SSD or HDD with Atomos Samurai Blade?

I

Ian Stark

Active member
I'm awaiting delivery of a Samurai Blade to use with my AF101. The Atomos website suggests SSD's for 'those vibration sensitive shots around the racetrack or in a helicopter'. I don't do many of those. Most, if not all, of my shooting takes place on legs (or a jib). What are people's experiences with using HDDs or SSDs? Am I safe saving some cash and going for larger HDDs and if so, is there a preferred brand/model? I don't mind spending the money on SSDs, but only if there is a tangible benefit. I would expect to dual record to SD card. Thanks for any advice.
 
relating experience from owning a Ninja2...

HDD's are fine for stationary shooting on sticks... however, be advised that there will be some noise from the disk spinning - about as much as a spinning disk in a laptop - so not a lot, but it can be picked up on an onboard microphone. Atomos has specs on what you should look for in a HDD, RPM-wise, etc.

I wound up going with a 512GB SSD which was more than I ever needed for a full day (even two days) of anything shooting ProRes. A bit spendier, but quiet, less power-hungry, and worry-free.
 
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Thanks mcbob. Hadn't considered the noise of the disk spinning, although I rarely use an onboard mic. I'm tempted by the worry-free aspect of an SSD - but I'm still trying to justify the 10x price compared with a HDD! What brand did you go for?
 
I went with a SanDisk. Wound up selling the Ninja2 but that SSD is still working away in my laptop. At least I think it is... it's not making any noise in there.

If you're using it on a jib, HDD may be perfectly fine regardless of your mic setup since you'll likely mount the Blade down where you're operating/monitoring... or just provide a little extra separation in whatever way you mount it. In my situation I was doing a lot of shoulder work, so SSD's got the nod.
 
I would agree with mcbob that an approved HDD is just fine for tripod work, and most hand-held as well without issue. As a test, I've held the Ninja unit in one hand in recording mode, and have repeatedly smacked it against my other palm, harder each time to see what it takes to cause an issue, and it was fairly difficult to make it "skip". Of course, if budget is not an issue and you just want "the best, most reliable" media, then go for the SSD. But for the price, a $60 500GB spinning drive that can record all day is a bargain that is hard to beat.

Thanks

Jeff Pulera
 
The HDDs work fine for long-form recording. The only thing I would be mindful of is if you're running around (with a tripod) that "jolt" that happens when you move and re-place the tripod. That being said, the Samsung 830 series of SSD have been working great for me.
 
Thanks again for the advice. I think SSD is the best way to go, for peace of mind if not for best economics! Factor in the quieter operation, lower power consumption and faster performance and I guess the extra layout is worth it.

I've ordered a Samsung 830/512 but I will also carry a HDD in the (unlikely) event that I fill it up.

One disappointment is that I just learned that the Samurai Smart Log feature is only available for FCP users, which I am not. There's a video from 2012 on the Atomos page that says 'coming soon for Avid and Adobe' but it looks like their view of 'soon' differs from mine. It's annoying because the promo info on their site doesn't even hint at FCP only. It was a big selling point for me, thinking I'd be able to do a 'top and tail' on the plane and lie to fellow passengers that I am a big shot producer ;-)
 
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