5D Mark III Firmware with Atomos Ninja 2

• • 23 Comments

If you're still wondering whether or not it's worth working with an external HDMI recorder with the new Canon 5D Mark III firmware, this excellent video from Vimeo member Stefan Czech should answer any of your questions.

In short, you may not easily see a difference from the file recorded from in camera when comparing it to the recorded file from something like the Atomos Ninja 2, but it will make a significant difference as you start to adjust colors in post. Another benefit of course is running longer than the 29 minute video limit when recording from the HDMI output (great for guys who have to leave a B-cam rolling).

The Atomos Ninja 2 is not just an external recorder, but also doubles as a pretty handy external monitor. New lowered prices were introduced during the NAB 2013 hoping to make the unit more affordable to 5D Mark III shooters who want better quality from post (found here).

atomos ninja 5d mark III
find-price-button Atomos Ninja 2 HDMI Recorder 5D Mark III

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23 thoughts on “5D Mark III Firmware with Atomos Ninja 2”

  1. Magali

    @Steve & Taras: Hi there I have the exact same problem Camera shuts down after not 30 but 20-22 minutes into the continuous shoot onto the NINJA 2 (no mirroring, no auto power off, no internal recording)... this is very disappointing and frustrating.
    Please if someone has a solution for this it would be greatly appreciated !

  2.

    These recorders also have some other handy features, the Atomos Samurai and Ninja Models for instance have a built in LCD monitor for reviewing shots and different clip marking options.

  3.

    We are having the exact same problem as the posts by Taras; the Ninja 2 shuts off at 30 minutes despite no mirroring, auto power off, memory cards out of the camera, etc. A post by someone at Atomos that I read at another site said that the only way around this is to push the Info button just before the 30 minute mark so the camera sees activity and the live view will stay on. We have tried that but the info button brought information up on the screen that ruined the recording. Are there any other buttons that would work without this problem or any other way to keep it recording on a Canon 5D Mark III? The firmware is up to date as well. Thanks

  4. Emm

     Post author

    @Christian from Germany - There is a different monitor for that. Check out the Odyssey. It is an external recorder that can record in RAW. The only problem is that the HDMI out is not really RAW.

  5. Christian from Germany

    Emm:
    So useing RAW at internal Rec would be the best for image quality and editing...
    Which are the limitations? I guess short rec time and max 1080pat24.
    It would be awesome if you could record the raw video on the atomos

  7. Emm

     Post author

    @Christian drom Germany - The Atomos is still a compressed format, just better than the compression from the camera. RAW has way more information than the Atomos, but there are many issues when working with RAW on the 5D. You can get a better image, but you have to understand those limitations and learn to work with them.

  8. Christian drom Germany

    Thanks for the video.
    Is the uncompressed video comparable withe Raw Video via ML @ the 5DMK3?

    Where is exactly the Differences?

  9. Taras

    I leave it on, no record on camera, only record on Ninja and it shuts down in 30 min. Connection set to no mirror, auto power to disable. I am missing something here.

  10. Emm

     Post author

    @Taras - If you want to record longer, don't record with the 5D Mark III. Just leave it on and let the Ninja 2 record only.

  11. Taras

    How you make camera stay on after 30 min, I chose disable on auto power and it still run out in 30 min with me using only external recorder Ninja 2.

  12.

    @ Ravi Iyer:
    Thanks for your comment. But I sorry, no way for the Mark II.
    The reason for no audio oer HDMI at the Mark III was the bandwidth of the signal So the hatdware is not powerfull enough.

    @peederj
    yes you are right. The Samurai Blade had a 1280x720 hight res. display. But you need a convertor from HD-SDI to HDMI.
    I will check it out with the first divices aviable very soon.
    BTW: C100 better in low light than the Mark III??? 😉
    Best regards
    Stefan

  13.

    Hi Stefan, Superb and very insightful video. I am thinking of picking up the Atomos Ninja 2 and a 5D Mark III. We have two 5D Mark IIs. Does Magic Lantern have a firmware crack for the Mark II that could work with the Atomos? Are there any possibilities of this working as an HDMI out with the 5D Mark II in the near future?

  14. peederj

    I ran the combo through some tests...it definitely does give uncompressed 8 bit 4:2:2, and there is no NR applied it appears, so you will need Neat Video or some other post NR. I still recommend pulldown ISOs (e.g. 2500) though the difference isn't as dramatic as with internal. The image, while much better than 5D3 internal (ALL-I and IPB are 100% identical pictures with proper post, that's just Mbps marketing), still is nowhere near the C100 + Ninja 2. Not in low light or otherwise.

    Having that combo and seeing Atomos has just come out with a $1295 SDI-based "Samurai Blade" with a much better screen, I think I will wait for a Ninja Blade with the better screen to upgrade the C100 and shift the Ninja 2 down to 5D3 duty as B cam. If I need extremely shallow DoF or an ultra wide shot this combo, using Cinestyle, can sub in. The digital zoom trick shown above is nifty, but quite grainy noise will need whacking. Be sure to update the Atomos firmware. No sound over HDMI is a nuisance but the cheap extra cable solves it if you don't have an outboard mic.

    The video suggests not using rotational drives when moving, that's right, it has a gyro effect, but rather than bail on the Ninja you can just use an SSD, which the video mentions but for some reason forgot when it came to discussing car mounts. Personally the GoPro Hero 3 Black is what I'd put on a car or other high-motion sitch unless you are going for broke.

  15.

    Is there a hood or VF for this device? How does it fare in sunlight? @Rob As long as the peaking works well, why do you need higher resolution to nail focus?

  19. Emm

     Post author

    @Rob - Not super affordable especially since you have to pay additional fees for the recording option, but this is the best i've seen on the market so far httpss://cheesycam.com/oled-hdmi-sdi-monitor-recorder-convergent-design-odyssey-7-7q/

  20.

    Ninja 2 is 480 x 800, which for me isn't good enough to nail focus. When they go higher res OLED for a decent price (there's a similar product out there right now) I'll be interested. This was a great review.

  21. Doug

    Are you able to use this as a decent focusing monitor? Or would you be better off with something like the BlackMagic hyperdeck and a monitor? That way the monitor could be larger if desired... The Ninja seems like a great product, just that there are alternatives.

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