Atomos launches new Ninja series

Atomos has launched a new generation of Ninja and Ninja Ultra camera-mounted monitor recorders.

The new base model handles video sources up to nine times the resolution of the 2010 original, has a 5-inch HDR screen, records ProRes RAW, and connects to ”almost every camera in the world”. Both editions are backwards compatible with the Ninja V and V+, ship from early September, and are priced at priced at $599/€599/£525 and $799/€799/£675 respectively. 

Both the Ninja and Ninja Ultra work with the newest operating system, AtomOS 11, which includes added features such as EL Zone exposure referenced colorized image, ARRI False Color, and new scheduled playback and recording tools. It will also work with Atomos’ recently launched desktop app as a result.

They also share a camo coloured polycarbonate body and now include more codecs as standard: 6K ProRes RAW, ProRes, DNxHD as well as H.265 - which was previously available as a paid option.

The Ninja is targeted primarily at owners of DSLR and mirrorless cameras, while the Ninja Ultra is built utilise camera to cloud technology and leans into cinematic workflows with Atomos Connect. It can record full-quality files to ProRes RAW up to 4K 60p while at the same time recording HD 60p to H.265, and supports automatic matching filenames, timecode and record from ARRI, Canon and RED cameras. More cameras will be supported very soon.

In addition, the Ultra’s new 4K camera to cloud mode lets you record and upload higher quality bitrate H.265 video with higher framerates. H.265 files are half the size of H.264 media, and aims to be small enough for camera to cloud workflows while also good enough for immediate use on social media, sports reporting or news gathering.

Adding an Atomos Connect expansion module to either a Ninja or a Ninja Ultra enables Atomos RemoteView - a new technology that lets you share live views from your Atomos screen with other Atomos monitors, as well as with iPads, Macs and Apple TVs wirelessly. With the Ultra, the Atomos Connect module provides a lower latency, higher throughput and more stable connection with Wi-Fi 6E.

Trevor Elbourne, CEO of Atomos, said: “While we continue to innovate, we continue to listen to our customers too. Ninja remains the go-to ProRes monitor-recorder for individual content creators and freelancers, but with even more functionality. If cloud connectivity is not your priority right now, that’s no problem at all - you can just add that option further down the road as your business dictates.”

“Ninja Ultra, on the other hand, has been tuned for cinematic workflows as well as the cloud, although we strongly recommend that it’s paired with the Atomos Connect module to maximize its potential for studios and broadcast facilities. The addition of dual recording in 4Kp60 ProRes RAW and H.265 has been the most requested feature since we introduced cloud-enabled products last year.”