+1 for D-SLR Video Recording

D-SLRs have become almost ubiquitous in digital photography today, and their easy handling, portability, and variety of lenses available are rapidly making them favourites for video-recording as well. An increasing number of amateur and professional videographers are using D-SLRs in their setups, and the trend looks to be picking up. However, all D-SLRs have a 29:59 (29 minutes and 59 seconds) recording limit for video, and viewing the live feed is possible only on the device’s screen, both of which pose serious problems for shooting large scale productions. Enter the Atomos Ninja 2, a one-device-suits-all solution for video recording via D-SLRs. The Ninja 2 is Australian company Atomos’ video field recorder, that lets users monitor and record video via their D-SLRs by attaching it to the camera’s HDMI video output. At dimensions of 115x87x41mm ( WxHxD), and weighing 670g (with batteries and HDD), the device is light and portable enough to be attached to your camera via a cold shoe, and a short HDMI cable. A 4.3” 800x480 colour touch-screen displays video and images crisply, and is a vast improvement over most D-SLRs’ viewscreens, allowing videographers to frame and compose their shots better. Another major advantage is the additional space provided for recording. Media recorded on the Ninja 2 is stored on a standard 2.5” spinning disk drive ( HDD) or solid state drive (SSD). Attaching a drive is very simple: simply insert the drive into one of the two disk caddies provided, and screw it shut using four screws (also provided). Then simply insert the caddy into the slot provided on the Ninja 2, on its left-hand side, and voila! Your recording media is ready. The limited space offered by memory cards, the vast amounts of storage required by shooting at 720p and 1080p, and the pain of constantly dumping data from memory cards make this a very attractive alternative. NOTE: The product kit does not include any storage media or HDMI cables. These need to be procured separately. The device’s touch-screen controls are intuitive and easy-to-use, with the basic functions of recording and playback easily accessible from the main screen. Additional options are easily accessible from the Menu option on the main screen. To transfer data from the device to your laptop/computer for editing, simply insert the disk caddy (with the disk of course!) into the provided docking station that connects to your computer via USB 2.0/3.0. The recorded video(s) is/are available via a standard disk (exFAT) file system, exported in Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD codecs in edit-ready form. Available at a retail price of Rs. 58,800/- (exclusive of tax and freight charges), the advantages provided by the Atomos Ninja 2 make it a very useful and versatile product, despite the rather steep pricing. Functioning as a live monitor with real-time backup, this recorder/monitor/player combo is bound to become indispensable for professional videographers, but may be overpriced for amateurs. For further details, contact Jasbir Singh, Provideo Solutions, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, at +91-93-10-372255.