is included with the Ninja V+ and Ninja V+ Pro Kit, enabled via the codec activation in the my.atomos.com portal. Existing and future owners of the incredibly popular Ninja V and Ninja V Pro Kit can also upgrade to the highly efficient H.265 codec to expand their codec options This feature will be available in May 2021 for $99 and allowing future Ninja users to explore traditional streaming, broadcast and proxy workflows.
Ninja V+ and Ninja V+ Pro Kit
The extended family members to the Ninja V line-up come readily enabled with ProRes RAW recording from 30 different cameras via HDMI and selected RAW over SDI cameras, which provides users the option to select your preferred choice of camera body and lens optics. Combine your style and camera operational know-how with Ninja’s precise 5” 1000Nit display. Utilise the built in 3D LUT box function with your own custom LUTs or enable the AtomHDR processing engines for built in Log to HDR transforms. The bright and accurate Ninja V display allows you to lock in your LOOK on set and realise the same image in post-production with the same LOOK and options for HDR in your preferred NLEs. Users are now equipped to deliver their creative intent with higher framerates of 4Kp120 and 8Kp30 in ProRes RAW, edit ready codecs in ProRes and Dnx and the ability to also deliver highly efficient codecs like H.265.
In addition to the above the company also introduced the Atomos Ninja Stream, which has been designed specifically to overcome the challenges of today’s socially distanced productions, offers simultaneous recordings of both ProRes and H.264/5 proxy with shared file names and timecode, whilst sending video feeds to other Ninja’s, smart devices or web-based platforms simultaneously – all from one tiny package.
The incredibly powerful Ninja Stream is a 5” 4Kp60 Connected HDR Monitor-Recorder with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB-C to usher in a new era of streaming on productions without a computer in sight. Video feeds are shared with others on set via Wi-Fi to devices and Ethernet 1Gbe at up to 300m and livestream your content around the world without the need for a PC – all at the same time.
The Ninja Stream provides users with a device that delivers everything they know and love about the Atomos Ninja V and adds features that have been designed for the Covid-19 world.
If you want to know more about the new products and solutions, tune in to Atomos.com Thursday 6th May for more information.