Ninja 2 stops recordingwith Sony PMW-EX1R

[Anthony Botta]

*Problem: Ninja 2 stops recording on it's own or will jitter/break file or stop when slight panning of camera.

Camera: Sony PMW-EX1R. Not used very often. Have been using external monitor with no problems so HDMI port should be fine.

Recorder: Atomos Ninja 2 with latest firmware

Media: (2) Sandisk 480g Extreme Pro SSD's (approved model - brand new)

HDMI Cables: Short, good quality from B&H photo. Have tried several. Tight connections. Supported so not pulling on ports. No adapters/splitters, etc.

I have tried different combinations of settings and all cause problems. Sometimes the recording lasts lone (up to around 3 hours), sometimes 10 minutes. Camera on tripod. Only movement is occasional panning. Sometimes Ninja 2 just stops recording. Sometimes when I pan. Sometimes image jitters then it resumes with a new file. Some of these time the files need to be repaired.

Settings I've tried:

Sony Camera: - Timecode: Set to time of day. (not record run, but from what I've heard/tried this camera cannot trigger a start of the ninja anyway. Is this true???)

Ninja 2: - Timecode: Trigger: None/timecode / Timecode: Time of day

CODEC: Prores LT mostly but also tried Prores 422 and Prores 422 HQ


Video Settings (Note: The Ninja 2 only gave me 3 options):

Sony Camera: 1920HQ/30P (1080P with 30FPS, although through HDMI I believe it is 60i)

Ninja 2: 2:3 1080P / 1080i 5994 / 3:2 1080P 23.98 (greyed out/cannot select)

and

Sony Camera: 1920HQ/24P (1080P with 24FPS, although through HDMI I believe it is 60i)

Ninja 2: 2:3 1080P / 1080i 5994 / 3:2 1080P 23.98

All combinations have caused problems. Is the unit defective or is this an issue with my camera and the Ninja 2? Are there some other settings I need to set?

Thank you

[Gary Huff]

Do you get a kangaroo icon or the recording just stops?

[Anthony Botta]

Sometimes I get that icon. sometimes not, But like I said, I do not shake or vibrate the camera/ninja so not sure why I get it at all.

I have ordered a replacement in case this one is defective. But I fear the new one will do the same thing and that it is a communication problem with my camera. I have not been able to find much information on the internet of anyone with this problem. I have found some similar posts but nothing that was helpful. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Otherwise I will update when the replacement one arrives.

Thanks

[Jack Zhang]

The EX1R's HDMI does not have HDMI timecode.

I think the EX1R's HDMI just sometimes has random compatibility issues. I know when I tried to plug directly into an Epson projector it just refused to show any signal.

Try with a SDI signal into a Connect S2H to see if the problem presists. I know sometimes the EX1R is very particular about what HDMI devices get picture.

[Anthony Botta]

Thanks for the advice. It would be nice to know that before I bought the ninja 2. If this is a known issue they should mention it in their camera compatibility list, and I think B&H Photo (where I bought it) should be aware. Unfortunately I was hoping to use it this weekend so I don't have time to get the converter. Plus it kind of stinks that after I spent almost $1,000 (on the ninja and accessories) that I have to spend another $300 to try a converter.

I am getting a replacement Ninja 2 tomorrow so I will test that but I figure it will do the same thing.

But I assume if this is an issue with the EX1R then probably any external HDMI recorder will have issues? I've been using an external monitor for a while with no issues. But I guess that is different than an external recorder.

Also I've been searching online for a while and although I've seen some ninja 2 posts with issues, I have not seem to come across anything explaining what is happening with me or mentioning anything about the EX1R having issues with an external recorder. Maybe I have to search harder.

Thank you for your response.

[Jack Zhang]

It's just been my personal experience. 99% of the time the HDMI detection on the EX1R will give the display/recorder a picture, but it takes a while (6-8 seconds if it chooses to be slow) and is picky to 1% of HDMI devices.

You should have 2:2 pulldown on for 1920/30p. The HDMI only outputs 60i. The SDI can be set to 1080 24psF, which the converter would turn into native 1080p progressive in 24p. In 30p, turn on 2:2 pulldown even if you're going through a converter.

[Anthony Botta]

Thank You. I should have the replacement ninja today. So I'll see if it performs any better. If not then i guess i wont use any backup for this weekend. But maybe after I'll look into a converter or just return the ninja and look into something else.

Thanks

[Anthony Botta]

Well no good news. The new replacement Ninja 2 was totally defective. Screen just showed vertical lines. Couldn't do anything. I called Atomos and they agreed. They suggested I reinstall the firmware update to the old unit as that sometimes doesn't install properly. They said what I'm experiencing should not be happening.

I did that and it ran for an hour with no problems. I tried again a little later and after 10 minutes I did a quick pan and it stopped recording.

So I no longer trust Atomos. I will have to work without backup this weekend. And next week I will ship everything back to B&H. Very frustrating. Back to square one.

[Jack Zhang]

I've heard of a lot of issues with quality control with them, even with the highest end Shogun.

FWIW, the Blackmagic Hyperdeck Shuttle (soon to be supplemented with the Blackmagic Video Assist) is a safer bet right now. Personally, if I need broadcast compliant footage at or above 50mbps, I use a Nanoflash.

[Anthony Botta]

I was looking at the hyperdeck shuttle but did not like something wih no display where I couldn't tell how much recording time was left, etc. and when I looked up nanoflash it said it was discontinued.

I'm not really looking for something with better quality either. I like having the option of being able to record with better quality than my camera but for what i do my main goal is backup in case something goes wrong. I like having 2 copies of the footage. So maybe I'll look into a different manufacturer and one that connects via SDI instead of hdmi.

Thank you.

[Jack Zhang]

The Blackmagic Video Assist should do for you then. It's a 5'' 1080p monitor and a ProRes/DNxHD recorder that records to SDXC cards. Has both SDI and HDMI and can take in a maximum of 1080p60.

[Anthony Botta]

Oh that sounds pretty good. I'll have to take a look into that.
Thanks