I've been using this recorder for nearly a year and I feel like it gets better with every shoot. I often use it with a 5D Mk III, so I initially thought that they wouldn't work together, but after upgrading the firmware for both the camera and the recorder/monitor, everything worked in perfect harmony... well, almost perfect.
On the 5D Mark III, you cannot output audio over HDMI, so you need to purchase an additional 1/8th-inch male to 1/8th-inch male cable (I got one on Amazon for around US $1.00, so it was more of an inconvenience of the time it took to get started than an extra cost). Also, the digital HDMI signal will be 4 frames behind the analog audio signal coming out of the camera, so you'll have to make that adjustment in the recorder as well. It seems like a lot to get started, and I admit there are a lot of extra steps, but the quality of video you get from this little recorder and that little camera is truly incredible!
I edit in Avid Media Composer and Avid Symphony, so being able to get a DNxHD220x (59.94 fps) or DNxHD175x (23.98fps) codec and not having to wait hours and hours for the initial transcode to finish is incredible. If you value your time as I do, then the $1000.00 bucks I spent on this setup ($700 for the recorder, $200 or so for a 500GB Samsung SSD and <$100 for an extra battery, cables, and an elbow mount to attach it to my camera/tripod) was justified financially by the second or third time I used it.
If you are a professional, enthusiast or amateur filmmaker and you don't already have one of the more expensive offerings from AtomOS or another manufacturer, there is NO EXCUSE for not owning this device! People spend 10s of thousands of dollars on their productions on sets, leasing green-rooms, building studios, etc., but don't think about Post-Production. This little device is the bridge between production and post-production. I always use an SD card in-camera as a backup, so I'm always able to compare the two images, and when I go frame by frame, i'm amazed by how much is lost in the internal h.264 compression. Especially in high-contrast (like low-light areas that are then well-lit, like most wedding receptions or indie-horror films).
With that said, I do not recommend this product for casual videograhers without a discerning eye. Today's consumer electronics will give you a beautiful image in most situations, and you'll be more than happy with the image you get from your DSLR or pro-sumer cam-corder. Especially if you're not doing any post-production. This device is not for you because it will cost you about a grand to get started, then force you to create much larger files than you need (and continue to purchase more hard drives to store those files) and you most likely will never even notice the difference. If you already like the picture that you get from your camera, then be satisfied. But if you feel like there's something missing that you just can't put your finger on OR if someone is paying you to capture images for them and you're relying on your camera's internal mpeg or h.264 compression, you should be ashamed of yourself if you don't buy this. Seriously. Just do it.
Favorite features that I didn't know I'd love so much:
Tagging Takes: you can instantly review and tag/rate your clips after you shoot them. I thought it would be kind of gimmicky... then I shot a music video with around 75 takes of each scene and proceeded to thank the heavens for my "gimmick!" It made my Post-production work flow EVEN FASTER!
Standard Tri-Pod mount:
In some shoots, I've been able to set this up in various ways for a director or co-producer to view the framing and monitor what's happening in real-time (and then rate the takes right there, thanks again) without standing in front of my camera, so I could still monitor via the 5D's LCD.
HDMI Out:
Same as above, I've run a cable out of the recorder and into a separate, large (55 inch) monitor in an adjoining room for a client to monitor each shot. Everyone was very pleased. I imagine that I could buy a second one and use the HDMI Output to capture a backup in real time, but I generally just use an SD card in the camera itself as my backup, even though I've never needed it. SSDs are as reliable as SD cards, which is to say that if you treat them right, you won't have any trouble out of them.
Timecode: If you've ever worked in post-production, you know the beauty of having Time Of Day Timecode.
**Maybe my favorite feature that I didn't expect**
Hot-swappable batteries: I bought a couple of Generic Sony-NP-compatible batteries on Amazon and with the incredible 2-battery setup, you can easily set it and forget it all day long. Both batteries can be monitored simultaneously, so when one gets low, you can take it out and the other battery (which will probably last over 5 hours by itself) will keep the device running. You can either charge the first battery and put it back in before the remaining battery is ready to die, or you can insert a third battery where the first battery was. It came with one, I bought two and I've never even come close to running out of juice on a shoot. This is by far the BEST battery setup I've seen on any audio/video device on the market today (except the R3D Quad battery setup add-on, but that's an extra $2000.00 for capabilities that AtomOS includes standard, so this is better).
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Reviews with images
VERY impressive device, great value!
This is a very capable little field recorder and I'm super pleased with this purchase. Aside from the top and bottom mounting plates (which the manual explains are also part of the heatsink) the device is plastic, but it's not a "cheap" plastic and feels substantial/durable in the palm of your hand.HAVING THE LONG RECORDING ISSSUE? I was too. The problem is miraculously fixed in firmware version (4.3) which adds some neat new features as well.As of this writing the Amazon product page doesn't mention how much cool stuff comes with it in the box. From their site:- Atomos 4.3" Ninja 2 Video Recorder- AC Adapter- 2 x Master Disk Caddies / Enclosures- 2600mAH Battery for Atomos Monitors/Recorders and Converters- Docking Station with USB 3.0 & 2.0- 1000mA Single-Plate AC Battery Charger- Canon LP-E6-Type Battery Adapter- Nikon EN-EL15-Type Battery Adapter- Limited 1-Year Warranty, Extendable to 3 Years with Product Registration
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Atomos design can do a lot better.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2017