Atomos Shinobi II - Initial Unboxing & Overview

[@RossBarnett02]

Update: Sorry, I should have stated this in the video. Firmware was updated to 11.01 in the video (which is currently the newest firmware available). Another issue discovered shortly after uploading is that the monitor will stop recording when moving out of the camera control setting. So if you’re recording and want to use any monitor controls, you have to stop recording first. I’ve contacted Atomos about this issue. After talking with Atomos, they blame the dial not working on Sony, which makes sense considering any usb connection also disables the custom dials…

[@91pimtim]

@@RossBarnett02 also I'm wondering what happened use fx3 with cine El. There is only 2 iso. Hope the monitor have only 2 options. The first and second ISO. Epic fail if you need scroll up ISO. From 800 to 12800. Then faster use on camera button 🤷

[@MastersonMedia]

I'm curious how this functionality works on the FX3 or FX30 since they did away with a "mode dial" and turned it into a "mode button" so it's kind of like having to jump into a menu and swap over. Wonder if that kind of circumvents this issue but someone would have to give it a go to find out

[@RossBarnett02]

@@MastersonMedia I have a few fx30’s around here somewhere. I’ll give it a test and let you know.

[@AtomosChannel]

@@RossBarnett02 Thanks Ross, Regarding recording stopping when moving out of camera controls, we appreciate you pointing this out and are currently replicating the issue with our team. Please standby for more info on this, feel free to reach out to us directly for any further info.

[@ilyeselemer7250]

@@RossBarnett02 Hey Ross! I also own an fx30 and I'm thinking of buying this monitor, did you manage to test it? :D

[@kernzilla]

thanks for taking the time to do this vid, literally every other review is just touching on the positives and not discussing real-world use. very valid point on the PD draw, wild seeing no option to turn it on/off. I don't love the already-thirsty power draw on my Ninja, something like this will prob shrink my NP battery life 20-25% more now, hrmm. such an odd oversight. On my Canons, do not believe I have menu option to toggle USB power ... the finish on the screen looks pretty reflective/glossy, pretty curious how well those 1500 nits will offset those reflections in a bright daylight situ. have a good shoot, and be awesome to see a follow-up vid after putting some hours on it 🤙🤙

[@RossBarnett02]

Absolutely, the more I use it the more I understand it’s not perfect. There are some flaws but all in all it seems like a solid monitor. The display is bright, and the 4k image is easy to read. We’ll see how the reflections do in direct sunlight this weekend 🤙🏼

[@mirrorlessmemory]

- for the problem you listed, I get around this by changing the frame rate in the settings instead of switching to a memory recall. If you wanna go faster, you can even save the frame rate option in the first menu page in “My Menu”. - for the issue of PD power going into the camera, you can turn off USB charging in the settings of your camera. Page 53/56

[@jannarkiewicz633]

And you were so excited to buy.... As a Prosumer I was just excited when you had a USB-C to USB-C cable. If Instal360 or Rode or DJI sends me another USB-A to USB-C I will be therapy.

[@RossBarnett02]

lolol, very true. Everything I run these days is USB-C to USB-C and if it's a cable comes in a box that's not c to c it gets pushed to the side fairly quickly.

[@ryancallahan2562]

Tested one of these today and will immediately be returning it as it suffers from the same screen ghosting and image retention issues as the previous Shinobi. I was reeeeeally hoping this would be a keeper. LH7P and the Feelworld Pro X have been my favorite monitors so far and also the cheapest ha

[@RossBarnett02]

@@ryancallahan2562 Interesting! I’m not sure if I know what that is. The LH7P has been great for me the last few months, but wedding receptions (typically with larger bands) seem to cause a lot of dropouts with the wireless camera control. I’m just wanting a solid option with a WIRED camera control feature. Like most monitors, this thing is 82% there with still some major caveats.

[@PurseyProductions]

Super helpful video. Think I'll stick with the Shinobi 1 for now. Subscribed!

[@RossBarnett02]

@@PurseyProductions appreciate that!

[@paoloeustaquio2248]

Sticking to my old trusty Shinobi 1. :D Thanks for this video.

[@RossBarnett02]

I just dropped a full review with a few updates after using the monitor all weekend. Appreciate the comment!

[@romanchurch6768]

Great thanks for your report from Germany!!

[@RossBarnett02]

@@romanchurch6768 appreciate that!

[@mirrorlessmemory]

The biggest problem for me is the camera control recording stopping if you exit that menu. So say you initiate the recording within the camera control folder, then you find yourself needing to turn on zebras/peaking on the monitor, the recording will stop once you exit the folder to go into the monitor tools. I’m sure they can fix that with a software update but that’s really annoying.

[@RossBarnett02]

I didn't even notice that on my initial run-through.. but SHOOT that is important. For me I love to check focus while recording long takes, using the ATOMOS zoom in feature or the focus peaking is great for that. But having it stop recording when I don't want recording to stop is a big deal.. Hopefully that can be fixed asap.

[@yannispapanastasopoulos]

What??? That’s crazy. Damn still thinking of buying this monitor. Want to ditch my Ninja V.

[@martin_wood]

Well that's a dealbreaker for me then

[@RossBarnett02]

Yeah it’s kinda not great. I’m in a conversation with ATOMOS support now about it. Just sent over a specific issue via video. Hopefully they’ll fix this soon.

[@NickStubbs]

Like your style and this looks like a great monitor. Subbed : )

[@RossBarnett02]

Appreciate that!

[@mediaalchemyuk]

Great video, does the touch focus work with camera control?

[@RossBarnett02]

Nope. They didn’t even attempt to implement touch focus.

[@YourStoryStudios]

I just connected one of my Sony cameras to the Monitor and Control app and when I changed the dial to different modes (1, 2, 3 etc) it didn’t change and looked to be doing the same thing your camera was doing when connected via usb. So I’m guessing it is a Sony problem and a firmware upgrade might be needed on Sony’s end… which may never come.

[@RossBarnett02]

oh boy... honestly that was my fear. If it's a Sony issue only you can kiss the idea of a firmware update goodbye.

[@YourStoryStudios]

That dial quirk looks to be a bit of a deal breaker. Hopefully they fix it with a firmware update!

[@RossBarnett02]

@@YourStoryStudios yep.. definitely wasn’t expecting that kind of quirk out of this monitor. I’m interested in what it’ll do with the FX3/FX30 since it technically has the same “dial” only it’s digital.

[@vkphotography09]

Oh man hopefully they fix the dial issue. I just ordered my shinobi today, and use the dial quite frequently as well similar to you. I shoot canon, and can imagine the issue will also exist. Hopefully they do get a firmware update.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@vkphotography09 I’m interested to know if this affects canon cameras as well!

[@zeljkotodorovic8193]

@@RossBarnett02 me either

[@vkphotography09]

@@RossBarnett02 hi there! So I literally just finished a wedding event and for the first time used my Shinobi ii straight out of the box, didn’t set up prior since I’ve been so busy! Everything worked out amazing with my canon and happy to inform that my custom dial functions worked and changed as it needed. Was a big laggy but not too bad.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@vkphotography09 awesome! Looks like Canon knows how to better implement usb-c camera control (at least better than Sony). I’m working on a follow up video and full review to post soon after using the monitor all weekend. Lots of new info I’ve learned from comments + using the monitor for 15+ hours this weekend 🤙🏼

[@vkphotography09]

@@RossBarnett02 ​​⁠ nice!!! Can’t wait for that video!!! Thank you 🙏🏻

[@RubenCarplife]

Thanks for this! How do you set it in full screen mode?

[@RossBarnett02]

Not 100% sure what "full screen mode" is, but it sounds like possibly your HDMI settings on the camera are set to "HDMI info display"? Turning off HDMI info display in camera will give you a clean feed to the monitor.

[@RubenCarplife]

@@RossBarnett02 Thanks a lot mate. Just received the Shinobi today. Will try it out this evening and keep you updated! Cheers!

[@RubenCarplife]

@@RossBarnett02 You’re right! That was the problem. After the firmware update still had some issue’s with switching between 1/2/3. After put the HDMI output to 1080 in stead of 2160 it was solved! Really happy with the Shinobi ii! Cant wait to work with it. Thanks for your video’s, it help me a lot!🙏💪

[@Chips-Lab]

Thanks, hopefully they quickly release an update

[@RossBarnett02]

I've sent an email their way explaining the issue - hopefully it's resolved soon! Stinks because it's an issue big enough for me to not be able to use my camera at an event, but other than that one issue I'm pumped for this monitor!

[@shaunmaddox]

Wow, I don’t have that issue. It may be for the particular model or Sony Cameras in general. I received the Shinobi II today. All dials on my LUMIX cameras work. The monitor performs well and the controls are very responsive.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@shaunmaddox nice!! After using the monitor for a full day yesterday, I’m really loving it. I’d love to know anything you love/hate about it. Full review coming soon!

[@shaunmaddox]

@@RossBarnett02 That’s good to hear. I’m sure everything will be fixed in a future update. Before the Shinobi 2, I’ve been using the SmallHD Indie 7 and Cine 5. At this price point, the Shinobi 2 is undoubtedly the best monitor I’ve used this year. Its simplified menu system is perfect for run and gun shoots. While I love the Indie 7 and Cine 5 for their extensive customization options, their menu systems can be quite complex. The Shinobi 2 excels by presenting all essential functions in two clear locations: the top and bottom menus. The rechargeable USB port is a game-changer. I prefer the monitor to drain power rather than the camera. The hot-swap feature, typically found on V-mount batteries, is a fantastic addition. Losing camera power during recording is a nightmare. It can lead to corrupt, unsalvageable files. I learned this the hard way on a multi-cam shoot with multiple long takes. Thankfully, I managed to recover four out of five files. I definitely want to minimize this risk in the future. The only downside is the icon size. They're quite small

[@GrenlandUnderVann]

How many minutes can you power the monitor if you use the smallest NP-F (550/570's) battery? I need the lightest set up.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@GrenlandUnderVann unsure! 🫤 I can try to check and see. Using it today on Smallrig v99 batteries.

[@yannispapanastasopoulos]

Hey man thanks for pointing out what other people don’t say. Two things: Atomos already released a an update today that added more features to the camera control, maybe they fixed your issue as well? Can you make a video showing those features, there is no such video on the internet so far. Second thing is I want to know how this holds up when you connect a Sony camera to the RS4. I am curious to know if the rec button is gonna work both of the gimbal the camera and the monitor as well.

[@RossBarnett02]

Update: Sorry, I should have stated this in the video. Firmware was updated to 11.01 in the video (which is currently the newest firmware available). Another issue discovered shortly after uploading is that the monitor will stop recording when moving out of the camera control setting. So if you’re recording and want to use any monitor controls, you have to stop recording first. I’ve contacted Atomos about this issue. After talking with Atomos, they blame the dial not working on Sony, which makes sense considering any usb connection also disables the custom dials…

[@donaldleadonjr.3892]

Very informative… Even though the max input is 4K 30, would I still be able to shoot 4K 60 on my actual camera but use the monitor as a reference only for framing and proper exposure etc?

[@RossBarnett02]

yep! Still works great. If you want to see 60fps through the monitor you can always switch your HDMI output to 1080/60.

[@Backlitbugs]

Just for curiosity. If my camera is powered with dummy battery from Vmount, and monitor still want to charge it, what hapens? It tries to charge vmount, but vmount sends charge opposite direction? How that works?

[@RossBarnett02]

@@Backlitbugs I’m fairly positive your camera will recognize you have a dummy battery installed and not try and send current to it. Probably will just auto to “PD off” and not try to charge anything. Would be interesting to test, but I’d imagine it won’t do anything. The real question here is why wouldn’t you let the v-mount power the monitor + camera and disregard the dummy battery altogether? It would save you having to have a front heavy NP battery on the front of the monitor.

[@Backlitbugs]

@@RossBarnett02 As someone mentioned in the comments, If I would charge the monitor via dummy battery, and then the monitor would charge the camera, the camera would still slowly drain itself. In that case, the option would be to have two dummy batteries from Vmount, one for the camera and one for the monitor. I am still figuring out the best solution. Thanks for your reply

[@RossBarnett02]

@@Backlitbugs I think it depends on the camera. On my A7S III there is zero battery drain since the 13w from the monitor gives it full power. I still need to test with the FX3/FX30, but I’d imagine the battery drain is similar.

[@aero8k]

Thanks for the review. I won't buy it yet, I'll wait to see if they solve the problem.

[@RossBarnett02]

I fully believe these issues will be addressed asap. From my solid communication with Atomos over the last week I know they're working on it! So, here's to hoping it's soon!

[@aaphotofilm]

Please can you do a video on how to upgrade the firmware, I followed the instructions but doesnt seem to upgrade on mine

[@RossBarnett02]

@@aaphotofilm might be simple fix: be sure your SD card is formatted to NTFS or FAT32

[@aaphotofilm]

@@RossBarnett02 formatted to NTFS or FAT32? how? what does that even mean lol, im doing this on a SD card

[@aaphotofilm]

@@RossBarnett02 OMG you know what, i just googled what you meant and you was right, i been at it all morning and you helped solve my problem lol thank you so much, you was right, it was a simple fix lol

[@RossBarnett02]

@@aaphotofilm love that! Good work 🤝

[@aaphotofilm]

@@RossBarnett02 yea seriously been at it all day. Your a true lifesaver. You are amazing thank you 😊

[@Ngojohnny_dp]

Lots of good information! I have a question that my brain isn't getting wrapped around, I currently power my a7s3 via usb-c to usb-c to vmount pd, would getting this monitor bother my process of powering my camera? Or would connecting my DTAP to DC to the Atomos Shinobi II thus powering the monitor and then the USB-C from Atomos to Camera power the camera as well as supply camera control + pd for my camera? Also, I'm shopping for right angle usb-c's at the moment too, I was opting for right angle PD/usb-c adapters then getting some right-angle cables to move the port around so it gets less blockage for me personally. I'm currently using the LH7P on my portkeys and absolutely love it, I do however, would like the idea of having SDI in case I need to use wireless transmission for clients to view my shots while shooting etc or lending monitors to productions that I participate in. Also, kinda disappointed in the no touch focus on the monitor... super big let down.

[@RossBarnett02]

Your first point is exactly correct! Dtap to DC will power the monitor, while USB-C to the camera will provide power to the camera + camera control 🤙🏼 I’m all about the right angle cables. Especially with how close everything is to the battery connection on the monitor. The cleaner the setup the better.

[@Ngojohnny_dp]

@@RossBarnett02 awesome thanks man! Thanks for the speedy reply. Very helpful video out of all the videos out there rn

[@ConnorCaving]

Do you experience any delay, I am seeing videos of it having 1/2 to 1/4 second delay which is bad for fast shooting.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@ConnorCaving ooooff. No way. I don’t have an exact measurement, but from my experience I don’t notice any delay at all from the camera display on my Sony A7Siii or FX30

[@goofysurfista]

Hey I've been following your videos about external monitor, and like you, still looking for the best available one. I've got portkeys because of your video and I just ordered Shinobi ii. BTW, have you tried M&C? They say the latest version is quite good

[@RossBarnett02]

@@goofysurfista love that! I haven’t really looked into the app much, mainly because I need my phone for other things throughout the day and hate the idea of it being tied up.

[@Omerkrana]

So I have encountered a problem (or maybe I misunderstood how this works). I have a V-mount connected to the monitor and a USB connection to the camera. The camera battery continues to drain, yes at a slower rate but you would need to change camera battries for long takes or in my case, sports games.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@Omerkrana interesting. What camera are you on? The monitor supports 13w of power delivery over USB-C which should be enough to keep any camera charged throughout recording. Not 100% sure how that’s affected throughout camera brands. I guess the only workaround would be to run a full dummy battery via the v-mount, but that’s no fun.

[@Omerkrana]

@@RossBarnett02 FX3, tried it again today on a shoot and my camera battery was at 75% at the end (100% at the start)

[@Superjeanmarc]

@Omerkrana , thank you so much for pointing this out ! This is yet another red flag unfortunately. Despite being 13W it could be due to a lower Amp output, I think the FX3 needs 3A .. need to check

[@aaronrivera17]

Should i buy the lh7p or give this one a chance? Thanks for your answer

[@RossBarnett02]

@@aaronrivera17 that’s a great question. Really depends on your needs, I’m working on a comparison video to show the differences between the two. For me: unless you need HDMI out or wireless control, I’d go with the Shinobi II. However, check out my full review of the Shinobi II to see some software issues with the current version…

[@OTEET5]

Are you able to display the sony user interface on the monitor so things like the level gauge and focus area are visible?

[@RossBarnett02]

not the level gauge, and currently not the focus area. Focus peaking is built within the monitor controls though - but, not having the focus area.

[@91pimtim]

new update come yesterday. Updating to AtomOS 11.01.00 New Features & Improvements: Camera Status Indicator Overall Stability Improvements but not think they fix it for dial

[@RossBarnett02]

@@91pimtim yep - I actually updated before posting this video. No fix for the dial, Atomos pushed that off to Sony. As for the issue with stopping recording to see monitor tools, still an issue as well.

[@91pimtim]

@@RossBarnett02 also im not think its happen for dial, cuz my old ninja 5. same problem. but hope they fix for not stop when check monitor tools

[@zeljkotodorovic8193]

how about the latency when you move the camera fast? is there a significant delay?

[@RossBarnett02]

I don’t know the exact latency numbers, but it seemed great to me when testing!

[@TheGeejaymelo]

Did it come with a battery?

[@RossBarnett02]

@@TheGeejaymelo nope. It needs an NP-F style battery, dummy battery for v-mount, or can be powered via USB-C. I have a link to the dummy battery setup I use in the description.

[@sparkestudio]

A monitor like this is TOO SMALL. Hope they release a 7" version... And of course firmware updates will be an improvement I'd think... Maybe later touch to focus? Maybe I know you doubt it and maybe they won't but Atomos claimed online they or someone claimed that Atomos claimed they were going to be adding features with future furniware updates

[@jonathanpalo75]

I actually got it because I wanted a smaller unit from my 7” monitor lol

[@sparkestudio]

@@jonathanpalo75 oh. I have a 5.5" but I find a small screen is hard to do focus pulls with

[@RossBarnett02]

For me it's a sweet spot for an on camera handheld rig. The 7" as a dedicated handheld monitor is a bit large in my opinion. A 7" is great for tripod work or having a small directors monitor though. Handheld a prefer 5-6", Directors monitor I prefer 7-10"

[@kernzilla]

@sparklestudio i mean, this one is kinda the size of a 7" with that oversized bezel lol, does that count? 😹

[@sparkestudio]

@@kernzilla it tells me... These monitor makers need to make it all screen... And you would have a 7" lol.

[@MarvellousVisuals]

I feel like an idiot... I thought it got power delivery from the camera 🤦🏾‍♂(A7rv & A7iv) if it cant that's a bit sad that they didn't supply a battery eleminator with it. On my camera I've set USB power supply on

[@RossBarnett02]

@@MarvellousVisuals ahh, nope! Just the monitor powers the camera from the monitor battery - OR from a v-mount battery powering the monitor + powering the camera.

[@MarvellousVisuals]

@@RossBarnett02 Got you!!! to be fair that's a little useful as I can ditch the vmount power to camera

[@tal7aa]

And which 1, 2, and 3 dials were you referring to?

[@RossBarnett02]

The "custom modes" dials on the top of the A7SIII camera. I have 1 set to 4k/30 with a 1/60 shutter, 2 set to 4k/60 with a 1/125 shutter, and 3 set to 4k/120 with a 1/250 shutter. This issue was resolved in a recent firmware update!

[@tal7aa]

Does this monitor have touch focus?

[@RossBarnett02]

Not currently. Atomos has said they are working on Touch to Focus, but it is not currently available. As far as the issues in this review - the problems have been fixed in a recent firmware update

[@McarthurBeard]

How is the color accuracy I’m scrolling comments while watching the video you might of addressed this already but in case you didn’t I’ll leave this right here

[@RossBarnett02]

@@McarthurBeard the color accuracy is fantastic from what I saw using it 10 hours yesterday. Loaded my LUT into the monitor and it looked great. 👍🏼

[@fabuous_fab]

Is the rectangle of the eye focus displayed on the screen?

[@RossBarnett02]

@@fabuous_fab nope.

[@gislon1]

​@RossBarnett02 you can choose to mirror the screen output by turning hdmi info on on the camera. Monitor display is a bit smaller but still way better than the camera monitor. Just got mine, think I'll use it like this for fast moving shoots where you need to see what the focus is doing. Thanks for all your info, really helpful

[@Kamijin01]

I really wanted this new version. But I notice that all shinobi models won't support 4k60 or 4k120. It will only stick to 4k30 which could be related to dual button issue.

[@RossBarnett02]

I read this a lot, but I don't understand. The Shinobi only supports an input of 4k/30, but that doesn't mean you can't record at 4k/60 4k/120 and still output at 4k/30. Output settings can be different from internal recording.

[@helder-luis]

This monitor is missing touch focus (for SONY at least)! That's the killer feature for camera control!

[@RossBarnett02]

@@helder-luis I agree, although I haven’t seen a company be able to utilize a decent tap to focus on a monitor yet. The Portkeys version is an attempt, but it’s bad enough I don’t want to ever use it.

[@helder-luis]

@@RossBarnett02Have you tried the SONY monitor iOS app?

[@Mr.Zen_73]

someone on a FB group said they returned it because it got really hot quite quickly did you find this?

[@RossBarnett02]

I didn't really notice any abnormal heat. But also, as long as it can still keep up with its own heat it's not a problem for me.

[@graciehartzog5276]

I have the same issues on my polaroid camera. Any suggestions

[@RossBarnett02]

@@graciehartzog5276 you should try to turn it off and back on

[@alansarpy]

only if sony would of gave the a7siii shutter angle

[@RossBarnett02]

would have been nice..

[@camilleriap2]

I am having the same issues on my canon, disables all controls in camera, shutter, focusing, etc. for me this thing is junk.

[@RossBarnett02]

@@camilleriap2 which canon camera are you on? I know ATOMOS has said it doesn’t work in c series cameras like the c70 and r5c.

[@Prajjwalpandey9]

I will stick with Portkey LH7P

[@RossBarnett02]

If you don't shoot in high areas of wifi interference, the LH7P is a fantastic monitor. For me, it's great for wedding videography right up until the reception at night. Then, it gets dicy if there is a full wedding band using lots of wireless tech on stage.. IF this issue doesn't get resolved soon, I'll be using the LH7P too.

[@Chrstphr03]

@@RossBarnett02To get around the WIFI interference you can research shielded wires, purchase a few to test, and likely one will resolve the issue. Cheer to great content!

[@mrdamiansingh]

Too bad bro ! Better than nothing tho

[@RossBarnett02]

I'm working on a full review now, but I'm definitely keeping this monitor for sure. There are a few things that I wish they would have done differently, but overall (and when compared to every other monitor with camera control) this thing is really fantastic.

[@triangle_multimedia]

So is a "SHE" Lol This guy!

[@RossBarnett02]

@@triangle_multimedia she’s a beaut!!

[@triangle_multimedia]

@@RossBarnett02 Cant' wait to get one! Great info and amazing video.