I wasn’t expecting to hear more NAB product announcements until tomorrow morning, but I was surprised to see two major (and unrelated) announcements from AJA and Atomos.
Let’s start with the Atomos Shogun – 4K HDMI/SDI recorder/monitor
This 4K recorder is the next step in Atomos’ already excellent lineup of hybrid SSD video/monitoring/recorder systems. The new Shogun has a 7-inch display, accepts SDI and HDMI inputs, and can record not only to ProRes/DNxHD but also to uncompressed CinemaDNG RAW. It was inevitable that Atomos would launch a 4K recording solution – especially since we’ll be seeing so many new 4K DSLRs this year, but I didn’t expect it to be as feature-rich as the Shogun at first glance. The most exciting feature for me (besides the obvious 4K capabilities) is that, unlike many other Atomos devices, it can accept both SDI and HDMI inputs, rather than one or the other. This means it will be a perfect companion for shooters who own multiple cameras (such as the BMCC/5D) and don’t want to use any kind of converter to use it with multiple devices. It also seems like the perfect companion to the recently released Sony A7S, which requires an external recorder to capture 4K.
Next, let’s take a look at AJA’s new 4K cinema camera – CION
This camera was completely unexpected and in some ways reminded me of the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera released a few years ago. I say this because AJA has never made a camera before (let alone a cinema camera), but like Blackmagic, their post-production/workflow is very well established, which makes them a good fit as a new cinema camera manufacturer.
We’re still waiting for more information about the camera, but what we do know is that it shoots 4K, has a global shutter, PL mount, supports high frame rates, shoots Prores (not sure about RAW yet) and has built-in Thunderbolt connectivity. We also know that it will cost around $9,000, which is quite reasonable considering the specs.
However, unlike Blackmagic, which delivered a gorgeous-looking camera that didn’t seem to be designed with ergonomics in mind, AJA did the exact opposite. Judging from the photos, the camera’s ergonomics are pretty good, but in terms of appearance, it leaves a little to be desired. That said, if it takes great photos, that’s all that matters!
Check back soon for more updates from NAB as the week progresses and with a great wrap-up after the show, as well as thoughts on what the new announcements mean.
