When we invest so much money into a brand, one expects easy access to support and timely response. I have been needing support with An Atomos unit and can not find a number to call. I did fill out a ticket on their website but the response time is very slow especially when you have to go back and forth. Have you had a similar experience with Atomos or any other company?
Manufacturers and Customer Support in Decline
- Thread starter Ken1212
- Start date
drboffa
Well-known member
I had to contact Atomos support back in December to address my Ninja V+ coming apart after barely over a year of light use. Between back and forth emails and shipping back and forth it took about 3-4 weeks to get the issue sorted out and my unit fixed and in my hands. Not super fast, but I didn't have immediate need of the unit so it didn't seem terrible to me.
My initial ticket request was replied to within 24 hours but now I am waiting two days for a reply and nothing yet. If it takes a day or longer to reply to to a message then it can take over a week or more to communities couple times back and forth. Sometimes one can wait and other times it might be argent, what I do not understand is why they no longer have a tech support line.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
I know nothing. To me atomos is some chinese tft with a logo and a mark up.
where does the concept that these are nothing but disposable gambles come from
same for most orher “new” brands?
where does the concept that these are nothing but disposable gambles come from
same for most orher “new” brands?
Being an Australian company you would think they would have better standards and support!!! Still waiting for their reply.
Atomos voluntarily suspended trading their stock as of late February (last traded at 6.5 cents/share). Atomos Limited published the following on March 16th:
"Atomos Limited (ASX: AMS, Atomos or the Company) advises that the finalisation of the Atomos half-year financial report has been further delayed, as Management is still working with the Company’s auditors to address outstanding matters related to the key areas of review focus. Trading in the Company’s securities will remain suspended pending release of the report, and the Company will provide an update on the anticipated timing of the finalisation of the report, once known."
"Atomos Limited (ASX: AMS, Atomos or the Company) advises that the finalisation of the Atomos half-year financial report has been further delayed, as Management is still working with the Company’s auditors to address outstanding matters related to the key areas of review focus. Trading in the Company’s securities will remain suspended pending release of the report, and the Company will provide an update on the anticipated timing of the finalisation of the report, once known."
Run&Gun
Veteran
I don't work for Merrill Lynch, but that doesn't sound good to me.
I have couple on camera monitor recorders but I also have their shogun studio v1 and that's the unit that I need help with. My problem, monitor one is stuck on time laps and monitor two will not record as record is faded out with a camera signal and an HDD inserted, other than that the inputs and screen are fine. I use this unit to record a backup program out and to monitor cameras and really like it when everything is working fine!
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
I didnt know they were 'australian' - id be very suprised if any one bit was made in oz?
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
when the playback facility on a camera is so truely horrific .. a menu dig with winkdows 95 speed and responsivness.. im looking at sony..an external recording that a director can play back ith ipad skills of a four year old is a huge boon - even toggle luts on and off or bash in for focus.. super useful
..but no one with any brain would record thier critical signal down a flimsy hdmi shoelace.. its obviously going to break
My shogun is superuseful.. but I never had any hope of getting it mended if it goes pop.
Ive just bought a feelworld monitor.. really I dont need it .. its just a backup for the first of my other monitors that breaks which I think will be my a cam operator smallHD . Feelworld?? it is of course disposable.. but at least it was only $4 which will be a less painful dumpster drop than a $1500 small HD or atomos
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
its a different thing gathering footage for the edit and the director hitting record 70% of the time so they can get a whatch without you crawling through the windows 94 camera menu seeking playback.
Run&Gun
Veteran
It’s always been fairly easy on the F55/5. Hit the View button on the side of the cam, it brings up the thumbnails and then select the one you want to play. I don’t use the 7’s or 9’s enough to know how they work. The Amira is dead simple, too, at least for the last clip shot. You literally just hold down the play button on the bottom of the VF for like a second. Almost like the return button on an ENG lens with an ENG camera. But you only got the last ~10 secs with ENG pb.
NorBro
Major Contributor
It's easy on most real cinema cameras, & only a pain on some mirrorless' in which a movie director might not be near.
But also can't deny that being able to privately playback some clips you're recording on a handheld device at any moment is pretty convenient...but also not sure if that's what they do in Hollywood, or at least with an Atomos.
But also can't deny that being able to privately playback some clips you're recording on a handheld device at any moment is pretty convenient...but also not sure if that's what they do in Hollywood, or at least with an Atomos.
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
I don't know what "Hollywood" is any more...so many productions that are made now with a DP's own package (RED, Dana dolly, Aputure lights)...
But yes, I know you mean the traditional industry, aka union productions. Playback aka video assist is not part of the camera local, it falls to 695 which also includes production sound. While this may seem odd, think about the legacy of film shooting: camera dept is capturing photochemically, and sound and video assist are recording to magnetic tape. Of course, now all three departments record digitally! The letter of the law is that camera is only allowed to do a quick playback of the last take as assurance that it recorded properly, aka a gate check. If a director asks for playback for creative purposes, that triggers a video assist operator. They are all on much more sophisticated computer based systems like Qtake that are much faster and offer many more resources than an onboard deck. For specialty situations such as a camera so remote that a transmitter won't reach, they might have an Odyssey on hand, but I would be surprised to see a Shogun in use by a 695 video assist operator.
As a direct counterpoint to all that, I personally happen to own a number of Atomos products. On the odd occasion I'd use my A7S as an extra camera (stunts, high wide lockoff etc) so I got a Shogun Flame for that. On one non-union commercial I put it on my cart and found the playback very helpful for my own purposes, especially with multiple cameras where it was hard to focus on all the images at once. So I added one for the cart (now a Shogun 7) which I also use for false color occasionally. When the Sumo came out, I liked the idea of a daylight viewable monitor of that size so I built a director's cart around it, generally feeding it a quad split. On non-union jobs I offer to show the director how to record and playback and some of them take to it with great pleasure, and it doesn't tie up the camera for playback. Eventually I added a Sumo 19M (the discontinued monitor-only version) as a dedicated monitor for my remote head wheels setup. And finally, I have a few vintage standard-def tube cameras that I rent out, and they are outfitted for recording via composite to SD-SDI converters and Samurai Blades (the last Atomos recorders that will record in SD).
I definitely have my issues with Atomos--like many companies these days they tend to not fulfill all of the promised upgrade path and just EOL them when they bring out a new model. The panels are inconsistent and their calibration interface doesn't work all that well, depending on model. I don't really care for the direction they've gone with the add-on SDI modules in the newer units. I did require customer service about 4 years ago when an HDMI connector was trashed on my Inferno, and I had no trouble reaching them and getting it done. But, that was then and not all that surprised to hear things have changed.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
my experience is mainly the fs7.
when one hits the review screen it generates nine clips oldest first, the newest one last, so you wait 20 seconds for that generation to happen
then if the clip is maybe 2mins long with 90 seconds of garbage up the front I find it impossible.. (in afact I dont even know how) to scroll forward that 90 seconds.
so wait 90 seconds? that feels like an ice age on a pressured set
the buttons on the fs7 have no sensible tactilliy, they make me ill.
I doubt the 9 or 6 are better
In comparrison the director (client, toddler) can get an atmos and scroll through with a finger .. it is a complete game changer vs the fs7
Of course in CP world with two 27in mons on a cart being fed by alexa vaxis a dit will do a better job.. or not is actually my experience.
when one hits the review screen it generates nine clips oldest first, the newest one last, so you wait 20 seconds for that generation to happen
then if the clip is maybe 2mins long with 90 seconds of garbage up the front I find it impossible.. (in afact I dont even know how) to scroll forward that 90 seconds.
so wait 90 seconds? that feels like an ice age on a pressured set
the buttons on the fs7 have no sensible tactilliy, they make me ill.
I doubt the 9 or 6 are better
In comparrison the director (client, toddler) can get an atmos and scroll through with a finger .. it is a complete game changer vs the fs7
Of course in CP world with two 27in mons on a cart being fed by alexa vaxis a dit will do a better job.. or not is actually my experience.
NorBro
Major Contributor
Thank you for that write-up/info! (And way back I sold you some Atomos accessories one time, lol.)
Convergent Design wants a word with you.
Only if someone could help them locate a time machine.