External Recorders. What is there besides the Ninja?

[Roger Martin]

It depends on the camera you have or are getting,
what you want to do with it,
and how much you are willing to spend.

I have both the Ninja II and the BM Shuttle II, but am planing on selling them to get an Odyssey 7.

Black Magic offers the Shuttle II and higher end recorders.
The shuttle will record from SDI or HDMI to Uncompressed, Pro Res 220 and DNxHD 220
The HDSLR must out put clean otherwise menues etc will show.
It will only record on Fast SSD cards.
It has an internal battery that is good for 55 minutes.
I extended that to over two hours with an Anker Battery pack.

Atomos makes the Ninja II and also higher end recorders
The Ninja will record HDMI only but offers more compression codecs from 220 all the way down to DNxHD 36.
You can record to SSDs or cheap but fast 2.5″ Hard Drives
It uses one or two Sony compatable batteries.

Convergent Design has not released the Oyssey 7 yet but also has more expensive recording options.
The Odyssey 7 will record from SDI or HDMI 1080 60.
It uses one or two propietary SSD drives
It runs from AC adapter or 10 to 34 VDC battery pack

My new Nikon D5300 also does but only for 10 minutes due to FAT 32 file limitations.
The Video images are absolutely awsum, so I now want to extend my unattended recordings.

[Corbin Gross]

I’m actually getting a new camera too. Either a Nikon D800 or a Canon 5D MkIII.

I’ll be shooting corporate video mostly. Really everything from talking heads, to presentations, to spots.

I rented a Ninja II a couple of times, and I liked everything about it except that it seems I can’t calibrate the monitor. It was too bright and too magenta.

Corbin Gross | SANMAR
Photographer/Videographer | Marketing
22833 SE Black Nugget Road | Issaquah, WA 98029
206.727.5501 x5237
http://www.sanmar.com

[Roger Martin]

I find it easy to change the Ninja Monitor, go to Menu/Display options.

The D800 has been the best HDSLR I’ve seen or used untill I got my new D5300.
It lacks the buttons and easy controls but gives me better Videos.
The 1080P 60 setting allows for sharp, clean, and smooth Movies taken at ISO 12800 in poor light.
The high speed also allows for HandHeld Video.
I just took some in the Monterey Bay Aquarium and most came out great even though I experimented with the settings the whole time.

For the price of a 5D MKIII you could get a D5300, Nikkor lens, Odyssey7 with propietary SSD and everything else you need for a great minimal setup.
Or you could get the Ninja II, fast 1TB HardDrive, and an external Monitor.
However, Neither the Atomos nor the BM HyperDeck products will record 1080P 60 at this time.

[Bill Bruner]

Here’s a great chart from Wolf Crow comparing most of the recorders on the market: https://wolfcrow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ComparisonExternalRecorders.jpg

Convergent Design’s upcoming Odyssey 7 looks like the winner, but it’s hard to say until they actually ship and we see in-depth reviews and samples.

That said, their Nanoflash recorder was a winner, and “first-look” Odyssey 7 preview videos from Zacuto and Erik Naso are promising.

https://vimeo.com/70586562

https://vimeo.com/64209486

I agree with Roger on the advantages of 60p. If you can wait, I recommend the $1295 Odyssey 7 (when available) plus a $797 Nikon D5300.

Here is what the D5300 can do (European camera, so shot at 1080/50p rather than US standard 1080/60p): https://vimeo.com/80950052

Note the lack of moire on the rooftops. The $2797 D800 would likely have produced shot-ruining moire in the same situation.

Hope this is helpful and best of the holidays!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

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[Corbin Gross]

At work I split my time between still photography and video. I’m going to stick with a little higher end camera for the stills, and also the surface controls and durability.

I may wait on the recorder purchase though and see about this Odyssey when it’s out.

And I have been looking at some of the non-combo units too. Like this Black Magic Hyperdeck Shuttle. Then getting a separate monitor. Buying two things can get more expensive though to get the quality stuff. I just have to figure out the best route.

Corbin Gross | SANMAR
Photographer/Videographer | Marketing
22833 SE Black Nugget Road | Issaquah, WA 98029
206.727.5501 x5237
http://www.sanmar.com

[Austin Hartt]

I was wondering what kind of results you got with the external recorder and your d5300. I have a d5300 and I am trying to find the most cost effective solution for a recorder. Also I am having trouble finding consistent information on if you can even get clean (no menus) output out of the d5300 with any external recorder. The 10 minute limitation is killing me on the job. Thanks for all the other information you posted!