Atomos Ninja V+ and Ninja Stream for 8K and H.265 Recording Announced

Monitor Recorder

by Florian MilzApril 28^th, 2021

Atomos grows the popular Ninja V family with two new products, the Atomos Ninja V+ and Atomos Ninja Stream. Supporting up to 8K30p and 4K120p in Apple ProRes RAW over HDMI and SDI, the Ninja V+ packs a big punch. Ninja Stream is a great remote monitor/recorder solution for a pandemic-ridden film industry.

The very popular Atomos Ninja V has been an extremely capable 5″ HDMI monitor/recorder with the ability to record ProRes and DNx and paired with the AtomX SDI Module, you could record from even more cameras. For a device that was introduced in 2018, the Ninja V still stands without any competition. Atomos has constantly released firmware updates with support for all the latest cameras and this makes it their most popular product.

Atomos Ninja V+ – 8K and HFR ready

The Ninja V+ builds upon this legacy and offers all the features of the original Ninja V, with the added functionality of recording 8K up to 30p and 4K in up to 120p. This capability, combined with the close partnerships with camera manufacturers enables great capability at very low price points. All this new horsepower enables recording of up to 8K30p over HDMI from Canon EOS R5 cameras or up to 4K120p from Z CAM E2 and E2-M4 models.

Physically, the display appears to remain the same 5″ 1000nit 10-stop HDR monitor surrounded by a new stealth grey bezel. Apart from the new bezel color, the unit appears indistinguishable from the original Ninja V. The Ninja V+ also retains compatibility with Atomos expansion modules like the AtomX SDI and AtomX SYNC.

H.265 recording

Atomos Ninja V+ also introduces H.265 recording in 10-bit 4:2:2, apart from the already existing ProRes, ProRes RAW and DNx. H.265 recording will also be available for the existing Ninja V recording in May 2021 for a one-click purchase license through my.atomos.com for $99. This will allow all Ninja V users to explore traditional streaming, broadcast and proxy workflows.

The Atomos Ninja V will not be replaced by the Ninja V+ and will remain a lower-cost alternative. Ninja V will continue to receive updates for cameras and additional functionality via AtomX modules in the future. You can see the very extensive camera compatibility on the Atomos Compatibility Website.

Ninja V+ Pro Kit

The Atomos Ninja V+ will also be available as a Pro Kit which includes the Ninja V+ monitor-recorder, the H.265, ProRes RAW and DNx licenses and the AtomX SDI module, which enables ProRes RAW recording from SDI sources, such as the Sony FX6 and FX9 (with the Sony XDCA-FX9 expansion module attached to the camera – see Nino’s thoughts on this topic in Nino’s FX6 review article).

Atomos Ninja Stream

The second new hardware announcement from Atomos is the Ninja Stream, a Social Distance Production Tool. Ninja Stream has been specifically designed to overcome the challenges of today’s socially distanced productions. It offers simultaneous recordings of both ProRes and H.264/5 proxy with shared file names and timecode, whilst sending video feeds to other Atomos Ninja recorders, smart devices or web-based platforms simultaneously.

Ninja Stream is a 5″ 4K60p HDR monitor/recorder with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB-C to easily connect and stream to other crew members around the world, without the need for a computer.

Prices and Availability

The Atomos Ninja V+ will cost $1499, and the Pro Kit (which includes the Ninja V+, licenses and AtomX SDI) will cost $1699.

Atomos Ninja V is still available for $595 with the optional upcoming H.265 software license for $99. A Pro Kit for the Ninja V is also available for $849.

The Atomos Ninja Stream’s availability and price have not yet been announced.

What do you think about the new hardware from Atomos, the first in a while? Let us know in the comments below.