Ninja Star but 4k?

[Anaconda_]

Hey guys,

I've been looking to get an external recorder to use with both my JVC LS300 and GX80 (not at the same time of course) and obviously BlackMagic's Video Assist and the Atomos Inferno are awesome, but for the type of shooting I do, having an extra monitor would slow me down quite a lot. The Ninja Star though (https://www.atomos.com/ninja-star) would be perfect, as I could mount it and forget it's even there. It would also give me audio in on the GX80 which is a bonus!

The problem is, I'd like to record 4K. Is there something on the market that can do this for me?

 

[IronFilm]

Sadly I think the answer is "no".

You could go with the Video Devices PIX-E5, which is a 4K 5" recorder, which is smaller than most over 4K recorders. 

[AaronChicago]

I can't believe Atomos hasn't updated the Star with 4k.

[Anaconda_]

32 minutes ago, AaronChicago said:

I can't believe Atomos hasn't updated the Star with 4k.

I know right, they'd fly off the shelves.

[EthanAlexander]

1 hour ago, AaronChicago said:

I can't believe Atomos hasn't updated the Star with 4k.

It's either they haven't solved an overheating issue or they're taking a page out of Canon's book and protecting their 7 inch monitor sales. Can't see another reason because they really would sell like crazy.

[noone]

Would there really be that big a market for it?

I would love one since I have the original A7s and can only do 4k via an external recorder but more and more cameras will do 4k internally and get better as time marches on.

It would be a must buy for me even if I don't use it much (a smallish lower price 4k recorder).

[Jonesy Jones]

3 hours ago, AaronChicago said:

I can't believe Atomos hasn't updated the Star with 4k.

I spoke with one of the Atamos higher ups at NAB. What he told me is that due to physics or whatever a recorder without a screen ends up hardly smaller than one with the screen. So it just didn't make sense to them to make it. I can hardly believe this is true though.

[BTM_Pix]

I think there'd be a pretty big market for it.

For people with LX100 or GX80 you're getting edit ready ProRes and an audio recorder. That takes both of those cameras to another level, particularly the GX80.

For everyone else, the edit ready ProRes would be very attractive even just based on how many threads pop-up on here recently for workflows/computer requirement headaches to handle 4K. Having ProRes from the get go takes care of a lot of that pain. Well, until you have to buy all of those hard drives !

The drop in CFAST prices since the original Ninja Star appeared also means the timing is better for it now as well.

As far as I'm concerned, BM have the right spec with the wrong screen size with their VAs as 4K on 5" would be better for compact cameras and Atomos have the right spec on the Ninja Assassin but the wrong screen size too as maybe it shouldn't have one at all like the Ninja Star.

So for me at least, whichever of them does 4K on a 5" screen or 4K on a no screen will win.

[Andrew Reid]

4 hours ago, AaronChicago said:

I can't believe Atomos hasn't updated the Star with 4k.

Blackmagic are the new Canoneers!

[aldolega]

Sound/Video Devices (or whoever else) should really do an updated PIX-E5 that does 4K60 and Sony's raw. 7" and 8" monitors are great for big cameras sitting on big support gear, but I bet there aren't any more of those customers than wedding/event/one-man-band types shooting with photo cams or smallish large-sensor video cams (FS5, C100, LS300 etc), who need something light and compact because they're shooting quickly, with lightweight support gear, or even handheld. They want to add something the size of their cellphone, not the size of Stephen King's new hardcover.

[Nrubloc]

I have been looking for options lately and anything above a 5in screen for my setup is too cumbersome. A smallish and light setup using the Sony “alpha” series, would benefit a lot when not wanting or needing to lug around the extra kit. A small Ninja Star 4K type of recorder without a monitor would be great. Maybe there is just not really a price point “spot” currently for Atomos to include a 4K recorder without a monitor between the current Ninja Star and their Ninja Blade recorder with its 5” monitor.

Even though they have a monitor, I initially looked at Blackmagic’s Video Assist (both HD 5” and 4K 7”) recorder versions. It’s not a total deal-breaker, but since they do not do 3:2 pulldown removal in recorder and they record as interlaced with the Sony a7sii/a7rii series, it has to be done later in post.

If I was interested in a 4K recorder with 7” screen size now for a different setup, I would probably just get one from Atomos as they have so many options in that range.

I even thought of getting a Ninja Star until other smaller options are available for 4K, but wasn’t sure if it is even capable of down sampling the 4K signal from the Sony a7sii/a7rii series, then recording it to 1080p or not. It was my understanding for example that the GH4/GH5 can do that down sampling in camera before recording externally but the Sony does not. So, I would just think the Ninja Star would recognize the a7sii/a7rii 1080p signal only. If anyone uses the Ninja Star specifically with the a7sii/a7rii series please comment on your experiences.

[hijodeibn]

1 hour ago, Nrubloc said:

I have been looking for options lately and anything above a 5in screen for my setup is too cumbersome. A smallish and light setup using the Sony “alpha” series, would benefit a lot when not wanting or needing to lug around the extra kit. A small Ninja Star 4K type of recorder without a monitor would be great. Maybe there is just not really a price point “spot” currently for Atomos to include a 4K recorder without a monitor between the current Ninja Star and their Ninja Blade recorder with its 5” monitor.

Even though they have a monitor, I initially looked at Blackmagic’s Video Assist (both HD 5” and 4K 7”) recorder versions. It’s not a total deal-breaker, but since they do not do 3:2 pulldown removal in recorder and they record as interlaced with the Sony a7sii/a7rii series, it has to be done later in post.

If I was interested in a 4K recorder with 7” screen size now for a different setup, I would probably just get one from Atomos as they have so many options in that range.

I even thought of getting a Ninja Star until other smaller options are available for 4K, but wasn’t sure if it is even capable of down sampling the 4K signal from the Sony a7sii/a7rii series, then recording it to 1080p or not. It was my understanding for example that the GH4/GH5 can do that down sampling in camera before recording externally but the Sony does not. So, I would just think the Ninja Star would recognize the a7sii/a7rii 1080p signal only. If anyone uses the Ninja Star specifically with the a7sii/a7rii series please comment on your experiences.

May be the best solution is to use a C100 with ninja star, the C100 down sample a 4K image to 1080P 422 8-bit which can be recorded externally by the star, later in post you can use Red Giant Instant 4K and vuola!!!….4K footage ready to be used...

[Nrubloc]

1 hour ago, hijodeibn said:

May be the best solution is to use a C100 with ninja star, the C100 down sample a 4K image to 1080P 422 8-bit which can be recorded externally by the star, later in post you can use Red Giant Instant 4K and vuola!!!….4K footage ready to be used...

Or I could just use a Blackmagic camera with ProRes and forego the external recorder. Of course there are other camera options such as the C100 as well..... but I was speaking of the Sony a7sii/a7rii specifically in this case. So does anyone have experience in using the Ninja Star with the a7sii/a7rii series even though it's only 1080p recording capable?