MINI TESTS
Atomos has bigger plans for the Ninja V thanks to the AtomXpand port. It will accept a whole range of Atomos expansion modules, and supports up to 4K 60p and 12-channels digital 24-bit 96KHz audio. The first modules to be released are the AtomX Ethernet/NDI, and the AtomX Sync. The £200/$199 AtomX Ethernet/NDI module delivers live video over IP networks, replacing traditional SDI cables. It has NDI input and output with encode, decode, control and sync, allowing Ninja V users to transmit, distribute or receive and monitor NDI. The £150/$149 AtomX Sync module brings professional, broadcast-standard wireless timecode, genlock and bluetooth control. These can be controlled via a traditional timecode hub or via an upcoming smartphone app. EXPAND YOUR NINJA!
To mount it to your camera or rig, the top and bottom of the units have the Arri 2-pin 3/8in accessory mounts, so you can use the right connector to stop the unit twisting. We used a SmallRig mini armwith no problems, but then also tried one with the Arri connector and it stopped the unit wanting to twist. The screen itself is rated at 1000 nits, so might not be as bright as the 1500-nit screen on the larger Shogun Inferno but is still very bright. At 1920x1080 pixels, the screen shows finely detailed images and is a joy to use. It’s night-and-day better than any standard camera screen. The rear of the unit has a slot for a single Sony NP-F battery, and Atomos says a 5200mAh battery will give two hours of continuous 4K 60p monitoring recording. We didn’t quite get that, but we were often turning the unit on and off and the battery wasn’t new. You can also power via the mains with an included adapter. When you record to the Ninja V, there are lots of different high-quality codecs, such as Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD, to choose from. This is ideal for the newest cameras like the Canon EOS R, Nikon Z 6 and Fujifilm X-T3, which can output a 4:2:2 10-bit signal over HDMI. It’s perfect for shooting Log, and you can see the difference. Some cameras, like the Sony a7R III, output at 4:2:2 in 8-bit, which is
from cameras like the Sony as you’ll need the bigger Shogun Inferno range for that. But it works as a very capable monitor recorder for non-Raw use. The Ninja V comes with the new AtomOS operating system, which is easy to get to grips with, especially if you have experience with other Atomos products. The five-inch touchscreen is responsive and it’s easy to navigate through the settings, of which there are many. There are some obvious icons to help you get to the features you want. One of the benefits of a pro monitor are the tools it offers. There are waveforms, false colour, vectorscope, focus peaking and instant zoom. It’s also easy to use Atomos’s own HDR feature and viewing LUTs. You can load up to eight LUTs via the SSD memory and can bake in the look, too. You can also get rid of all the menu items apart from timecode and audio meters while shooting, so you can concentrate on the composition. The unit itself feels solid and well built, and has lots of inputs and outputs. There is an audio input, a 3.5mm headphone jack and remote jack that lets you connect LANC in Canon and Sony formats, or an X-Rite i1Display Pro calibration unit. There are full-size HDMI input and output sockets, so you can link it up to another monitor if you wish to, in up to 4K.
still an improvement over the internal 4:2:0 8-bit footage, and a boost for Log shooters, although the quality hike isn’t anywhere near as high. The Ninja V also records audio via the HDMI input from the camera or through the 3.5mm input jack. While the majority of mirrorless cameras output two channels of audio over HDMI, the Ninja V can record up to eight channels of audio if you have the kit that can do this. The audio can be monitored via the headphone jack, which is a bonus as some mirrorless cams don’t have this and, in the case of some Fujifilm cameras, require an extra battery grip. Ironically, it’s sound that is a minor issue with the Ninja V and that’s the noise from its cooling fan. In quiet rooms you can hear it, so you have to be more careful with audio recording. But that’s the biggest bugbear on a bit of kit that’s not only affordable but can give a real improvement in quality for mirrorless camera users, and has pro-level tools to help you get your recordings bang on. AD PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 Feature-packed, small, and its potential for expandabilitymeans this is Atomos’s best-evermonitor/recorder Pros: Can actually improve the quality of your camera’s footage Cons: Noisy fan, expansionmodules not out yet
ABOVE Small, neat and easy to set up, the Ninja V will be a must-have for many
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SPRING 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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