SHOGUN 7 | USER REVI EW
IMAGES The Shogun 7 has a 1500 nit LCD screen with the Atomos Dynamic AtomHDR backlit technology
the unit. Next to this are two battery slots for NP-F style cells. Using two large batteries does make the unit a bit top-heavy, so we powered it from the camera battery, which has a D-Tap outlet, using the correct Atomos cable to link to the screen. The screen can also be powered via mains for on-set use if there is a mains supply. The Atomos 7 has the latest AtomOS operating system, which is quick and easy to navigate, with menus that are straightforward and obvious. The screen itself is very responsive to the touch. To monitor the signal there are waveforms, false colour, vectorscope, focus peaking, instant zoom and Atomos’ own HDR feature, as well as viewing LUTs. CONSTRUCTION The Atomos 7 feels like a solid unit and has lots of connection options, such as the SDI connectors, audio input, a 3.5mm headphone jack, remote jack and full-size HDMI input and output sockets, so you can link it up to another monitor. The top and bottom of the unit has standard 3/8-inch accessory mounts, and we used a SmallRig mini monitor connector with no problems once it was tightened enough. For audio, there is a mini XLR input that is missing on Atomos’ smaller units like the five-inch Ninja
the unit does look brighter and more consistent across the screen, even when compared to the Shogun Inferno, which itself is one of the best screens on the market. SUITED FOR CINEMA As a seven-inch unit, the Shogun 7 is best suited for cinema cameras, although it can work well on small mirrorless cameras which, thanks to their large sensors, need critical focusing. The Shogun 7 helps in this regard thanks to proper monitoring tools like focus peaking, on which you can set not only the colour, but also the on-screen effect. For mirrorless cameras, an external monitor recorder makes sense, as recording to SSD cards means there is no time limit and, in most cases, higher quality footage is recorded. The majority of these small cameras record 4:2:0 in 8-bit internally, but via HDMI can output 4:2:2 in 8 or 10-bit. That gives a lot more colour information and is a huge benefit if you are shooting Log footage. This is all via HDMI, but the Shogun 7 also has SDI inputs for use on cinema cameras such as the Sony FS series, Panasonic EVA1 and Canon EOS C series, where Raw recording for the ultimate quality is one of the biggest benefits. These are recorded to standard SSD cards, which fit inside Atomos caddies that slide into the back of
V. So you can use 48V stereo mics via the balanced XLR breakout cable. If you select mic or line input levels, you can record up to 12 channels of digital audio from HDMI or SDI. For not a lot more money than the Atomos Shogun Inferno, the Shogun 7 is a step ahead in terms of its screen and user interface, so is ideal for cameramen who want a better view, directors or focus pullers. And when the firmware upgrade brings live switching as well as 240fps in 2K and Dolby Vision monitoring, then it will truly be in a class of its own that many will find hard to resist.
SEPTEMBER 20 1 9 | DEF I N I T ION 93
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