GEAR MONITORS
SUMO IS A bigger, ruggedised, 19in VERSION OF THE SHOGUN”
device initially available in a five-inch form factor. Global marketing director Steve Wise describes Shinobi II as ‘a derivation of our monitor-recorders for people who don’t need the recording element’. ”That might be drama crews, bloggers, photographers or anyone who wants a better monitor than what you get with a camera – which is not hard. It’s a 1500-nit screen,” he continues. That’s more than two full f-stops brighter than conventional displays, which tend to hover around 300 nits. The company’s history with high-power displays began with the success of its earlier monitor-recorders, often chosen simply as monitors for their daylight- viewing performance. The Shinobi display-only range – expanding on previous Ninja and Shogun monitor- recorders – is a clear reaction to that.
While the Shinobi II is not created to be a precision reference display, all that extra power helps make HDR easier to handle. The company’s AtomHDR feature is a surprisingly flexible (and perhaps rather underrated) way to view images which might eventually be finished in HDR. “The Shinobi II supports HLG and PQ,” Wise notes, “and we have the AtomHDR processing engine, so we’re giving our best representation of HDR on a fairly low-cost monitor.” As Wise puts it, different form factors necessarily involve different compromises. “Ninja is five inches and mobile. Shogun is seven inches and typically tripod-mounted because it’s a bigger form factor. With Shogun, we can include all the network functionality, while Ninja has an accessory on the back to offer connectivity. Sumo is basically
a bigger, ruggedised, 19in version of the Shogun,” he explains. Perhaps the biggest new feature in the Shinobi II is camera control, designed with a fair amount of generality in mind. It supports a wide range of mirrorless cameras, which are most likely to pair with a five-inch on-board monitor. “It means we had to use USB-C,” Wise points out. “You can charge the Shinobi II with USB-C or charge your camera from the Sony NP-F batteries using USB-C. But what really matters is that it will control a lot of Canon, Panasonic and Sony mirrorless cameras. We’re looking at firmware updates in future to support Fujifilm, Nikon, OM System and Sigma.” Atomos suggests the Shinobi II should launch at around £295. Those looking for a slightly larger monitor might turn to Neewer’s F700, due in September for an estimated £250. Regional coordinator Kevin Sheppard goes straight to brightness: “It’s the use in bright sunlight without a hood around the screen which is the biggest selling point. The previous models – for a few years – have done the job, but if you’re working outside on a summer’s day doing sports photography and under very bright sunlight... because of the tech behind this, you can see it in bright conditions.”
GLOW-GETTER Equipped with USB-C power input, the Neewer F700 will work well out in the field
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