The release of the new firmware update for Shogun Inferno and Ninja Inferno 4K monitor/recorders brings key features that make capturing and delivering in HDR as seamless as in standard dynamic range (SDR). It also brings 2K 240fps Raw-to-ProRes and 4K 12-bit CDNG Raw recording to the Panasonic Varicam LT, when coupled with the Shogun Inferno. This adds to the existing Raw support for several Sony and Canon cinema cameras, as well as improving support and enhancements for many more cameras.

The new release helps to make HDR simple to use, as the Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) HDR output of cameras like the Sony FS5, Z150 and Panasonic GH5 can now be recorded directly to the Inferno series recorders with the correct metadata flags embedded into the Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR .MOV files. With this metadata the recorded clips can be used seamlessly in an end-to-end HLG workflow, just like Rec709.

Furthermore, these HLG clips can be natively edited in NLEs that support HLG, or uploaded directly to YouTube HDR in HLG to be seamlessly played back on any SDR TV for stunning improvements using the current SDR infrastructure. This is achieved with the metadata flag from the Atomos recording following the file through the NLE, then on through to YouTube HDR upload. Finally, it is then played out from HDR supported devices like the Google’s ChromeCast Ultra and Amazon’s Fire TV with 4K Ultra over HDMI correctly to any SDR or HDR TV – Atomos makes it simple to produce HDR in HLG today. …[continue reading]

Click here to watch the video on YouTube

Usability
Adding an external recorder to a video device (DSLR or whatever) gives you a lot. First of all, the larger screen makes it easy to better assess the image, and the use of scopes, false color, and other features make it easier to ensure you’re getting what you want to get. Numbers don’t lie, and what you think might be a flat background might indeed not be. You can fix it in post, but you can fix it better while you’re on set.

Using an external recorder enables you to use very lightweight codecs. This means you can avoid the heavy H.264 compression used in most DSLRs and mid-level camcorders. Whether it be DNxHD, DNxHR, ProRes, etc., these “production” codecs work easier on older edit machines, laptops, etc. They are also designed to preserve the image, and not to squeeze the image as much as possible.

External screens/recorders also enable metadata tagging and other features that small/mid-level recorders do not offer. This speeds post workflow if there are seven takes of a particular shot but one is marked good. Start with that one! Plus, it enables the camera ops to focus on their job and let someone else work on metadata on the recorder.

Some cameras can’t record 10-bit internally, but can send the sensor data out to an external recorder, meaning your externally recorded image has a lot more data in it for color grading in post. You can load a LUT into the external recorder/screen to enable viewing of a more “final-ish” image while the camcorder, or the external recorder, records a flatter image for leveraging the most dynamic range.

You can use external audio inputs into the external recorder which avoid the sometimes less than quality microphone preamps in DSLRs. They may be great for capturing a “full frame,” super-shallow depth of field, but high-quality audio recording is not high among their feature set. Moreover, metering and assessment are often better externally.

Conclusion
The Atomos Shogun Flame has a great feature set for my DSLR-based videography, giving me many features and capabilities that my DSLR simply does not have, but which make shooting, viewing, assessing, recording, and editing, easier and better. It’s a polished package of gear that seems to always find its way into my production kit, even if it’s not directly required.

If you’re thinking of upgrading from a smaller Atomos recorder, or considering this as a new recorder, it has my recommendation.

Click here to read the full article on Streaming Media Producer

Atomos Shogun Flame User Story

This year Atomos released the Ninja Flame, Shogun Flame and Shogun Inferno. They are all capable of 10-bit recordings and have AtomHDR, a handy and easy way to see what your Log footage looks like with a 3D LUT applied. It’s also a nice exposure tool when shooting in Log.These monitor-recorders will capture 4K or HD ProRes video via an HDMI input or, with the Shogun Inferno and Shogun Flame, through SDI inputs. Plus, they offer a 7.1-inch screen with a 1500 nit brightness.

Built tough, all three new monitors in the Atomos lineup have a much stronger housing than previous models. They are now also equipped with two battery slots for longer operation time. When fully loaded with batteries and media, they weigh between 2.34lbs to 2.5lbs. They all have a max viewable resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 325 PPI. The screens look great, especially when displaying downscaled 4K.

What’s in the box? How do they feel?

Arriving in a bright yellow hard case, both Shogun models tout yellow as their color. The Ninja Flame is just as bold in red. It almost screams “steal me, I have valuable stuff inside!” The color aside, the cases are tough and robust and can easily be brought onto a plane. A strange side note: the interior of the box has a wretched smell, so if you keep it close to you, make sure it’s closed. Also included is a hood and a few other miscellaneous accessories, but be prepared to buy a few SSDs so your production doesn’t need to stop for media offload.

AtomHDR is a great tool for assisting with exposure choice when shooting Log.

AtomHDR is a great tool for assisting with exposure choice when shooting Log. With AtomHDR you can see how much latitude you have. Many times, it’s hard to choose the right exposure because of how a Log footage looks when captured. Plus, if you have ever had a client looking over your shoulder who wouldn’t understand why everything looks flat and washed out when shooting in Log, you could benefit from having the ability to preview your footage with a 3D LUT applied. You can also use this feature to see what your footage looks like in Rec. 709 while still capturing in Log — useful for seeing how your footage might grade given the situation you’re shooting in.

Our Experience

We took out the Shogun Flame with our Canon XC10, Sony a7S II and the Panasonic GH4. All three cameras shoot an 8-bit internal recording, can shoot UHD 4K and the GH4 can output 10-bit. Shooting in our local park, we bounced around from camera to camera, either simultaneously recording internally and with the Shogun Flame in the case of the XC10 and GH4, or doing two separate takes, one into the Atomos and the other being recorded internally for the a7S II. With each camera we shot in their built-in Log profile: V-Log with the GH4, C-Log with the XC10 and lastly S-Log2 and S-Log3 with the a7S II.

There are two big things we noticed during our tests. The first was how much more detail we had in the footage of the GH4 versus what was captured internally. Of all the cameras we paired with the Flame, the GH4 had the best results from the coupling. This is due to the GH4 outputting 10-bit color versus internally capturing 8-bit. We especially noticed the difference in a shot with a tree with small leaves in the background. It had mixed light, some hard, some soft and some in full shade. In the 10-bit recording, there was much more detail and contrast between each lighting condition whereas with the internal recording, the leaves blended together and the nuance to the lighting was not noticeable at all.

Out of the three cameras, we experienced that the XC10 has the hardest Log to expose for. C-log is more difficult to grade, but having AtomHDR allowed us to verify the proper exposure and experience what a simple Rec.709 LUT would look like when applied. The image itself didn’t benefit much if at all from the Shogun’s recording features. Because the XC10 both records internal 8-bit and only puts out 8-bit, the benefit from the Shogun Flame was seen only in the shot and exposure assist tools and the larger screen.

We experienced only two negatives with the Shogun Flame. The first is that it gets hot to the touch. Use it for even a little while, and it gets hotter than you’d think was good. However, the heat didn’t affect its ability to function and did not cause any issues other than being a little unnerving. The second issue was that if you want to attach the monitor to your hot or cold shoe on your camera, the probability that it will fall off is very high. It’s just too heavy to be attached that way. We put a cage on the GH4 and attached the Shogun Flame via ¼”- 20 threads on the bottom of the monitor and on the cage. This allowed us to safely use the monitor in a run and gun configuration. Overall, this isn’t an issue of the Shogun Flame but just points out the weakness of connecting anything with weight to a hot or cold shoe of a camera. [Continue Reading…]

Atomos Shogun Flame 7″ 10-bit AtomHDR 1500nit Field Monitor with 4K/HD 10-bit ProRes/DNxHR recording, Sony & Canon Raw to ProRes/DNxHR recording, professional HDMI, SDI and XLR connections along with LTC/Genlock & bidirectional SDI/HDMI conversion needed on set and in broadcast. With AtomHDR, you get the brightness and dynamic range of HDR Log with natural, vibrant colors to let you simply shoot the way you see.	Atomos Ninja Flame Ninja Flame overcomes the display challenges of shooting Log, displaying the full brightness range on a field monitor for the first time, with true-to-life vibrant colors. It has a 7” 10-bit 1500nit panel with the AtomHDR engine and HDMI connections to record and playback video to 4K/HD 10-bit ProRes/DNxHR.
MSRP $ 1,695.00 Promo $1,595.00 after $100.00 Mail-in Rebate	MSRP $ 1,295.00 Promo $1,220.00 after $75.00 Mail-in Rebate
* valid for purchases from 9/15 to 10/15 2016

MSRP: $495.00

Atomos Ninja Blade Now in Stock!

Super sharp, super bright, super blacks.. down to the last atom!

The new Samurai Blade offers a stunning 1280 x 720 SuperAtom IPS touchscreen, at 325ppi 179-degree viewing, 400nit brightness and multi-frequency (48/50/60Hz) operation, depending on video input, giving super smooth monitoring and playback. Newly released sunhoods are also available for those shoots out in the sun..

Join us 9/22/16 for Atomos Training in NY!