Atomos Ninja V + Z CAM + ProRes RAW 12-bit

The Apple ProRes RAW “consortium” continues to grow.

Atomos Ninja V 5” HDR monitor-recorders and Z CAM E2 cinema cameras will soon record 12-bit Apple ProRes RAW via HDMI up to 4Kp60.

Atomos and Z CAM also announced development of touch-screen camera control on the Ninja V for E2 system cameras. The cameras can be operated and key settings adjusted from the Ninja V’s AtomOS touch screen.

Atomos CEO Jeromy Young said that he was proud to welcome Z CAM into the rapidly growing group of ProRes RAW systems. “The E2 is a highly affordable fully featured cinema camera with a small form factor that lends itself to many different applications. The Ninja V is already a popular choice with E2 owners. Now, with these new features, the E2 and Ninja V together become a tightly integrated camera package that offers unrivalled recording and monitoring options at an affordable price.”

Kinson Loo, CEO of Z CAM said: “I’m delighted to be working with Atomos on this. Together we share a common goal of democratizing filmmaking and offering affordable products to customers. The addition of ProRes RAW over HDMI recording from the Z CAM E2 to the Ninja V makes shooting RAW much more practical. With ProRes RAW enabled, I have no doubt that more and more professional filmmakers will adopt our cameras in a variety of productions.”

The E2 and Ninja V will gain the ability to record Apple ProRes RAW at up to 4Kp60 with free firmware from Z CAM and an AtomOS update from Atomos. Additional frame rates will be added in the future. Files are recorded to AtomX SSD mini SATA drives in the Ninja V.

ProRes RAW image data is captured in either ProRes RAW HQ or ProRes RAW formats. The manageable file sizes speed up and simplify file transfer, media management, and archiving.

The Z CAM E2 produces 4K images with its dual native Micro Four-Thirds (MFT) sensor. A number of commercials, documentaries, TV series and feature films around the world have already been shot using the camera. Because of its small size and interesting capabilities, it is also being used on an increasing number of interesting applications, including volumetric and underwater capture.

Z CAM is the third camera company to announce support for RAW over HDMI, joining the Z6 and Z7 from Nikon and the Panasonic LUMIX S1H. This is in addition to several Sony, Canon and Panasonic cinema cameras that already support ProRes RAW recording via SDI to Atomos monitor-recorders. As a result, ProRes RAW is now firmly established as a new standard for RAW video capture, with many more cameras due this year.

The new features will be enabled in a free firmware release from Atomos in June, 2020.

Watch ProRes RAW Z CAM E2 + Ninja V film Walk on the Wild Side by Ludeman Production: