Which Atomos on-camera monitor is the best fit for you?

Atomos is an industry leader in the video technology world. They produce innovative on-camera monitors and monitor-recorders to amplify video production from beginner to professional level. Let’s run through Atomos’ monitor range and their groundbreaking features in this handy buyer’s guide to help you choose the right monitor to suit your video production, photography or content creation project, or reseller business.

Shinobi for vlogging, content creation and photography

First up, we have the Shinobi. This range offers brilliant entry-level monitors for vloggers, creatives and photographers, commonly used in amateur photography and content creation because of its affordable price point.

The Shinobi 7 combines a large seven-inch HDR screen with a calibrated peak brightness of 2200-nits and the lightweight, monitor-only functions of the original Shinobi. The Shinobi 7 can be used in the brightest of environments to monitor signals up to 4Kp60 via HDMI.

With optimised battery life, over ten stops of dynamic range in real-time and an intuitive touchscreen, the Shinobi 7 is a superb entry-level option.

The Shinobi II is Atomos’ latest offering, an incredibly versatile five-inch, 1500-nit HDR monitor. It comes with a new, slimline case and a fifty percent brighter HDR screen, yet it still manages to pack in all of Atomos' renowned screen processing technology and professional monitoring tools.

Plus, access exciting new hardware features like camera control via USB-C for Canon, Panasonic and Sony cameras and Z CAM cameras via optional USB-C to serial cable.

Ninja for filmmaking

The Ninja and Shogun ranges are fairly similar models, and both present huge possibilities for video recording. One of the main differences is size – the Ninja and Ninja Ultra are five-inch, 1000-nits HDR monitor-recorders, while the Shogun and Shogun Ultra are seven-inch, 2000-nits monitor-recorders.

The Ninja range boasts impressive recording abilities. It’s designed to record up to 4Kp60 in Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD and H.265 (HEVC), and up to 6Kp30 in Apple ProRes RAW.

The Ninja Ultra presents a leap forward in filmmaking technology with the ability to capture your vision in ProRes RAW up to 8K 30P, 6K 60P and 4K 120P with full codec flexibility choice between ProRes RAW, ProRes, DNxHD and H.265 (HEVC).

Both have similar applications in film and video and production, but the Ninja Ultra’s high-resolution video recording abilities lend themselves to professional filmmaking.

In both these models, the new AtomOS 11 operating system improves memory management and boosts responsiveness. Atomos is dedicated to providing all its customers with high-quality video technology across the board, so they released this system for the previous models of the current Ninja range, the Ninja V and the Ninja V+, as well.

AtomX CAST and Atomos Connect for enhanced connectivity

Upgrade the Ninja models even further with the AtomX CAST and the Atomos Connect.

The AtomX CAST makes creating broadcast-quality multi-camera programs quick and easy from wherever you’re filming. It offers a four HDMI switching and streaming dock for the Ninja and Ninja Ultra. Easily connect any full-HD video source, and the AtomX CAST will mix and match frame rates up to 60p, as well as interlaced and progressive HD sources automatically.

Plus, flexible control options allow you to use the touchscreen or physical buttons to ‘switch’ between sources when deciding what’s onscreen at any one time for broadcast.

The Atomos Connect is another handy accessory that fits to the back of the Ninja/Ninja Ultra and features a 12G-SDI input to enable increased connectivity. Atomos AirGlu™ wireless sync timecode technology enables direct, long-range communication between devices, multiple power options to accommodate a variety of on-set scenarios and Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet and Bluetooth LE capabilities for flexible connections and share media with Camera to Cloud & Atomos Edit.

Shogun for filmmaking and Cloud workflows

So, what’s unique about the Shogun range? Connectivity comes built-in. The Shogun and Shogun Ultra are seven-inch monitor-recorders with integrated networking for Cloud workflows.

This range has different inputs and outputs with 12G-SDI input and output and SDI RAW up to 4Kp120 to enable effortless connectivity.

The Shogun is ideal for DSLR, mirrorless and cinematic cameras used in filmmaking. It contains more codecs and monitoring tools than ever before. Users can record and upload high bitrate 4K files to the Cloud when subscribing to Classic and Premium Atomos Cloud Services, access network connectivity with Wi-Fi 6 and GigE, and take advantage of wireless and third-party sync.

Meanwhile, the Shogun Ultra has industry-leading 8K RAW recording abilities, making it a great fit for high-end filmmaking in recording studios. Perfect for HDMI mirrorless and SDI cinematic cameras, customers will benefit from enhanced camera-to-Cloud connectivity and cross-convert between HDMI and SDI.

Ninja Phone for content creation and filmmaking

The Ninja Phone is a brilliant piece of kit for enhancing your content creation or filmmaking. This 10-bit video co-processor for iPhone 15 Pro and Max allows filmmakers to use the iPhone’s stunning OLED display as a viewfinder and add Atomos professional video monitoring tools with zero latency.

Record to Apple ProRes or H.265 using either the iPhone’s 5G and Wi-Fi to livestream or the Ninja Phone’s camera-to-Cloud capabilities for hyper-efficient Cloud workflows. Attach the Ninja Phone to your iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, plug in an HDMI-equipped camera and you’ve got a high-quality display with fast, low-latency connectivity raring to go.

Zato Connect for streaming and Cloud-based workflows

Last but by no means least, we have Zato Connect. This five-inch, 1000nit full-HD livestream monitor is ideal for streaming and Cloud-based workflows, enabling anyone to set up a livestream using Atomos Cloud Studio and create high-value video content with the easy-to-use touchscreen.

The device supports nearly all HDMI and USB UVC sources to livestream to Facebook Live, Twitch, YouTube and other social sites or can be used to create a webcam source for Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom and other conferencing software. This covers any HDMI device at up to 1080p60 or any USB webcam at up to 1080p30.

The device is compact enough to mount on a DSLR or mirrorless camera rig. It’s equally at home next to a PC, Mac computer or gaming console. Zato Connect is the perfect all-in-one solution.

Explore the full suite of Atomos products

Atomos is redefining the on-camera monitor and video recording tech landscape, offering a wide variety of fit-for-purpose monitors and monitor-recorders. They are dedicated to facilitating superior video production for customers at all levels of video production. Whether you’re searching for a cost-effective monitor, a future-proof monitor-recorder with connectivity options or a dynamic, user-friendly livestream monitor, Atomos has the solution.

The Holdan team are ready and available for any support required for Atomos products. To find out more, visit our Atomos landing page.