Lumix, Atomos and video

[ermesjo]

I appreciate the flexibility to choose between file formats like MP4, MOV or ProRes. Filming internally it’s OK. It’s using SDXC cards in slot 1 or 2. When filming ProRes RAW to my Atomos Ninja, I meet the dead end. I still wonder about my S5iiX and the Atomos Ninja. Is the only option with this setup ProRes RAW recording to the Ninja? Meaning that you do not have the option to alter between MP4, MOV, ProRes 422/HQ and ProRes RAW recordings to the Ninja. Will this mean that the (expensive) SSD on the Ninja only works with RAW? If so, it is an expensive setup, because you will also have to pay for extra computer performing costs (handling the RAW files). Internally we can alter between file formats, but not to the Ninja. So for me I need to use SDXC cards, ProRes 422HQ, and the Ninja as a monitor solely (not using the SSD disk here). I got the monitor, but in both perspectives, it is a costly solution. Do you think the «problem» can be fixed in a future firmware update? Is it a licence issue with Atomos or license for the use of RAW-files? Channeling RAW-files for my Lumix S5iiX gives only one option: only RAW-files can be saved to the Ninja SSD, not MP4, MOV or plain ProRes 422/HQ. Isn’t this a shame? Is this a question that the Lumix community have discussed before? (I watched a YouTube video that claimed (?) to fix this, but all I got was a video of my Lumix screen (with the menus and focus points). ProRes 422 to a Ninja?

 

[RuleOfThirds]

I think (and I'm not a videographer at all) that you just need to output to hdmi with any of the supported formats for the Ninja, and choose the final output format on the Ninja. Like he did in the yt movie.
How I understand how the Ninja works is that it gets its video from HDMI and stores it there in the format you like. You only need to feed the Ninja the correct hdmi movie format.

 

[ermesjo]

Yes, I tried, but what I got was the screen like you find in the viewfinder. Not a clean video. I have posted a question to Julian Krakow.

 

[ermesjo]

Hi again. I have tried again. No, I can not find a proper solution on my Ninja attached with my S5iiX. Finding #1: Menu [MOVIE], Image Format 2, HDMI RAW Data Output: ON. This option will lock any other choices, you are bound to ProRes RAW on your Ninja. Finding #2: LUMIX: [MOVIE], Image Format 1: Set Ref.File Format to ProRes. Rec.Quality to FHD, 25p, 422HQ. Menu [GEAR], In/Out, HDMI Output, set the first tree to ON, Enlarged Live Display to Mode1. On the Ninja: INPUT: HDMI Detect: Auto, Device: unknown (when choosing RAW on my Lumix, the correct camera model displays, but not here). RECORD: change codec from RAW to ProRes HQ. So what happens next? Your camera screen loose all markers, like focus point, waterpass, etc. These are all transferred to the Ninja. (The Lumix menu are all at the Ninja display.) When you start recording, like a 10 second test, and do a playback you will get a video with all the Lumix menu. Good for a YouTube if you need to explain menu-settings, but not usable for a regular video. To me, so far, with the answers I get, is that users asume that you can record 422HQ ProRes 10L to your Ninja SSD (AtomX). But that’s not the case. I wish that Lumix could change the menu to «HDMI Data Output», and leave it up to you in the [MOVIE] Image Format to either ProRes RAW or plain ProRes 422HQ. At the Atomos web-page, they explain that MP4 is not supported (and that is OK). But I will insist that a Ninja should have the option to choose between ProRes RAW and ProRes 422HQ. The latter have software corrections like lens correction (chromatic and barrel) and compression. Currently Atomos and Lumix gives you only one option: ProResRAW, with the consequence that your workflow suffers, no lens correction in Final Cut Pro and that you need a costly Mac and big disks. Why so?

 

[CharlesH]

Hi again. I have tried again.

I gave up on Atomos quite some time ago. I have the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR, and I use this when I want to record from the camera. It will record either BRAW or non-RAW ProRes. It works well with ProRes, which I typically use. The user interface is much better than the Ninja, very intuitive, and you can record ProRes to an internal SD card. The Blackmagic might better fit your requirements.

 

[ermesjo]

I gave up on Atomos quite some time ago. I have the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR, and I use this when I want to record from the camera. It will record either BRAW or non-RAW ProRes. It works well with ProRes, which I typically use. The user interface is much better than the Ninja, very intuitive, and you can record ProRes to an internal SD card. The Blackmagic might better fit your requirements.

Thanks Charles, but with little comfort. I have asked my retailer of a meeting. I wish that I also could send a request to the Board of Panasonic / Lumix to tweak the menu of my S5iiX. Maybe they read this forum or my «last gasps» in Reddit? I will not say I am fooled (over-sale), but currently I need to either save videos to slot1 as an SDXC or an external Samsung T7 SSD. Leaving my 2Tb AtomX useless. What did they plan? After all, RAW is not The Rolls-Royce. Yes, there are benefits, but it costs hefty hardware and MUCH more post-works. When I looked at my perfect Lumix lens videos with barrel errors in RAW, I realized that you just do not get corrections at all! Read page 480 in the Lumix S5iiX manual. The list of non-correctable errors is so long. Horrible! As far as I know, Final Cut Pro cannot adjust these errors. So as of 2025, I believe that all this RAW-hype is non-mature. It clearly has room for improvements. OK, I can use RAW in extreme circumstances, but I believe that ProRes 422HQ (1920x1080, 16:9, 422HQ.LPCM) or higher resolution MOV formats (3840x2160 16:9 420/10bit/LongGOP) with corrections, but slightly lesser resolution than the RAW-format is better. As of 2025. Let us hope for further User Improvements. Again, I realize that the RAW is hyped, at least the manufacturers should tell the public about the drawbacks. The non-correctable RAW - list: Master Pedestal Level, iDynamic Range, Vignetting, Diffraction, Filters, Rec.File Format, Filtering, Rec.Quality, Luminance, E-stabilization (since RAW uses all pixels edge to edge, Loop Recording, Segmented recording, Live Cropping, Color Bars, Streaming.

 

[CharlesH]

Thanks Charles, but with little comfort.

I have worked with ProRes RAW for a long long time, I was one of the first. It is well known that all of the in-camera video features do not pass through with RAW video. It is just that, it is RAW video. Any corrections need to be done in post-procesing. The single reason to shoot with ProRes RAW is for higher dynamic range, with 12 bits versus 10 bits. If you have a very high dynamic range scene that you don't think 10 bits will cover, use ProRes RAW. Otherwise don't.