Atomos has gone public

J.Brown said:
I don't know about how others do with their business but last year for me was actually petty good in the ratio worked hours/dollars earned. Looking back I had three months vacation and such where I turned down jobs even. I've slowly increased my rate and clients doesn't get scared. And I'm still shooting with the old FS7 (and other cameras as well). Not like they would care which camera I'm using as long as the footage looks good and I do my work well.
Click to expand...

Congratulations, that's encouraging to hear. You're one of the few, the proud! ;-)
 
Why does everybody immediately think of a yet another new camera when Atomos goes public? That’s the last product I would do if I were them and they needed to please shareholders. Too saturated of a market with no guarantee of any ROI by building a camera. How would it compete and what advantages would it really have? It took BMD a long time to iron out the kinks and they had a significantly larger manufacturing setup already in place. Honestly at this stage any camera Atomos would make would be more of a me too product. They should stick to their expertise and improve on their core product offering and become the industry camera monitor leader.
 
When you're selling a fully-loaded Ninja V for $695, you've painted yourself into a corner, so expanding on the external recorder technology and putting that into a box would be the obvious choice because anything else anyone is making is already being given away.

You have a license for ProRes and ProRes RAW...if you can make a camera it's a no-brainer.
 
I see the death of external records when we start to reach the 10-bit 4:2:2 internal options. Some will still see the benefit of raw and prores but they will diminish over time. A good monitor on the other hand is always welcome and despite SmallHD flaws I still like them better.
 
That's pretty much why I think they should make a camera.

IMO, a large portion of their success is owed to several camera manufacturers because many buy their recorders for the RAW via SDI or the 10-bit 60p via HDMI capabilities.

When cameras start recording 4K/120p RAW internally, why would you need an external recorder? Especially when good monitors are available for half the cost. I also rarely see Atomos monitors in behind-the-scenes Hollywood productions (but that doesn't mean they aren't being used).
 
NorBro said:
That's pretty much why I think they should make a camera.

IMO, a large portion of their success is owed to several camera manufacturers because many buy their recorders for the RAW via SDI or the 10-bit 60p via HDMI capabilities.

When cameras start recording 4K/120p RAW internally, why would you need an external recorder? Especially when good monitors are available for half the cost. I also rarely see Atomos monitors in behind-the-scenes Hollywood productions (but that doesn't mean they aren't being used).
Click to expand...

I haven't been on a lot of sets over the past year, but the few I did shoot on, yes, you're right, no Atomos in sight. I have seen a few Odysseys in the past.
 
Is it really necessary to have yet another manufacturer of large sensor cameras when the ones that already do it can't get everything right? Yet another one luring us to step into it?
 
Maybe the execs see writing on the wall and are going public to cash out their options. That's another problem with going public; we'll get to see their financial health in 90 days or so.
 
Last edited:
J.Brown said:
Is it really necessary to have yet another manufacturer of large sensor cameras when the ones that already do it can't get everything right? Yet another one luring us to step into it?
Click to expand...

If the C200s and EVA1s and FS7s continue selling for more than a few thousand then yes.

You would have never bought your FS7 for the price you paid - new or old - if things like this didn't or don't happen.

If it was up to corporate, it would have been sitting on the shelf next to the F5.
 
NorBro said:
Supposedly they have a variety of former Blackmagic brainiacs working for them (for a few years now) so a camera is the next logical step.
Click to expand...

One of the founders (who came from Blackmagic) resigned in 2018. The other (also from Blackmagic) remains.

It turns out they already published a financial report. It appears they are not going to make cameras, but double the number of products based upon the Ninja platform. Revenue went from $31 million AU (2017) to $36 million AU (2018) while they had a loss in 2017 of $5 million that increased to a loss of $16 million in 2018. Most of that increased loss was due to an impairment charge of nearly $10 million.
 
I'm done with external recorders for the rest of my life, but thoroughly enjoyed Atomos products for a solid 4 years.
 
I think they should now make a camera head that will integrate with their recorders. That would complete the acquisition chain and allow them to have control over it...
 
NorBro said:
I'm done with external recorders for the rest of my life, but thoroughly enjoyed Atomos products for a solid 4 years.
Click to expand...

This is why I scratch my head a bit about a bright future for Atomos. As we move to internal 10bit/4:2:2 and/or raw cameras becoming more common I just don't see a huge market for them anymore. External monitors will likely be used for some time yet but if users are shooting raw or a solid 10bit format they likely don't want to pay for external recording when just a basic monitor would do just fine.

Plus as we shift to more full range cameras and alternative resolutions like 5k and so forth the video standard limitations of HD and UHD are going to continue to be a major problem. If one shoots perfect UHD video they are fine but as we see more cameras shoot anamorphic and deliver an open gate sensor video solution similar to the 6k mode on the GH5 the external recorders are pretty much useless for that stuff. External recorders are stuck being able to only take in strict video standards and many of us are starting to shift away from that.

Now if Atomos would make a monitor only version of their Ninja line with all the features minus recording I think that would be a great direction for them. Especially if that can have a low power draw in a very lightweight form factor. I'm thinking something like a super light 7" tablet that weighs ounces and can last for 10+ hours with an internal battery.
 
Thomas Smet said:
This is why I scratch my head a bit about a bright future for Atomos.
Click to expand...

A loss of $5 million per year is not a bright past. The $6 million IPO seems pale against loses like that.

Thomas Smet said:
Now if Atomos would make a monitor only version of their Ninja line with all the features minus recording I think that would be a great direction for them. Especially if that can have a low power draw in a very lightweight form factor. I'm thinking something like a super light 7" tablet that weighs ounces and can last for 10+ hours with an internal battery.
Click to expand...

I agree, but that's not their plans. From the report: "The Ninja V ... incorporates the core technologies underpinning a new range of monitor-recorders to be released across various screen sizes and price points over the next 12 - 24 months. This will result in a doubling of the current core range from seven to an expected fifteen.".
 
I wish cameras has better LCD screens. Even if you could swap out one for a larger. A high res 4 or 5 inch camera screen would be great! I'm tired of low res hard to see 3.5 screens.

Though I'm stuck with external recorders with my FS700R cameras, I really don't like using them due to extra weight/hassle. They may look impressive to clients but extra cables, power, weight, room to transport etcetera are all cons to me.
 
One of the most underrated (and laughed at) cameras/screens of all time...however...I never, ever missed focus and composition was borderline perfect at all times.

If that camera had a higher ISO than 400 I probably would never have sold it even if I moved onto other tools.

It was so good for its time.

URSA.jpg
 
Original Blackmagic URSA...17.5 lbs without a lens or battery.

Shot 4K/60p RAW and ProRes in 2014 and a firmware update bumped it up to 4K/80p. It had various problems but cinematic quality was unmatched for the price. Also, it was marketed as having interchangeable turrets/sensors, but it never made it past its first sensor, which annoyed many.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ign_bmpursaturr46kpl_ursa_4_6k_turret_pl.html

Nevertheless the quality was unreal at the time (for the price). The FS7 was its only competitor and a tried-and-true workhorse, but simply a toy if you were interested in pure cinematic motion pictures.

In 2015, Version 2 of it was announced with a few fixes/updates (same exact body).

Then eventually it was discontinued but BM did right by all of its owners (if you kept the camera long enough!) and set up a loyalty program in which you could purchase a 4.6K UMP for $3495 AND you get to keep your camera as well, which was really cool.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...c_design_blursampu_ursa_mini_pro_upgrade.html

I sold mine way before then...but still think it's one of the best cameras ever made.

___

EDIT: P.S. Although that link for the turret says it's discontinued, it actually was never released. No working turrets were ever sold.

Fantastic train of thought though if it had worked out...buy one body and just upgrade your sensor over the next 2-5-10 years.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top