C100: Which Atomos recorder to get for C100?

A

alohype

Veteran
Ok, so up until now choice was pretty straightforward: just get Ninja (2/Blade). Now Ninja Star will be available very soon, Shogun will be available within 3 months.
I am before my purchase (I do not own any of Atomos recorders yet) and I really cannot make up my mind.
Atomos Ninja Star:
pros:
- small
- it will be great for run n gun - you can always have it mounted on C100
- cheap
cons:
- expensive media
- no screen (obvious)

Ninja Blade:
pros:
- cheap media
- great screen
- continuos power
- can replace reference monitor
cons:
- heavy (heavier)
- bulky - you have to decide if you're taking it with your c100 (it's not like it's always on top of your c100)
- not so much future proofed (no 4k)

Shogun:
pros:
- great, great screen (can really replace something like smallHD)
- a lot of features
- really future proofed - will cover a lot of the cameras (including C500 raw)
cons:
- not yet available
- no continuos power
- expensive
- bulkier, bigger


Which one (or combination of two) would you chose for C100 if you haven't had any of them? Please comment and advise me, I will really appreciate that.
 
I do not have an external recorder.
I haven't been in a situation where I've needed anything other than the AVCHD out of the camera. So if I were to get one, it would be the Blade for the screen (Or Shogun if the screen is as good depending on price, but realistically, wouldn't need to go that 'futureproofed' yet for myself).
 
I bought ninja blade,quality is very good..but only recommend ssd.I chose cheaper HDD, but I always have trouble with it a shooting outside in direct sunlight at a high heat .. start showing defects.I tested with an SSD and perfect.SSD decreases and battery consumption.camera always shoot 50i and 25p ninja blade,of frames so if you want to do slow motion from 50i
 
Several of us have bought the Blade primarily as a monitor - ProRes/DNx recording is an added bonus.

It's secretly brilliant as a monitor alone and can be calibrated with a Datacolor Spyder. You can then absolutely rely on it as a WYSIWYG monitor.

Hang it off the side with a Wooden Camera/Zacuto/Edelkrone bracket.

Several threads on it over the past couple of months.

Ben.
 
+1 on the Ninja Blade, purely because it fixes key shortcomings on the C100:

1) The LCD is way better
2) The audio meters are better (like the 'Status' display on some Sonys)
3) When client wants to review, you can scrub through long takes
4) When client wants to review (and you brought your little iPod speaker), you can HEAR it! LOL
5) When presenter wants to know 'how long was that take' you can tell them without using a calculator
6) It lasts ages on a couple of 'flattie' batteries, and nearly all day on a couple of NPF-970s
7) You/Client can do shot logging on it and export directly to FCPX (if that floats your boat - it does mine)
8) Good client preview monitor

And yes, +1 on SSD only. Usually SanDisk Extremes. When they were horrifically expensive, there was a point at which a HDD would make more sense (conference record of locked off wide shot), but not any more.

I'm getting to the point at which I want two C level cameras (another C100? A C300? A C500?!) and so a Ninja Star will be the 'second' and 'third' camera recorder. OTOH, I may get one for B-Roll and R&G when the Blade would be superfluous.

Can you see a difference? Well, it depends on the shot. And the client. And the budget. A Star will make a C100 broadcast compatible, so like the NanoFlash - will you earn more or will it get you the job? The Blade - can you add it to your bill as a line item? Will your client pay a little more to have one on their shoots? Ten outings and it's paid for its self and becomes a revenue generator.

So, yeah. IMHO, Blade with 480GB SanDisk and a simple ball/socket mount to start, then add side mount, then consider a Star when you get addicted to the pixel-peeping joy of the ProRes footage and want it on everything. But there's too much to pass over on the Blade to ignore it.
 
95% of the time I don't even record onto my Ninja Blade but like others, once you see it in the flesh it'll make you realise how appalling the C100 monitor actually is - so yeah, just as a monitor it's incredible.
 
My Ninja2 is on the UPS truck today (excited). Does the Ninja2 support NPF-970 batteries too? It says it only supports NPF-570 on their website and I have a bunch of 970s.
 
mrl72 said:
Does the Ninja2 support NPF-970 batteries too? It says it only supports NPF-570 on their website and I have a bunch of 970s.
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Yes it does. I have both Sony branded NP-F970s and a few non-Sony clones. They all work on my Ninja Blade.

Not only that, but it will also accept the Sony 'Dummy Battery' so it can be powered from a charger like most NP-F powered camcorders.
 
Are there any third party adapters to use BP-9XX batteries on the Ninja Blade? That would be so convenient!
 
I have to keep answering the same thing to these questions. Just to balance out what every one else is saying tho. so sorry for repeating all the time.

I sold my ninja because it didnt make enough difference, even on very testing shots. The hdmi is not stable and suitable work flow in a crunch time situation either.
If you really need pro res go the c300.
interesting point about the lcd on the c100 tho, with regards to the new blade. But i dont have any issues with my monitor. I use the waveform and peaking to bridge any
short comings.
 
If you can wait the Atomos Shogun looks amazing. It's bigger at 7" which might not be better for compact setups. Full HD resolution screen. Has SDI and HDMI plus can be calibrated too. 4K and up to 120 fps in HD for $1999. I want one! I'll sell you my Ninja Blade! Ha!
 
Erik Naso said:
If you can wait the Atomos Shogun looks amazing. It's bigger at 7" which might not be better for compact setups. Full HD resolution screen. Has SDI and HDMI plus can be calibrated too. 4K and up to 120 fps in HD for $1999. I want one! I'll sell you my Ninja Blade! Ha!
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Thanks Erik and everyone for help. So I've decided. I would love to wait for Shogun but after thinking about it, decided not to. Delivery can slip in time and instead of September it might be October or later...
Ninja Blade for now, I might get Star as well, as it's quite cheap.

philwittmer said:
If you really need pro res go the c300.
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C300 do not record ProRes, it's Canon XF codec (4:2:2 sampling) in a MXF wrapper
 
alohype said:
I've decided... Ninja Blade for now
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Enjoy - remember to wiggle your C100 left to right when you boot up your Ninja so it can see the 2:2 pulldown thing and remove it. It's the one little thing, like having a Saab with a key next to the gear lever, or a Mercedes Parking Brake in two places, that freaks out the neophyte. Oh yes, and if it doesn't see a signal, reverse the direction of your HDMI cable and it will work. No idea why it works, but it does.

Note that we mention this AFTER you've decided, LOL
 
They fixed the 2 pixel shift when doing 2:2, and fixed the way the Ninja 'forgot' the 2:2 cadance if the camera interrupted the HDMI output.

But you still need to 'wiggle it just a little bit' to get it to lock on. Once it has it, it's totally solid.
 
MattDavis said:

Enjoy - remember to wiggle your C100 left to right when you boot up your Ninja so it can see the 2:2 pulldown thing and remove it. It's the one little thing, like having a Saab with a key next to the gear lever, or a Mercedes Parking Brake in two places, that freaks out the neophyte. Oh yes, and if it doesn't see a signal, reverse the direction of your HDMI cable and it will work. No idea why it works, but it does.

Note that we mention this AFTER you've decided, LOL
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Haha, thanks a lot for info and for fun bits :) I am ordering all the stuff next week, together with C100. Have to wait as they're out of stock at the moment (high demand for C100 with Dual Pixel AF upgrade). Took me a lot of time to decide for whole setup but finally it's done. I cannot wait unboxing... ;)
 
Last I checked I didn't have to wave my hand in front of the lens to get the cadence in 24p. I remember because I was jumping up and down with excitement.
 
I've just noticed that there is another recorder to consider instead of Atomos ones. CD Odyssey 7 that is coming in July. It's a little bit more expensive but then that screen is absolutely amazing. Downside is restriction to used CD media, but they're not super expensive (more expensive then just ordinary SSD's but not a lot a lot). What are your thoughts about it guys?
 
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alohype said:
I've just noticed that there is another recorder to consider instead of Atomos ones. CD Odyssey 7 that is coming in July. It's a little bit more expensive but then that screen is absolutely amazing. Downside is restriction to used CD media, but they're not super expensive (more expensive then just ordinary SSD's but not a lot a lot). What are your thoughts about it guys?
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If you have seen an Odyssey 7 in real life you'll notice it's really bulky, add batteries/SSDs and it's like a brick!. The size and weight are not very ideal for a compact C100. For FS700/F5/F55 etc it's ok because these cameras are already very bulky lol. It's also a challenge to mount it on the camera securely because of its weight, Noga arm tend to twist even with a little force. A special mount with rosette block has been developed to solve this issue, but it just adds even more weight to the whole rig.
 
marvinhello said:
If you have seen an Odyssey 7 in real life you'll notice it's really bulky, add batteries/SSDs and it's like a brick!. The size and weight are not very ideal for a compact C100. For FS700/F5/F55 etc it's ok because these cameras are already very bulky lol. It's also a challenge to mount it on the camera securely because of its weight, Noga arm tend to twist even with a little force. A special mount with rosette block has been developed to solve this issue, but it just adds even more weight to the whole rig.
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Thanks for clearing that for me!
 
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