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Atomos has had a string of announcements over the last couple of months, most notably three new 1500-nit, HDR-ready field monitors/recorders. I got hold of one of the first batch of their Shogun Flame units in for review.
When the Atomos announced the Flame series (Shogun, Ninja and now Inferno), I was very intrigued.
Iβve been a long-time user of Atomos recorders, and have ownedΒ the original Atomos Shogun since not long after it came out a few years ago.
I had a feeling of what to expect with the Flame recorders: daylight viewable display, dual battery port, better build, HDR view, these things looked nice.
Before I get into my review fully, hereβs my TL DR (too long, didnβt read):
The Atomos Shogun Flame is a worthy upgrade to the original Shogun. Whilst the original 7β monitor/recorder was great value, there were many points where a mark II could improve on.
The Shogun Flame addresses some key issues and then some. Dual battery slots and a better build are reasons enough to upgrade, but the addition of a 1500-nit, 10-bit panel really puts the Flame line in a different class to the original Shogun and Ninja Assassin.
And that’s even before we get to the new HDR view feature. Whilst on the surface it seems a little gimmicky, it has proven to be a genuinely handy tool for monitoring super flat log sources like Sony S-log.
However, I personally feel 7β is still too big of a display for on-camera monitoring, especially on smaller cameras like the Sony Alpha series. A smaller 5.5β version wouldβve been a much more ergonomically sound decision.
For the full list of features of the Shogun and Ninja Flame, check out my original news post here.
Here are the key features I picked up on as an update to the original Shogun, and the ones everyone will most likely be interested to hear about:
And here is a list of downfalls of the original Atomos Shogun that I was hoping would be addressed with the Shogun Flame:
Lets see how the new features line up and how many of the above issues have been addressed.
This feature is a huge selling point for me. Iβve been after a daylight viewable display for some time now for Movi operation, as I find hoods and gimbals donβt get on. Add to this the Shogun Flame’s ProRes recording capabilities, and you have a huge plus.
Itβs not just marketing jargon, this thing really is bright.
Matt Allard from NewsShooter proved with a light meter that the claim of 1500 nits was accurate, but you can see below just how that translates in the real world.
Comparing the Atomos Shogun and Atomos Shogun Flame you can see just how much easier it is to see the latter in daylight environments.
Both monitors were receiving the same test pattern from a single Atomos H2S converter at their respective most bright setting.
It seems that the viewing angle of the Shogun Flame is also improved. I wouldnβt say that glare is any more controlled (both are glossy displays), butΒ the increased brightness often creates the perception that it is better.
One thing Atomos mention in their marketing is the choice to switch between HDR mode and daylight viewable mode.Β In fact there are four modes: Native Source Video, Atom HDR, Log To Video and Custom Look.
Native Source is simply what the monitor receives from the camera, without any furtherΒ processing. Every viewing feature is greyed out here except for theΒ brightness scale.
AtomHDR is the new HDR feature, Iβll come to this in more detail, but here you can choose your camera type, gamma and gamut as well as enable soft clip and Viewing Environment (brightness).
Log To Video has the same camera/gamma/gamut choices as AtomHDR, but alsoΒ converts your signal into a Rec709 profile, just like the pre-loaded LUTs do on the original Shogun.
Custom Look is where you have the option to load in custom LUTs. This is the only mode that allows you to record the look, output the look downstream and review the look in split screen mode. You cannot burn in the AtomHDR or Log To Video modes.
My understanding was that there would be an obvious switch in brightness between AtomHDR and the three other modes. In other words, you could eitherΒ have 1500 nits of brightness or HDR view.Β However the reduction in brightness is not very apparent at all. In fact, under circumstances such as withΒ super flat images, AtomHDR mode often looks brighter than Native Source mode!
When I first read about this feature, the first thingΒ that came to mindΒ was “gimmick”. What sounds like some brand new exciting technology is, in essence, just a specific LUT thatΒ makes use of the high dynamic range of a log image on a 10-bit panel.
Plugging in my Canon C100 Mark II and playing around, I struggled to see value in the new feature: it added too much colour and contrast, and it was really hard to gauge exposure.
However, after further experimenting in this mode withΒ S-log on the Sony A7RII, Iβve changed my mind.
The Shogun Flame includes support for Arri, Sony, Canon and Panasonic log modes. For super-flat log profiles such as S-log, this is a very nice way to expose, view and shoot. C-log is less flat, making this modeΒ less necessary.
The mode adds vibrancy and contrast without comprising the dynamic range too much. This is a headache I regularly struggle with as an operator: view the log feed from the camera and put up with a super flat & ugly image, or convert it to Rec709 to see some contrast and accept that youβre not viewing all of your available dynamic range.
Sure, you can go ahead and make your own custom LUTs that do this, but itβs nice to have a device that has done the groundwork already and has a formula that works for a variety of log formats.
Thereβs one fundamental feature that makes the AtomHDR mode a very useful viewing tool, and whose absenceΒ would make this mode a bit redundant.
That is thatΒ the waveform monitor is not affected when switching between viewing modes.Β In other words, whatΒ you see on the waveform monitor is what youβre recording, not what youβre viewing.
Exposing in AtomHDR mode should come with great caution:Β if you donβt know what youβre doing it is very easy to mis-expose. For example, let’s look at theΒ Viewing Environment. While it seems to adjustΒ the luminance of the screenΒ in Native Video Mode, it works differently within AtomHDR, where it looksΒ like a shift in mid point, creating the illusion that you are changing the exposure of the camera.
The key is to use the waveform monitor. Expose in Native Source Mode using the waveform monitor first, then switch to AtomHDR and adjust your Viewing Environment until youβre happy with the luminance of the screen.
For me, the biggest drawback on the original Shogun was the combination of hungry power consumption and a singleΒ battery slot. In addition,Β Iβve found quite a few batteries that don’tΒ sit snuggly on the battery mount. Conclusion: power is not so much fun on the Shogun.
The Atomos Shogun Flame has two battery slots: instant win. They also feel sturdier, and I foundΒ little to no play with the batteries from my original Shogun.
However, I assumed the increased brightness panel on the Flame and the inclusion of two battery slots would translate as greaterΒ power consumption on what was already a thirsty system.
To testΒ this, I conducted an unscientific experiment. Using my Atomos H2S, I sent the same test pattern signal to both 7β recorders, and set both screens to their brightest most modes. I attached two new batteries Iβd bought from the same supplier at the same time (both fully charged).
I then hit record simultaneously and left them running; the monitor with the longest recording would obviously haveΒ a better power consumption.
I expected the Shogun Flame to be a good 30% worse in power consumption, but to my surprise,Β it cut out only 6 minutes earlier than the original Shogun.
This was of course unscientific. There could be a small discrepancy between the batteries and so on, but if there were any glaring differences, Iβd have been sure to have found them here.
Also, the optionΒ to hot swap batteries onΒ the Shogun Flame makes it a much better system, without any evident detrimental effects from the added brightness.
One thing that hasnβt been addressed is that the monitor still gives the impression to beΒ running out of battery long before it actually is.
You get a red battery warning at around the 6.5 volts, whichΒ is unnecessary as you often have a lot longer than you think.
It would be nice for the battery indicator to have an amber period to fix this: Green>Amber>Red.
Atomos made a point of stating that the build quality had been improvedΒ on the Flame line.
The original Shogun does indeed feel delicate. Iβve handled a few different units over the years and each has had its quirks, with buttons not quite sitting straight, edges that are starting to split, or vents thatΒ feel vulnerable.
The Shogun Flame definitelyΒ feels like an upgrade in this regard: itΒ feels stronger and the vents are less exposed.
The rubber edges are a nice touch also, although personally I really donβt like the garish yellow/red. I keep the frame of the hood on all the time, whichΒ adds protection and hides the yellow.
Itβs certainly not bulletproof. You can see exposed wires through gaps. In this regard, my SmallHD 502 feels like a step up in build for sure.
Boot up time for the Atomos Shogun Flame takes around 10 seconds, considerably more than the 2-3 seconds of the original Shogun.
On boot up there’s also a loud fan noise, whichΒ drops to an almost inaudible level once the device is ready. It does, however, sound louder than the original.
Having used Atomos products for so long itβs often easy to overlook the many features that are packed into these devices.
So far Iβve listed features that make the Atomos Shogun Flame a standout upgrade to the original Shogun. However, if you havenβt used the previous monitor and are perhaps new toΒ Atomos recorders in general, here are some of its handy features:
Like the original Shogun, the Shogun Flame package comes with an array of accessories, including hard drive caddies, USB 3 reader, charger, and AC cable.
The hard case as standard is great; the Shogun Flame’s mandatory yellow colour… not so much.
There are a few other changes; one is the inclusion of D-tap out as standard. This comes in the form of a lovely coiled D-tap to jack cable, which in previous incarnations was a separate dummy battery.
The hood also comes as standard which is nice.
And, most importantly, the charger is vastly improved.Β Whilst original Shogun users were moping about on the floor after a triple whammy of an ill-fitting, single battery that drains faster than you can drop an anvil, they were dealt with a killer blow with the charger. ItΒ replenished batteries inΒ periodsΒ closer to days, not hours: it literally took days to charge large NP-F970 sized batteries.
The new charger is much better; it displays a proper indicator and supposedly charges 3 times faster, although I reckon maybe even quicker.
What I donβt like, however, is thatΒ it comes with a large and hassle-to-travel-with AC/DC convertor. I fixed this by simply buying anΒ all-in-one plug adaptor with the same specs.
I think Atomos has done a fantastic job in updating their very popular 4K field monitor/recorder line.
Previous problems mostly revolved aroundΒ build and power, and theseΒ have been addressed as well as adding a great body of new features like 10-bit processing, AtomHDR and 1500-nit daylight viewing.
I still think the format is fundamentally flawed; 7β is too big and heavy in most scenarios as an on-camera monitor.
I would have loved to see the Shogun Flame and Ninja Flame in 5.5β form, and the Inferno in 7β. I think this would have made much more sense ergonomically (albeit more expensive to produce multiple panels).
BeyondΒ the fancy marketing, I think thereβs definitely a use for AtomHDR in viewing a high dynamic range image that doesnβt look flat and boring. But just be careful with how you expose the image.
Iβd love to see the Shogun Flame alongside a SmallHD 702 in daylight. If you own the latter and are based in London, do give me a shout and we can compare.
Shooting with the Shogun Flame so much over the last few weeks has laidΒ good ground for a solid opinion, but thereβs still a lot more to check out and cover. If thereβs anything you want to know, please let me know in the comments below; Iβm definitely keen to try out more log modes in AtomHDR.
Δ
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Tim Fok is a freelance commercial DP based in the UK, working globally.