C100: New Atomos Ninja Blade With HDMI

See the on-line manual - screen shot attached of relevant page, page 25 (Edit: not sure why this is low res when i uploaded it!)

So to quote the relevant line….

"If you find you are working on a very active project where you are seeing a lot of “Skippys” then you probably need to switch to SSDs, and only use spinning disks for gentler environments. "





Skippy Warning.jpg
 
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The yellow kangaroo = 'skippy' (as in Skippy the Bush Kangaroo). The hard drive isn't fast enough to cope with the demands of recording video, or there's something up with the way that the hard drive and the Ninja are talking to each other.

There is a list of 'approved' and 'compatible' hard drives on the Atomos website. Not all drives are created equal, and video recording is quite a demanding task.

1) Is your drive on the list of 'approved' hard drives? 7200RPM isn't enough - it's the language that the disk and the Ninja uses too.

2) Did you format the drive in the Ninja? Sometimes the actual layout of the drive can cause issues.

3) You've ascertained already that you're not jiggling the HDD whilst recording, which can also provoke Skippy.
 
Got Skippy's on a job when Atomos was mounted firmly on rails and large tripod in a stationary shooting environment. So this really means nothing. Also have heard of people having problem with skippy's (ninja 2) with the SSD's. Maybe this has been better addressed with the Ninja Blade, but with all the other picture issues I won't be buying a Blade for quite a while if at all. Too many issues with these recorders. And yes, thank god I recorded backup in camera, but what a pain to find and replace those files.

These were approved drives from the Atomos website and only used once. Formatted in Atomos and not "jiggled".
 
FWIW, very glad that the skippy alerts pop up. Some other recorders that shall remain namless (Pix 220!), don't do this.

With the SanDisk Extreme SSDs, my Ninja Blade goes out on every job regardless. It's earned its slot in my bag. The Pix never earned this accolade.

By all means use Hard Disk Drives, but be aware that you have to test them. Not all will work. Each drive has to earn your trust.

I bought the Pix partially because of the early Ninjas. In aggregate and the benefit of hindsight, I think I trust the Ninja Blade more than my Pix for most current jobs.

SSD is the way to go, and maybe because of people's experience with HDD, perhaps Ninja will go the way of Pix and only recommend SSD.
 
This is hdd Travelstar Z7K500 (HTS725050A7E630) hdhly recommendet drive from Atomos,I formatted HDD with Ninja Blade..all is in tripod a good manfrotto professional,I did not move anything..only a I just tried a test to see how the battery hold on Nija Blade with HDD..2 hours.This is not ok ..I to know what to say but I think it's not normal to be so.Before you buy an SSD and I thought enough hdd to test.I read the manual ninja blade, know what yellow kangaroo -:) but I did not expect to see so soon on my Ninja Blade.
next week I'll order a 480 ssd sandisk extreme II,I'm still very impressed with the quality AVCHD codec on ​​C100...but the display of the Ninja is fantastic ..I will soon recive grip edelkrone,and an HDMI cable from Apple, preferably one lock from Perfect Path 600B but in Europe I did not find to buy
 
Honestly I was so happy when this was announced, but now I'm just looking forward to someone announcing a dedicated 4k recorded at NAB. Too many 4K cameras popping up for it not to happen. Also would love to see canon unlock 4k on the c100, it would be a great NAB. Until then, I think I am going to wait on the Ninja Blade. Shame though
 
Looks great but I just hope this does not divert attention away from fixing the firmware glitches on existing products (Ninja Blade and Samurai Blade)...
 
But then Atomos is 'just a bunch of guys' - not counting sales and marketing and HR and Accounts and Legal and PR.... (aaaargh!).

So they were getting the Ninja Blade all washed and brushed and ready for launch, whilst also deep-deep-undercover on the 4K project. They overlooked the pull-down problem which has been knocking around for some time now, but some geek somewhere kinda pointed it out after the Ninja Blade launch. It's easy to demonstrate, so they've got to fix it quickly.

But there's also a game changing product launch for the 4K. That has to work, as you MUST have a 4K recorder in this industry. Yes, we have to fix the 2:2 pulldown thing (and the 2:3). That's a fly in our ointment and people are beginning to 'not buy' the Ninja Blade thanks to all the buzz about the bug. But we need to demonstrate the 4K recorder working with this crazy DSLR that does 4K because everyone who buys one of those will buy our recorder. Going forward, 4K recorders are more important.

So, true to form, the IT guys get on with their impossible task of making the prototype recorder work with a prototype camera, with the ominous spectre of a currently shipping product with a bug - but hey, there's a workaround. It works. It's irksome, but it works. Apart from the filmy guys, where it sucks, but they're not as big as the nascent 4K market.

So... I'll cut Atomos some slack over their deadline. I'll cut them some slack to ensure they get it right and not introduce another bug. But we do need a fix soon (less than a month). :-) Meanwhile, dig that screen! Dig that compatibility! Dig that whole FCPX thing!
 
Oh. don't worry, the Atomos Shogun is sure to have its own glitches that will get fixed "SOON". I'm one of those who will not be buying the Ninja Blade because of these issues. I own a Ninja 2 and it has had enough problems for me to be hesitant already. This company always seems to be able to put out another product, but very slow to fix the problems.
 
Well, i am now really thinking of returning the blade. With all those new 4k cameras popping out at NAB, i could get those $1000 back from a product that still doesn't work properly and spend it on a7s, Gh4 or BM ursa.

4K is pushing hard and we may have to transition faster than i was expecting. I was planning NOT to buy a new camera until 2015 and stay with 1080p but this may be moving faster than i thought. That means a short life and low resell for the blade.

i hope that this is just the NAB excitmemt and that i won't be asked to shoot 4k anytime soon though. It is crazy how fast we are swapping cameras... And i really like the c100.
 
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greenheron said:
Oh. don't worry, the Atomos Shogun is sure to have its own glitches that will get fixed "SOON". I'm one of those who will not be buying the Ninja Blade because of these issues. I own a Ninja 2 and it has had enough problems for me to be hesitant already. This company always seems to be able to put out another product, but very slow to fix the problems.
Click to expand...

It's like you are almost guaranteed to have glitches :) . I never had one of their product to work as described. Came close with the blades but... Nope
 
Atomos please do update the firmware..if put on sale a product with hidden technical problems, it's ok??noooo I do not understand what is happening, film GH3 progresiv,and ninja blade the video is interlace...

Thanks Atomos
 
Returned my Ninja Blade. No way I'm paying for a faulty piece of equipment.
Aren't this guys formerly from Blackmagic? I have also returned my BMPC 4k.
 
krick said:
4K is pushing hard and we may have to transition faster than i was expecting. I was planning NOT to buy a new camera until 2015 and stay with 1080p but this may be moving faster than i thought. That means a short life and low resell for the blade.

... And i really like the c100.
Click to expand...

Yes it is but I my case the fact is I have no need for 4K yet. My clients have never asked for it, in fact they probably don't know the videos I produce are 1080p HD or that 4k exists! I borrowed a Red Scarlet last year for a couple of smaller jobs and loved the camera and the footage but hated editing it on my 2010 Mac Pro so for me 4k will mean a hefty investment on not just a camera.

I was kinda hoping for some move on Canon's part at NAB to announce a firmware update with goodies such as upping the bit rate on the C100 but I think its wishful thinking. Canon have been relatively quiet in Vegas... unlike Sony!!
 
My take on 4K is that it's all a bit of hype right now, a lot like 3d was, eventually we'll move to 4k of course but I really don't see it happening soon, i know people that have just bought their first HDTV from old SD plasma screens, there's no consumer delivery system for 4K and again a lot of broadcasters have just finished the jump to HD. SD to HD was a massive jump, but on 40-50 inch TV's at normal viewing distances I just don't see the same massive jump with 4k, it's clearer and sharper of course but i think it'll be a while yet before it's mainstream. There's alot of maturing to go with 4k kit, I wouldn't be buying now.

john.
 
Steelej said:
My take on 4K is that it's all a bit of hype right now, a lot like 3d was, eventually we'll move to 4k of course but I really don't see it happening soon, i know people that have just bought their first HDTV from old SD plasma screens, there's no consumer delivery system for 4K and again a lot of broadcasters have just finished the jump to HD. SD to HD was a massive jump, but on 40-50 inch TV's at normal viewing distances I just don't see the same massive jump with 4k, it's clearer and sharper of course but i think it'll be a while yet before it's mainstream. There's alot of maturing to go with 4k kit, I wouldn't be buying now.

john.
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4K is nothing like 3D.
Lots of advantages in 4K acquisition. It is very much like standard definition was. Use a HD camera and deliver in SD. Looked better to have more resolution and deliver in SD. This practice has been going on for a long time. Feature films look amazing on DVD for pretty much the same reason. It’s not about what broadcast will do. They are all shooting in 2K and 4K and delivering in HD. You need to see the big picture. I do understand it’s not for everyone. I work in local broadcast and for now my C300 is working just fine but I’m not opposed to using 4K in the future with the right camera and codec.
 
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Erik Naso said:
4K is nothing like 3D.
Lots of advantages in 4K accusation. It is very much like standard definition was. Use a HD camera and deliver in SD. Looked better to have more resolution and deliver in SD. This practice has been going on for a long time. Feature films look amazing on DVD for pretty much the same reason. It’s not about what broadcast will do. They are all shooting in 2K and 4K and delivering in HD. You need to see the big picture. I do understand it’s not for everyone. I work in local broadcast and for now my C300 is working just fine but I’m not opposed to using 4K in the future with the right camera and codec.
Click to expand...

i agree Erik, but demand will drive adoption, if people don't want 4k and aren't interested in it then becoming mainstream becomes more difficult, why would I buy into 4K if no one really wants it? 4K is in relative infancy compared to HD and let's not forget that HD has been around for a loooooong time in one form or another, it took a great deal of time to be mainstream. Feature films etc will always use the latest and greatest but for me it's what's at my level that's important, I only bought my first bluray burner about 3 weeks ago :). Of course it'll happen but there is a lot of hype surrounding 4K right now, i still think the difference from SD to HD is a greater one than from HD to 4K and I still think it's early to be jumping into 4k for people using C100/300 etc.

John.
 
Erik was saying 4K acquisition is what is beneficial, not delivering in 4K, which like you said, is years away!

4K downscaled to HD will look better than captured HD
4K captured can be rescaled, re-framed, etc etc. You can get 2-3 shots from 1 interview shot if you acquire it in 4K. Also hugely beneficial for stabilization, potentially 'saving' shots you'd have to throw away.

I would love to shoot 4K. I just currently dont have the camera or harddrive space for it.

I'm not losing any work by not being able to shoot or deliver in 4K. So I'm not particularly worried (yet).
 
When I think back to when we were shooting DVC Pro HD and downscaling to SD for delivery, I do remember a tangible image improvement over Digibeta etc at the time, as Erik was saying.

I wonder if we're effectively getting the same bang for our buck with the C Series internal 4K sensor. Sure, we can't re-size in post etc, but I think we get a similar downscaled visual mojo to what we were enjoying back in 2004 (or roundabout then.)

Ben.
 
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