Jump to content

Why can’t our phones be Ninja V killers?


FHDcrew
 Share

Recommended Posts

I’m sitting here with an ultra thin iPhone 13 in my hand. Screen size is similar to my ninja v. And just like the ninja it can record 10 bit 4k 60. But my phone is way thinner and lighter once you attach a battery to the ninja. The iPhone has better battery life without needing a massive NPF battery hanging off of it. Why can’t we use our phones as high quality external recorders?  The existing solutions seem either nonexistent, or laggy with low bitrates. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
  • Administrators

Phones are aimed at a much bigger mainstream market. If they are to put in HDMI inputs, taking up valuable space, or even make USB C capable of video input, they would need to license ProRes and RAW codecs, all adding to the cost of the phone for the normal guy on the street to no benefit for him.

I don't think anyone really needs a Ninja.

Codecs are good enough in-camera these days to do without the hassle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep true. Though cameras like my Z6 would benefit. Andrew, how does your Zlog internal profile fare?  Compared to external 10 bit NLOG?  I just don’t like the size and weight do the ninja v, but much prefer NLOG to anything the camera produces internally. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Super Members

There is a lot more going on with the Atomos with regard to the custom FPGA that does the processing, HDMI input/Output interface, audio interface, SSD interface, expansion interface etc that requires not only additional space but additional power and heatsink/cooling solution that wouldn't make it practical to use the same form factor as your iPhone.

The reality is that it would be far easier to turn the Ninja V into a smartphone than the other way round.

However....when it comes to the screen part of the equation, this is an amusing/infuriating story regarding Atomos and smartphones from the original Ninja where the screen they used was actually a concealed off the shelf HTC phone screen and its housing.

INCLUDING the logo and phone buttons !

https://themagicalworldofsakie.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/atomos-ninja-screen-replacement-rant/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Super Members
1 hour ago, webrunner5 said:

Well, The Sony Xperia Pro 5G has a HDMI port in it, and an Apple 13 Pro has ProRes in it. So, it is not like they can't or won't be able do it.

The Sony doesn’t record though, let alone in ProRes or ProResRAW

It can monitor and stream but in that respect it’s no different to adding a $10 HDMI converter to any Android phone.

As opposed to it needing a $2400 one.

Even if the iPhone had an input (which Apple have zero interest in adding as they want people to buy them as cameras) it has fixed (expensive) internal storage which makes it impractical as a recorder.

Again, that’s before the other stuff that something like a Ninja gives you such as audio input, expansion for timecode and SDI etc

Even if Apple did decide to add all that, the financials wouldn’t  add up either when you can get a Ninja V now for $399 and the 8K capable V+ for $599 as opposed to the $1500-$2000 that a theoretical iPhone with the same capability would be.

The threat that phones present to camera manufacturers will actually indirectly cause phones to be responsible for the demise of products like the Ninja V though.

Not by replacing them like for like but by forcing camera manufacturers to include internal ProRes to compete with phones and therefore make the external recorder redundant by default.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2000 nits yikes, I think the highest phone is the Apple 13 pro Max at like 1050 nits, I think the Samsung S22 Ultra is about the same also. The Sony's are around 500 nits. 

One bad thing about the Xperia's is that they get hotter than heck when recording.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, currensheldon said:

It only makes sense as a monitor, I think. All the newest monitors are clunky and thick. Even SmallHD has abandoned their phone-like slim profile of the 502 Bright. An iPhone sized monitor would be perfect. Just need 2000 nits, a good UU,  and a 10-12 hour internal battery. 

How long does the battery last with the screen on and it displaying full-screen video?

I'd imagine it's not long enough....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any ideas on making the ninja v as utterly light as possible?  Lightest I can achieve is using the smaller NPF-550 batteries, along with the Andycine lunchbox, a DIY half-SSD for the ninja v. Are there any even smaller lighter batteries?  I don’t care if the battery life is not very good. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

red implemented this with their app for komodo. you get pro monitoring tools and even tap to focus. connects via wi-fi so it’s wirelessly accessible to all but with a catch. slight stutter/lag. improves with wired connection via adapter, which is good enough that I prefer it over my portkeys bm5 monitor when I op. i always prefer to shoot light and simple as possible.

can’t see how it won’t get better in the future. other camera manufacturers need to get on board. canon’s is trash. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For monitoring, Z Cam have what is (by far) the best mobile app that I've used and if I remember right, it can record some sort of proxy in the phone.  It can connect wirelessly or hardwired to the camera's usb-c port.

As far as licensing codecs, Apple wouldn't need to "pay" anything to license ProRes or ProRes RAW for their phones, if they decided that recording from an external device was a thing they wanted to do...  but it's a fairly niche feature so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • EOSHD Pro Color 5 for All Sony cameras
    EOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs
    EOSHD Dynamic Range Enhancer for H.264/H.265
×
×
  • Create New...