Atomos Ninja & Ninja Ultra

Atomos has unveiled the new Ninja and Ninja Ultra, the latest generation of its monitor/recorders.

It has been 13 years since the original Ninja was released way back in 2010. In 2010, having a monitor/recorder that could record ProRes to a removable SSD was a big deal for anyone who was shooting with a DSLR.

While you could certainly argue that the need for having an external recorder/monitor has been greatly reduced with so many cameras now able to record internally in 4:2:2 10-bit and in decent codecs, there are still many mirrorless hybrids and lower-cost digital cinema cameras that can’t record RAW internally.

The new Ninja and Ninja Ultra feature a distinctive ‘camo’ color polycarbonate body and now include 6K ProRes RAW, ProRes, DNxHD as well as H.265, which was previously only available as a paid option. I am not quite sure why they are only available in a camo color and there are no options for regular back.

Essentially both the Ninja and Ninja Ultra share the exact same screen and body as their predecessors and it is only under the hood where things have changed.

Just like the original Ninja, the new Ninja is primarily targeted at owners of mirrorless hybrids, while the Ninja Ultra was designed to allow users to get the most out of camera-to-cloud technology and utilize Atomos Connect workflows.

The new Ninja line includes the following codecs free of charge:

The Apple ProRes codec is pre-activated to use out of the box, so you can start shooting immediately.

To activate the H.265 and DNx codecs, visit my.atomos.com to register your product, then follow the simple online instructions to activate these codecs for free using an activation token system.

To activate the Apple ProRes RAW codec you need to go to the my.atomos.com portal. There is a small additional step to get the correct activation token and access the codec for free. You simply need to plug in your compatible RAW camera to complete the process. You only need to do this once.

With an updated operating system, HDR monitoring, and RAW recording capabilities, the Atomos Ninja 5.2″ 4K HDMI Recording Monitor is a 5.2″ on-camera monitor and recorder that supports DCI 4K HDMI footage and ProRes RAW up to 6K from compatible cameras. The Ninja retains the same form factor as its predecessors to be compatible with most Atomos monitor accessories.

There is a RecordAssist function where you can set a time for your recording to start. It’s ideal for covering pre-arranged events when you need to be somewhere else. If you have several Ninjas you can even record in multiple locations simultaneously.

The Ninja Ultra’s HDMI input and output ports support up to DCI 4K video at 60 fps in monitoring, recording, and playback modes. 3.5K RAW at 60 fps footage is supported with select cameras.

Over 55 different cameras support RAW recording over HDMI with the Ninja Ultra up to 8K at 30 fps.

The Atomos Ninja Ulta 5.2″ 4K HDMI Recording Monitor is a 5.2″ on-camera monitor and recorder that supports DCI 4K HDMI footage and can even record ProRes RAW up to 8K with compatible cameras. Just like the new Ninja, the Ninja Ultra retains the same form factor as its predecessors to be compatible with most Atomos monitor accessories.

The Ninja Ultra can record ProRes RAW up to 4K 60p while at the same time recording HD 60p to H.265. It also supports automatic matching filenames, timecodes and record from ARRI, Canon and RED cameras. More cameras will be supported in the future.

I am a little perplexed as to why there is a picture of an Atomos Ninja Ultra on an ARRI Alexa Mini. The Alexa Mini doesn’t have an HDMI output.

Ninja Ultra’s new 4K camera to cloud mode lets you record and upload much higher quality bitrate H.265 video with higher framerates. H.265 files are half the size of H.264 media. They’re small enough for camera to cloud workflows but more than 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 brand 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. You can monitor what’s happening on-set and look through any connected camera taking the shot, from anywhere in the world. RemoteView is a total game-changer for remote production, offering many new features never seen before.

For Ninja Ultra only, the Atomos Connect module provides a lower latency, higher throughput and more stable connection with Wi-Fi 6E. Once again, Atomos is leading the way by incorporating this cutting-edge Wi-Fi standard into its cloud-enabled products.

Atomos has also introduced a completely overhauled operating system, AtomOS 11. Atomos claims that it is cleaner, fresher and faster, thanks to hardware performance optimization.

New features in AtomOS 11 include EL Zone exposure referenced colorized image, ARRI False Color, and new scheduled playback & recording tools. It is good to see Atomos finally include some type of standardized false color. I have been complaining about this for the last 13 years!

Both the Ninja and Ninja Ultra will be shipping from early September 2023, priced at $599 USD/€599 and $799 USD/€799 respectively. You can see them both at IBC, Amsterdam on the Atomos booth (11.D25).

Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with over 30 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world.He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010.Matthew has won 48 ACS Awards, including five prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards.Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.