MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Atomos (www.atomos.com) has announced the ability to record RAW at up to 4K/60p via HDMI from Sony’s new Alpha 7S III (ILCE-7SM3) full-frame mirrorless camera to its Ninja V HDR monitor/recorder. The Alpha 7S III has a CMOS image sensor and the Ninja V can record its full dynamic range in Apple ProRes RAW for maximum detail and latitude in post production.
The RAW files are optimal for HDR finishing, or for greater flexibility in SDR (Rec.709), giving high-quality results in either. Images are recorded directly to affordable, reliable AtomX SSDmini or other compatible SSD drives for quick transfer to an editing system.
The active cooling employed means that internal record time limitations on the Alpha 7S III can be bypassed, making it well suited for performances and long interviews. Optionally, RAW video can also be captured on the Ninja V at the same time as compressed video is recorded internally to memory card on the camera, providing several workflow options and a useful backup.
The Alpha 7S III low-light performance makes recording RAW in dim conditions a practical option. The camera also has five-axis optical image stabilization that is available while shooting RAW video, allowing for stable and detailed handheld RAW shots. The data-rich 16-bit linear RAW output of the Alpha 7S III is compressed and recorded in the Ninja V as 12-bit ProRes RAW at up to 4K/60p. The result is a high quality ProRes RAW file that combines the visual quality of the Alpha 7S III with the workflow advantages of RAW and the real-time performance of ProRes. One key benefit, especially in low light, is that the ProRes RAW files allow users to take fine control of how noise reduction and sharpening is applied to images.
Atomos believes ProRes RAW is the new standard for RAW video capture, which is supported by an ever growing number of cameras outputting RAW over HDMI to the Ninja V. The format gives filmmakers enormous latitude when adjusting the look of their images and extending brightness and shadow detail, making it well suited for HDR workflows. Both ProRes RAW, and the higher bandwidth, less compressed ProRes RAW HQ are supported. Manageable file sizes speed up and simplify file transfer, media management, and archiving. ProRes RAW is supported in Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere and Grass Valley Edius, along with a collection of other apps including Assimilate Scratch, Colorfront and FilmLight Baselight.
The accurate five-inch 1000-nit HDR high-brightness display of the Ninja V allows users to view the Alpha 7S III RAW signal in HDR in a choice of HLG and PQ (HDR10) formats, or view natively in Sony’s S-Log profile and used with LUTs. The monitor offers touchscreen access to tools such as waveform, magnification and peaking so users can check focus and make adjustments to get the perfect HDR or SDR shot.
Ninja V users will receive a free AtomOS update to enable RAW recording over HDMI from the Alpha 7S III. This is set to be available in September 2020.