Atomos CEO Peter Barber explains the Shinobi 7 II's new Ethernet camera control and how the Flanders Scientific acquisition extends Atomos from on-camera monitoring to finishing.
Atomos CEO Peter Barber walked RedShark through the new Shinobi 7 II on-camera monitor, unveiled at IBC.
It's a brighter, larger and more capable evolution of its popular on-camera monitoring line, which Barber says reflects a broader strategy to serve both ends of the production pipeline, from lightweight field rigs to high-end color-critical environments.
"Shinobi has quietly become one of Atomos' strongest performers in recent years, driven largely by the super bright, 1500 nit screen, camera control and touch focus on certain cameras available in the 5-inch Shinobi 2. People love it," he said.
The Shinobi 7 II (available now, priced $499) builds on that success.
"Now we've got a seven-inch version but not only is it bigger, it's also brighter. We've gone from 1500 nits to 2800 nits."
The Shinobi 7 II carries over all existing camera-control features, but adds Ethernet control.
"By adding the Ethernet connection, we can control some of the larger cameras we couldn't control before via USB," Barber said. "That means Canon's C50, C80 and C100, and Sony's FX5 and FX6. People have been asking for this. We couldn't do it over USB, but now we can."
Supply chain issues have been an issue across the board. "We've been juggling it as best as we can. In some cases we've had delays, but we're fairly on track, especially with the Shinobi monitors."
Some components still have "silly" lead times, he admitted, but Atomos has managed to keep all current models in production.
With the launch of the Shinobi 7 II, Atomos now has four distinct models in the Shinobi range, from the 5-inch entry-level to the Shinobi 7RX, which includes SDI I/O plus a built-in wireless receiver for pairing with Atomos TX.
Above Shinobi sits the Ninja family, which Barber said remains central to Atomos' identity.
"Atomos has been very important in working with all the different camera makers," he said. "We can record all these separate RAW formats. We have relationships no one else has. That gives us the RAW data, gets the best possible quality into ProRes RAW, which is the industry standard."
Integration could include Blackmagic's BRAW if it were an open format, he said.
Barber said FSI extends Atomos' reach from lightweight on-camera tools to the highest-end reference displays used in finishing.
"Atomos is very much about on-camera, on-set, and then the crossover with FSI is from on-set all the way up to reference monitor and finishing. These get used by DITs on-set with the DIT carts. What's really important to them is color accuracy, the fact they can be calibrated, and also very large screens when they're seeing detail on set."
He pointed to FSI's quad-split mode as a standout feature for multi-camera shoots.
"If someone's doing a multi-camera production, they can use one larger monitor and split four separate cameras in," he said. "They can even put a separate LUT on each input, maybe they're all different, and run different color settings on each input."
FSI's role extends beyond set work into high-end post-production and live broadcast.
"In post or mastering you need color accuracy whether it's SDR or HDR all the way up to 4000 nits," Barber said. "These monitors are really popular in high-end post-production. Our monitors are also used for color shading at big sports events, especially now that HDR is becoming the norm in high-end live production."
The acquisition, he said, strengthens Atomos' ability to support the entire workflow.
"Atomos on camera, FSI on set and in finishing. It connects the whole pipeline."