Atomos Ninja V vs SmallHD Focus Monitor

We compare the Atomos Ninja V vs SmallHD Focus Monitor. These are 2 of the most popular monitors for DSLR and mirrorless cameras on the market right now. The Ninja V is obviously a recorder too but it's worth comparing to the SmallHd monitor because it has dual purposes. I brake down the differences and similarities between the Ninja V and the Small HD Focus 5 Monitor. Once you buy all of the accessories you need, there actually isn't that much difference in price.
Atomos Ninja V geni.us/TheNinjaV
SmallHD Focus geni.us/smallHD
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Ninja V D-Tap Cable geni.us/NinjaC...
Ninja V Sun Hood geni.us/NinjaS...
SmallHD Micro-Full Size HDMI Cable geni.us/SmallHDMI
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Who is Chadwin Smith? I am an aspiring cinematographer. I love creating videos and showing others how to light and shoot better videos! I also review tech and gear. Based in Arizona, USA

[@chadwin]

What one do you like better, the Ninja V or SmallHD Focus?? Or is there something even better for your rig?

[@simkin8698]

Nice review. I see several people posting about this not being an apples to apples comparison. Personally your comparison was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Because in my scenario, I primarily need an external monitor. But I wanted to know how the Ninja V compares to the SmallHD AS A MONITOR. They are essentially almost the same price currently ($500), so my question is “should I just get the Ninja so I have the OPTION to record, or is the SmallHD superior enough that I should only get the Ninja if I NEED to record externally?” So this video was spot on, for me. Ignore people who bash your hard work that went into creating this video. Nice job.

[@chadwin]

Timothy Jones haha thank you! I’m glad this video could as least help 1 person. I know for me I originally wondered whether or not I needed an external recorder. I actually use both the smallHD and Ninja V all the time, especially on multi cam shoots.

[@simkin8698]

Chadwin Smith I could see myself owning both eventually. One question about the Atomos... how well does the zebra function work, compared to using it on the back of my Sony A7 III?

[@TCGhits]

Chadwin. You did a great job breaking things down. You helped me decide on purchasing the Atomos 5 due to the capabilities of the external recording 4:2:2 bit. The breakdown of each of those monitors were super helpful. I’d say don’t worry about ppl bashing you just keep doing you. 💪🏽

[@chadwin]

Thanks man, I appreciate the positive support! Glad the side by side comparison could help you make an informed buying decision, that's what I try to do! I've been recording 4k 60 FPS 10 bit 4:2:2 with it and my Fuji X-T4 and it's been awesome!

[@TCGhits]

Chadwin Smith 4K 16:9 l, 24fp looks great. I can’t wait to try those settings! The ones you have.

[@hawaiirealmedia5610]

Super clear comparison. I'd go with the SmallHD, unless you need record capable.

[@chadwin]

Hawaii RealMedia hey thanks! Yeah, the smallHD is def the better choice IMO if you don’t need record capabilities.

[@ChrisTurnerPhotographer]

I have both and I can see the yellow tint on the Ninja V screen in mine and in this video, its a pain, I had to make a LUT to make the image look cooler and more accurate

[@DirectorCyclone]

Needed this. Was thinking of selling my Small HD and getting the Ninja V, but nah. I dont need it. Don’t need prores either because my machine handles anything lol.

[@chadwin]

Awesome, glad this video could help you make an informed decision! The Ninja V really isn't necessary for most filmmakers, cause you can just record quality footage internally on many cameras.

[@DirectorCyclone]

@@chadwin definitely. Isn't ALWAYS worth the extra cost either due to KZbin still compressing uncompressed footage. you earned a sub.

[@MarcosRochaTV]

False color display is different in each monitor I own right now. It seems the Ninja V has more colors to represent exposures. Do you find it is better than the SmallHD? I've been trying to decide between these two monitors for awhile. What worries me about the less expensive monitors I own is that the false colors and zebra values are not the same as what's shown in the camera. This is something I recently noticed and it might be something to consider. I haven't owned any "professional" monitors and this is a major reason why I want to buy one.

[@chadwin]

Yeah, I've found that false colors, zebras and other graphs are all a little different between monitors. The main things is making sure that you have your zebras set to show at the correct IRE you want them too in camera and on the monitor. I don't think the Ninja or the Focus does it better than the other, I can rely on and trust both for helping me get a good exposure. The biggest thing really is, do you want ProRes? The internal 4k on all your camera is really good, so you may not need it! When you start using ProRes your file sizes are massive and your hard drives fills up very quickly.

[@flyguy8787]

The SmallHD has “Arri” false color, “spectrum” false color, and then 3 user slots where you can create your own false color templates using IRE values and color choices that you yourself input.

[@MarcosRochaTV]

Oh okay, good to know. Thanks.

[@whospavo]

Hei Chadwin, I have the ninja v on the camera with the Rode Video mic NTG. Unfortunately, you can hear the fan noise very strongly in the soundtrack, is there any solution? Or do I have to filter that out in post-production (for example in Audacity) Thanks mate

[@chadwin]

yeah, unfortunately the fan noise from the ninja v is definitely loud enough to be picked up by on camera mics. you'll have to use a lavalier mic or boom mic in the future to avoid that. and just filter out the noise in your editor of choice for now. sorry for late reply!

[@BadKarma714]

I thought it's the Ninja 5 not V I think it has to do with the size of the monitor witch is 5 inc that's what DSLR Video shooter and other KZbinrs say still a good video I liked it

[@chadwin]

Haha yeah, a lot of people call it the Ninja 5, but I've always called it the Ninja V. Don't worry though, I say iPhone Ten, I would never call it iPhone X. lol!

[@barefootuptomysoul]

V is the Roman numeral for 5.

[@waynelast1685]

I hate the proprietary cables as the one shown for Small HD even though I like the monitor..... when you are busy and looking for cables and you grab the wrong one or can't find the right one its a real pain in the neck. And if the special cable is bad you are stuck unless you thought in advance to order backups cables, which means extra time and cost ..... WHY do they need to design these special cables? Must be some engineering reason for it I suppose.

[@GadgetGeeks]

Nice

[@chadwin]

Thanks!

[@GonBell]

At 2.55 you mention a difference in color. Which one provides the most accurate color? Because there is a big difference in both color temperatures?

[@chadwin]

They both render color really well and accurately, but I think the Atomos was slightly more true to the camera, whereas the SmallHD was a little more cool.

[@daeilkim7183]

Do you think SmallHD Focus is better than the OLED version?

[@chadwin]

Daeil Kim I prefer the Focus 5 LCD cause it’s much brighter at 800 nits vs only 300 nits on the Oled version.

[@waynelast1685]

Did you really stress the fan on the Ninja? High brightness and long recording times? Other videos report the fan noise can be a little high so suggest keeping the mic away from the fan.

[@sondp]

which has the most accurate color compare to what you see?

[@orlando9666]

Shinobi or the SmallHD for a Sony a6300?

[@chadwin]

personally I would go with the SmallHD. It's lighter, nice articulating arm and doesn't get as hot.

[@verifiedccp6064]

There is a zoom option on the atomos ...I use it alot of times

[@waynelast1685]

What camera are you using? Isn't the type camera important? Are the SONY cameras integration friendly?

[@yueshen9606]

Hi Chadwin. I‘m a bit confused that why don't you just connect SmallHD directly to Ninja V via the HDMI out, but using a wireless transmission system. Did you do this on purpose for some reason?

[@chadwin]

Yue Shen it would make sense to just plug it in directly right? Unfortunately it doesn’t actually work. When I did that, the receiving monitor went crazy and was flickering. So instead I just sent the image wirelessly and it worked perfectly!

[@yueshen9606]

@@chadwin Oh really. Good to know that. Dare not to image this happen when clients are on set. Appreciate!

[@gthm777]

Great review ! And please help me out with this question - Is it possible to use Samsung T5 SSD inside the caddy of Atomos Ninja V to record the media ? I know it is not supported as per the Atomos website. But I am on a budget and don't want to invest on an SSD again. Thanks !

[@chadwin]

Gautham Panchumarthy I had this exact same issues since I just bought the pocket 6k. Unfortunately there isn’t a way I know of to record to Atomos caddy’s with the BMPCC. I had to buy new T5s to record to since I already own atomos SSDs. Using the Ninja V with the BMPCCK Is redundant cause it already does prores internally

[@gthm777]

@@chadwin Thank you Chadwin that is true. I found out that Ninja V requires "raw" 2.5" SSD to use it for the caddy and do not support Type C unfortunately.

[@gthm777]

@@chadwin And I've bought Ninja V with the Atomos mini SSD just yesterday!

[@DeanxPatrick]

Hey chadwin, just wanna know about the latency, are they similar? I'm using the shinobi right now and there are millisecond of latency, it's not a big of a deal but still looking for small latency.

[@ShawnLPorterPhotography]

Can you record screen like you can on the Ninja V?

[@Visuallyben]

No the Ninja V can only record externally

[@po6160]

what if we use the atmos V on entry level cameras will it give extra mind blowing features?

[@chadwin]

That depends, which camera are we talking about here? And I don't think it ever really gives Mind Blowing features, lol! But it does give you more data and room to play when it comes to adjusting exposure and colors in post.

[@po6160]

@@chadwin like canon sl2,m50

[@chadwin]

@@po6160 I would wait and invest in another camera or lens before getting the Ninja V. It won't up the quality dramatically on these.

[@po6160]

@@chadwin ok thank you so much now i can wait for magiclantern

[@waynelast1685]

WOW that is ridiculous $115 for a Atomos hood. Not user friendly. I wiill not be buying their stock now.

[@adamgarceau]

Could you compare the smallhd to the shinobi?

[@amathma]

Great review !

[@MrDro1128]

what about small HD vs atomos shinobi for bmpcc 4k? Also couldn't use the small Hd link as a buying option. Is that one discontinued? Also, when you flip the hd focus to see yourself, does the image flip as well?

[@ipadize]

Which HDMI cables are those?

[@chadwin]

ManMadeDesaster they’re from SmallHD. Links to the HDMI cables should be in the description

[@m1kel]

i can hear the "v" sounds awkward

[@chadwin]

mikel magdadaro 😂 I always say “V” but I know others say 5.

[@gabrielspalletta]

i love shinobi!!!

[@chadwin]

Awesome! I've heard a lot of great things about it. It seems Very similar to the Ninja V, minus being a recorder.

[@T1Media.ireland]

I have the SmallHD focus 5 and it gets very hot, it also turns off with the slightest touch when using any larger NPF battery, apparently its a very common issue with heavier batteries and the bettery plate has to be repaired.

[@chadwin]

If you are using it for a few hours straight it can heat up yes. But Nothing like the Ninja V, the metal body gets so hot you can't touch it, whereas If my Focus heats up, it's still no issues. The NPF battery plate on the back is actually an issue I had and totally forgot to mention! It was an easy fix that I did myself though by following a video SmallHD sent me. It didn't need to be mailed in. The issue is the little metal pins that go into the battery get bent in on over time and lose solid connection. All you have to do is bend them back out with some tweezers and you'll be good to go again!

[@lemon58421]

I had the SmallHD oled and I sended it back to buy a Ninja V! the color was so crappy! and then my sony's A7III screen was 10x better. I compared with my atomos flame and it was a world of difference! so I send it back and wait for my Ninja v! But maybe my SmallHD was defect ? no idea....

[@DirectorCyclone]

Probably. Ive had my Small HD since 2017 and i LOVE IT!

[@areabass]

Can you run the Ninja off USB power? I have a USB power output on my battery but only 1 DTAP output that powers the cam.

[@chadwin]

Mark Grafton I don’t think you can run it on USB. All you need is a simple DTAP splitter. I have a 4 port one and use every port on it to power things haha

[@areabass]

@@chadwin ah that's great, I'll look into it.

[@LycanVisuals]

atomos ninja v good to combine with the panasonic g85?

[@chadwin]

If you can get a clean HDMI out feed without any of the menu settings, then yeah you could use it. Otherwise it would pair better with something like the GH5.

[@Arkadiusz4321]

I want to buy a monitor for my a7III, I am between shinobi and smallhd? do you think that 720p and 1080p on the screen, make a big difference and plus for shinobi? Can I record at 100fps with these monitors? which one would you choose for a7III for more comfortable usage with simply menu to quick adjustment and run&go?

[@chadwin]

Arkadiusz90 if you’re using it with the a7iii, I’d probably go for the SmallHD since you don’t need external recording. It’s lighter and has a better menu system. The Ninja can only record up to 60fps, not 100. And the shinobi doesn’t do any external recording, it’s only a monitor.

[@Arkadiusz4321]

@@chadwin Thanks for answer! :)

[@lemon58421]

Chadwin Smith but if you wanna shoot 4K in 60fps? you need the ninja v ?

[@EM.Creative_]

Is the small hd focus 10bit?

[@chadwin]

MENA FILM the smallHD is 10 bit.

[@NowyKurs]

Would QVO air EVO Samsung SSD work on Ninja V?

[@chadwin]

I'm actually not sure if that would fit inside of the Ninja V. Typically you want to get internal SSD's that you then encase inside of the Atomos SSD caddy.

[@legendp2011]

qvo would be way too slow for long recordings (there is a small buffer, otherwise quad stacaked memory, avoid)

[@tangojaa3412]

I have a smallHD foucs 5,it works well with my BMPCC 4k,But it can't work with my new EOS C300 MK3.Is it because of the reason that this moniter can only work with DSLR and mirrorless?

[@mjphotographyhk8778]

Why don’t you compare apples with oranges ??? #noncomparable

[@miguelcastro5754]

MJphotography HK i have the Smallhd focus and trying to decide if I should buy the atomos and sell the smallhd, so yes this is comparable.