On the same day as releasing the Ninja Inferno, Atomos have announced a free upgrade that will enable CDNG Raw recording from select Sony, Canon and Panasonic cameras on the Shogun Inferno, Shogun Flame and the original Shogun products. This will be made available to download on Monday March 27th 2017. Atomos have promised this upgrade for quite some time, and Shogun owners will finally have access to Raw recording from quite a few cameras.
Atomos claim that this update will make these the world’s first monitor-recorders to offer CDNG recording on a single SSD. They are also the world’s first monitor-recorders to offer CDNG Raw to end users for free. Convergent Design has had Raw recording for a long time on their Odyssey recorder/monitors, but you had to purchase a Raw license to enable it.
You do need to own a Shogun Inferno, Shogun Flame or one of the original Shogun products to be able to record Raw. HDMI only monitor/recorders such as the new Ninja Inferno and Ninja Flame are not compatible.
CDNG records Raw images from a camera’s sensor as a sequence of individual frames rather than video, which allows for more flexibility over your white balance, noise reduction & debayering in the post production process. In the initial firmware release Atomos have enabled Sony Raw recording from the FS700 / FS7 / FS5, Canon Raw recording from the C300MKII / C500 and Panasonic Raw recording from the Varicam LT.
The Raw output from the Sony FS700, FS7 & FS5 enables high frame rate 2K recording along with higher quality 12-bit 4:4:4 images from the sensor. In uncompressed 10-bit video over SDI the maximum frame rate in HD for all 3 cameras is capped at 60p, but the Raw output enables high frame rate slow motion 100/120/200/240p capture. You will be able to use the Atomos Shogun series to record the Raw output as CDNG Raw or direct to Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR. For a lot of users taking the Raw signal from the camera and recording it as Apple ProRes video will be a lot more convenient and efficient workflow if you don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with CDNG files. This is again something that Convergent Design have been doing for several years. For those comfortable with editing in Raw, images are recorded to CDNG as 12-bit 4:4:4, particularly useful for higher end productions and green screen applications who prefer no Chroma sub sampling. The Raw license is free on the Atomos Shogun series right back to the original Shogun. Raw output from the FS5/FS700 requires a paid update to Sony & requires the add-on Sony XDCA-FS7 in the case of the FS7.
Canon’s Raw output is different to Sony’s, providing 10-bit images with a baked in Log and Gamut. The big advantage of capturing the Raw from the C500 is that it transforms the cameras from a HD to 4K camera. Once again, the user can record this as an Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR video for speed & convenience or preserve the Raw as CDNG for precise manipulation in post-production.
Panasonic Varicam LT’s Raw output, like the Canon models, transform the single SDI output from HD only into a 12-bit 4K 30p camera. For this free firmware update, only CDNG Raw recording is available with the Raw to ProRes or DNxHR recording coming in a future firmware update.
The CDNG Raw download is free and available at atomos.com/firmware from March 30th 2017.
Atomos have certainly lived up to their promise of never charging anyone for a firmware update. With this latest firmware update you will be able to record Raw, Apple Pro Res, and Avid DNxHD on a HDR 7″ 1920×1080 monitor for as little as $995US.
What do you think about this free firmware update? Do you own or use a Shogun monitor/recorder? Let us know in the comments below.
UPDATE:
The release of the firmware has been delayed but is now available for the Shogun and Shogun Flame. The table below represents CDNG recording available in this firmware. Shogun Inferno firmware update and CDNG 2K 50/60/100/120p for Sony FS series will be available soon.
