C100: What drives are people using in their Odyssey7 models? Oddyssey vs Ninja2 for Prores?

J

Josh Bass

Veteran
Hi. Looking into getting a C100 soon.

Already have an Odyssey7 (I think I'm the only one who bought one), but have only ever used it for monitoring.

Seems like some kind of external recorder may be in order for the C100. I know many on here are somewhat dismissive of the benefits of external recorders for that cam, but sometimes clients demand prores so who am I to say no?

It would seem natural to just get drives for the Odyssey I already have rather than getting another recorder, but the price of old Ninja2 + drives may the same price as two drives for the Odyssey, so maybe why not?

Also, and I mean no disrespect to the company, but I have had the occasional glitchiness issue with the Odyssey in the past (signal cutting out, turning on and off etc.), so that leaves me a little worried using it for critical recording (though I have to say it's been very well-behaved last bunch of times I've used it. Maybe it really was a cable issue. I remain skeptical of that, though).

So I guess I'd like to know a) what drives are people using in their Odysseys? I know there was some kind of update that allowed them to use lower cost Samsung and other drives, or maybe those are the only options since I think I read CD isn't making their own drives now? How long do you get per how many GB recording 1080p Prores? Any pros/cons vs Ninja2 recording the same thing? Only thing that jumps out is I'd have my sweet monitor and recorder in one unit instead of having to run cables from Ninja to Odyssey for monitoring since NInja is pretty worthless as a monitor.

Thanks.
 
Josh Bass said:
Hi. Looking into getting a C100 soon.

Already have an Odyssey7 (I think I'm the only one who bought one), but have only ever used it for monitoring.

Seems like some kind of external recorder may be in order for the C100. I know many on here are somewhat dismissive of the benefits of external recorders for that cam, but sometimes clients demand prores so who am I to say no?

It would seem natural to just get drives for the Odyssey I already have rather than getting another recorder, but the price of old Ninja2 + drives may the same price as two drives for the Odyssey, so maybe why not?

Also, and I mean no disrespect to the company, but I have had the occasional glitchiness issue with the Odyssey in the past (signal cutting out, turning on and off etc.), so that leaves me a little worried using it for critical recording (though I have to say it's been very well-behaved last bunch of times I've used it. Maybe it really was a cable issue. I remain skeptical of that, though).

So I guess I'd like to know a) what drives are people using in their Odysseys? I know there was some kind of update that allowed them to use lower cost Samsung and other drives, or maybe those are the only options since I think I read CD isn't making their own drives now? How long do you get per how many GB recording 1080p Prores? Any pros/cons vs Ninja2 recording the same thing? Only thing that jumps out is I'd have my sweet monitor and recorder in one unit instead of having to run cables from Ninja to Odyssey for monitoring since NInja is pretty worthless as a monitor.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Apologies, I'm not a tech head so I can't give the pros/cons of the Ninja 2, but I will say that it's been very reliable in the time that I've had it, no issues whatsoever!
 
The Odyssey can use a series of Samsung SSDs ( a list is on our website), but you need to update to at least last summer's firmware in order to be able to use these SSDs. And you need an SSD to update the firmware. We are happy to assist you in such a firmware update if you do not already own the SSDs or do not have a current enough firmware.

Record time info is available on our website.
 
Thanks. the only firmware update I dont have is the latest one for the O7. I have the utility drive since i never intended to use it as a recorder.

How much record time do you get per how many GB in prores 1080p?

Do the Ninja's HDs record the same amount of footage per GB as the O7?
 
Hey guys. I also just saw that there's an Atomos Ninja STAR, smaller/presumably lighter than the Ninja 2, costs the same, uses comparably priced media/batteries as the NInja 2 (maybe Star's are a little cheaper?). Anyone messed with one?
 
Josh Bass said:
Hey guys. I also just saw that there's an Atomos Ninja STAR, smaller/presumably lighter than the Ninja 2, costs the same, uses comparably priced media/batteries as the NInja 2 (maybe Star's are a little cheaper?). Anyone messed with one?
Click to expand...

Lots of people use the Star but it's cheapness is offset by the fact that CFAST cards are still expensive. Cheap recorder, expensive media. Why would you want to step down to the Star when you already own a good recorder? For those who use them, the Star is fine, it's just a Ninja 2 without a screen. Personally I use a Ninja Blade and it is excellent but if I had the Odyssey, I would use it.
 
The consensus is the Ninja Blade is a more color-accurate monitor to what the C100 is actually recording, as opposed tot he Ninja 2, and even the C100's own LCD, especially the MK1's which tends to look quite cool/blueish.

The STAR looks nice, but remember it's not a monitor, just an external recorder. I believe it only records Prores, not DNxHD. But I believe the theoretical maximum quality to be had from the C100 is by recording DNxHD 220x (it's the 10-bit version). There's a theory you're actually getting somewhere between 8 and 10 bits, as well as the usual 4:2:2 increase over the internal 4:2:0. Will any of this actually make you're footage "better" in any noticeable way? Who knows. Maybe not. Your mileage may vary.

Here's some of the info on the DNxHD 220x thing:

http://ntown.at/2014/02/05/canon-c100-ninja2-10-bit-workflow/
http://forum.atomos.com/showthread.php?1202-Actual-10-bit-recording-from-C100
 
Josh Bass said:
Thanks. the only firmware update I dont have is the latest one for the O7. I have the utility drive since i never intended to use it as a recorder.

How much record time do you get per how many GB in prores 1080p?

Do the Ninja's HDs record the same amount of footage per GB as the O7?
Click to expand...


Here's the link to our record time chart.
https://www.convergent-design.com/kb.html?view=kb&kbartid=15

In 1080p recording Apple ProRes HQ, 1TB (1024GB) will record 670 minutes @24p, 643 minutes @25p, or 536 minutes @30p.
There's also ProRes 422 and ProRes LT. You weren't specific. Lots of possibilities, that's why we have a chart.
 
Ok thanks. I believe I've read Prores HQ is overkill for a lot of things if they aren't high end workflows/projects (mine are not).

Again, my only real trepidation using the Odyssey to record are the issues I've had in the past with signal interruption, which I assume would mess up recording if they happened while I was doing so.
 
Ok thanks. I believe I've read Prores HQ is overkill for a lot of things if they aren't high end workflows/projects (mine are not).

Again, my only real trepidation using the Odyssey to record are the issues I've had in the past with signal interruption, which I assume would mess up recording if they happened while I was doing so.
 
Bringing this back to life. . .I see on B&H's site the CD brand drives about about twice the price for the same capacity as the Samsungs. Are the CD drives better somehow? Fewer errors/failures? Rated for more rewrite cycles? Can anyone tell me the differences between the CD and Samsung drives? Thanks.
 
SSDs sold by Convergent Design are warrantied by us for 10 years. If you use a Samsung SSD that did not come by way of Convergent Design then you will have to talk to Samsung for warranty service. That said, the drives are very reliable. But we cannot take responsibility for something we have no control over.

Also please note: In order to be able to use the Samsung SSDs you must have firmware that is 2015.07 or later. If you have an earlier firmware then a non-CD SSD will be rejected by the Odyssey.
 
Firmware updating not an issue (I have the utility drive). When you say "Samsung SSD that did not come by way of Convergent Design" are you saying there ARE Samsung drives that come by way of convergent design? Or do you just mean your branded drives?
 
Josh Bass said:
Firmware updating not an issue (I have the utility drive). When you say "Samsung SSD that did not come by way of Convergent Design" are you saying there ARE Samsung drives that come by way of convergent design? Or do you just mean your branded drives?
Click to expand...

CD Premium SSD drives come with a 10 year warranty. These are Convergent Design stress tested SSD drives.
The original branded SSD with the CD logo on them are discontinued now. CD uses the Samsung SSD drives that go through a process for error checking.

[FONT=&quot]"Each Convergent Design Premium SSD is individually tested by Convergent Design for full compatibility with the Odysseys. Test results proved failures to be nearly non-existent. Prior to distribution, all units are burned in and checked for errors."[/FONT]

Bare Samsung SSD drives you buy from where ever you buy SSD drives from have no warranty from CD. If they fail the warranty is from Samsung NOT Convergent Design.

These are the drives that are compatible for the Odyssey.

Qualified Samsung SSDs
  • Samsung 850 EVO 1TB (MZ-75E1T0B)
  • Samsung 850 PRO 1TB (MZ-7KE1T0)
  • Samsung 850 PRO 512GB (MZ-7KE512)
  • Samsung 850 PRO 256GB (MZ-7KE256)
  • Samsung 850 PRO 128GB (MZ-7KE128)
To use the bare SSD drives you need to buy the Handle and Mounting Screw kit

As you can see on the B&H website the Convergent Design 512GB Premium SSD for Odyssey 7, 7Q, 7Q+ is a Samsung drive that goes through the testing as quoted. This gives the drive the solid dependability and long 10 year warranty.

If you buy the CD 512 GB model it cost $171 more than a bare Samsung 850 PRO or roughly 79% more

Pretty cool if you ask me. You have two great options to choose from.
 
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Ok thanks that clarifies everything. So basically you're paying for a) CD warranty and b) more or less a guarantee of reliability.
 
Exactly. We know there are different types of users of our product. We have government and corporate clients who need media that is warrantied by the manufacturer. For them the additional cost of our tested SSDs is a worthy investment. For the individual who is more budget minded the Samsung SSDs are a great option.
 
welllllllll. . .I mean if the CD-tested ones are more or less guaranteed not have the files get corrupted or whatever then I would think even for an individual it might be more worth it to get 'em.
 
"More or less guaranteed" is an interesting turn of phrase.

Nothing is truly guaranteed in this world other than death and taxes, but we do offer a 10-year warranty. There is very little chance of anything going wrong but if something should happen we have a support team that will either work to walk you through fixing the files or will ask you to send in the SSDs so that they can recover them manually themselves.

But I do agree. The additional cost is nothing compared to the peace of mind it brings. After all, this is your footage!
 
Well yeah, of course anything COULD go wrong, but the idea here is that by paying more for the CD-tested drives, we are that much less likely to experience problems than with the untested Samsungs, right?
 
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