Atomos has released the slim, lightweight, and highly bright 5-inch 1500nit HDR monitor, the Shinobi II. The estimated retail price is approx. $520 US Dollars.
Atomos is known for inventing the Apple ProRes HDR monitor-recorder, with its Ninja and Shogun series leading the market in this field. Atomos’ first dedicated monitor device, Shinobi, was released in 2019 and has sold over 100,000 units worldwide. The Atomos Shinobi II aims to be the next generation of monitors.
“The most common requests from Shinobi users were for camera control and a brighter HDR screen, Atomos CEO, Jeromy Young, said. Camera control required a USB-C port to support a wide range of cameras, and the brighter screen required a new design. So we redesigned Shinobi II from the ground up to support modern mirrorless and SLR cameras, HDR and SDR video workflows, and amazing HDR photography.“
The Shinobi II at Launch
At launch, the Atomos Shinobi II will work with most Canon, Panasonic and Sony mirrorless cameras via USB-C, as well as Z CAM E2 models using a serial cable (sold separately), with support for Fujifilm, Nikon, OM System and SIGMA cameras coming in future firmware updates.
“We designed the camera interface to focus on common settings that need to be adjusted for each shot,” said Young. “The exposure triangle is a fundamental element of all photography, and Shinobi II is equipped with sliders to adjust lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Having quick access to these settings makes it easy to get the perfect exposure on the 1500nit HDR monitor, especially when combined with powerful monitoring tools such as histogram, waveform, false color, zebra, focus peaking and zoom.”
The camera white balance can also be adjusted with a slider. Atomos Shinobi II can trigger camera recording from the screen, which is handy if the camera is mounted on a gimbal. Recording status is indicated by a red edge indicator whether recording is triggered on either the camera or the Shinobi II.
“The addition of the USB-C port gave us the opportunity to refresh the design of the Shinobi,” added Mr. Young. “The body is 30% thinner, and we were able to increase the hardware capabilities without impacting the weight of the device. The Shinobi II is incredibly lightweight at just 210 grams (approximately 7.4 ounces), and the HDMI and USB ports feature locking cable connectors for a robust, professional connection. What’s more, the Shinobi II can also power the camera.”
The intuitive touchscreen has also been upgraded, with a peak brightness of 1500nits, it is 50% brighter than its predecessor and supports 10-bit HDR video and photo monitoring with zero latency.
