Disclosures & Acknowledgements – The Ninja V that was used to write this guide was sent to me as a loaner unit from Atomos. This page is a companion article for my Z Cam handbook, I don’t work for Atomos, they have a support page and staff, if you need help with your Ninja V after reading this page in its entirety, that is where you should send your questions. This is just based on my own use and how I configured it for use with my Z Cam E2, follow along if you want to find out what works for me. If you do have a problem and it is solved, you can contribute your working solution in the comments section
Atomos Ninja V
The Atomos Ninja V is a 5 inch, 1000 nits monitor that can record internally to a 2.5 in Sata SSD or a specialized mini SSD. It has touchscreen settings control of many cameras and is capable of recording in the very robust ProRes Raw codec.
What Ships with the Atomos Ninja V
Your Ninja V includes base accessories to get you started, such as a mains power supply and a media Master Caddy. Additionally you will need a 2.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) or AtomX SSDmini, a compatible HDMI cable (Camera out/Ninja in) and compatible batteries. Optional AtomX accessories including power and accessory kits and are also available. Visit the Atomos website for the latest accessory options.
Official Ninja V Documentation
Atomos Accessories
AtomX SDI
The Atomos AtomX SDI module for Ninja V gives creators the ability to record and output 4K video over 12G-SDI. The AtomX SDI module turns the Ninja V into the most versatile 5-inch SDI and HDMI monitor-recorder ever built. The SDI connectivity provides flexibility for any video or film production to allow all crew including directors, cinmatographers, sound recorders and focus pullers to monitor and replay identical and calibrated content in HDR at the same time. With the AtomX SDI module, Ninja V can now be used with a wide variety of professional cameras, cinema cameras and other SDI sources.
AtomX Sync
The AtomX SYNC module brings wireless timecode, sync and control technology to the Ninja V. It connects multiple Ninja Vs, cameras and audio recorders using reliable long-range RF wireless technology patented by Timecode Systems. At the same time, it can also bring other devices into the synchronized system via Bluetooth. On iPhone and iPad this works with apps like Apogee’s MetaRecorder audio recorder, Mavis Pro camera and MovieSlate8 logging. It is also compatible with professional audio recorders like the Zoom F6 and F8n.
The AtomX SYNC module clips in-between the Ninja V and your battery using the AtomX expansion system. With a small battery inside it also acts as a hot swap continuous power battery extender, allowing you to keep your Ninja V running for approximately 5 minutes while you change the main battery.
Atomos AtomX 5 Inch Ninja V cage is the cage designed by Atomos, but there are several options to choose from below.
Third Party Accessories
Monitor Mounts
SmallRig Monitor Mounts
- Magic Arm with 1/4″ screw to 1/4″ screw, dual full 360 articulation
- Magic Arm with 1/4″ screw to Nato Clamp, dual full 360 articulation
- Magic Arm with Nato Clamp to Nato Clamp, dual full 360 articulation
- Arri Locating Pin to 1/4″ screw, full 360 swivel & tilt
- Double 1/4″ screw to 1/4″ screw, full 360 swivel & twist
- Nato Clamp to 1/4″ screw, full 360 swivel & tilt
- Arri Locating Pin to Nato Clamp, 180 tilt only
- Cold Shoe to 1/4″ screw, 180 tilt only
- Nato Clamp to 1/4″ screw, 180 tilt only
- Nato Clamp to Nato Clamp, 150 tilt only
- Nato Clamp to Nato Clamp, 360 swivel only
Nitze Monitor Mounts
- Magic Arm Full Kit, design your own mounting option
- Magic Arm 1/4″ screw to 1/4″ screw, dual full 360 articulation
- 15mm Rod Clamp to Arri Locating Pin, 360 swivel & 180 tilt
- 15mm Rod Clamp to 1/4″ screw, 360 swivel & 180 tilt
- Cold Shoe to Arri Locating Pin, 360 swivel & 180 tilt
- Cold Shoe to 1/4″ screw, 360 swivel & 180 tilt
- Nato Clamp to 1/4″ screw, 360 swivel & 180 tilt, includes 2 Nato rails
- Double 1/4″ screw to 1/4″ screw, 180 tilt only
- Double 1/4″ screw to Arri Locating Pin, 180 tilt only
Frequently Asked Questions for Atomos Ninja V for use with Z Cam
Official Atomos Resources
- Atomos Ninja V Newest Firmware
- Atomos Ninja V Quick Start Guide
- Atomos Ninja V User Manual
- Atomos Support Page
Recommended Recording Media For Atomos Ninja V
I grade these in 3 tiers based on the official list of supported drives from Atomos;
- The top tier has been tested and approved by Atomos for up to 12 bit ProRes RAW HQ @ 4K 50/60P, 12 bit CDNG RAW @ 4k 30P.
- The next tier is their partner company recording solutions, these have great compatibility but some options might not be fast enough for same bitrate demands of the top tier
- The final tier is other recommended media that has good compatibility, but if you have the budget a higher tier will be more reliable
How To Format Recording Media On Atomos Ninja V
For full instructions refer to page 12 of the Atomos Ninja V User Manual.
- Insert recording media into Ninja V while powered off
- Boot up Ninja V
- Tap the media menu button, refer to top picture to the right for help locating
- In the Media Menu tap on format to initialize the format
Using partnered media such as G-Technology 4K SSD, Angelbird 4KRAW, AtomX SSDmini by Angelbird and Sony will present the option for secure erase. This is recommended because it wipes all data from the drive, including the cache, which restores the drives to as close to factory conditions as possible.
How To Update Firmware on Atomos Ninja V
- Download the latest firmware from Atomos. You can check your current firmware version on the info menu screen.
- Extract the file ATOMNJV.FW from the firmware zip file.
- Copy ATOMNJV.FW onto a drive in a Master Caddy. It is crucial that AtomNJV.FW is placed in the root directory, and not inside of a folder to ensure proper install
- With your Ninja V powered off, insert your drive with that latest ATOMNJV.FW on it
- Power up your Ninja V
- Watch the screen. The Atomos logo will appear and then be replaced with a Please Wait message and after a few seconds, the firmware upgrade will start.
How to Load a LUT onto the Atomos Ninja V
- Copy .CUBE file onto SSD using your computer and a SATA to USB interface
- Navigate to the LUTs sub menu in monitoring tools
- Select the desired slot you want to load your custom LUT, and tap on the folder icon
- Navigate through the file system to the LUT file you want to load. Press on the same of the LUT to select it and again to import it
Getting Started with ProRes Raw external Recording with a Z Cam and Atomos Ninja V
Total time to get up & running 10 minutes.
ITS HERE! Learn start to finish all the steps you need to follow to enable ProRes RAW & camera control functionality with an Atomos Ninja V and Z Cam E2 series of cameras. The only pre-existing knowledge needed to follow these steps can be found in the three FAQ’s directly above this how to guide.
- Update Z Cam Firmware to 0.96 (or newer)
Guide in my Z Cam Handbook. For 5.8k resolution to work properly on S6, F6, and F8 you MUST be on 0.96, 4k will still work on 0.95 but not any firmware previous to that.
- Update Atomos Ninja V Firmware to 10.5 (or newer)
Guide in the FAQ above. - Free Activation of ProRes Raw
If you just bought a brand new Atomos Ninja V to go with your Z Cam then you might need to activate your ProRes RAW (“PRR”) license. Link to Atomos activation page. Input your email, the code displaying on your Ninja V in the form, and select ProRes RAW. A 4 digit code will appear after you submit, enter this into your Ninja V. If you are on a Windows operating system, now would also be a good time to make sure you have the latest version of Apple ProRes RAW for Windows to be able to playback PRR on your computer.
- Download & Import Preferred Vlog monitoring LUT
Click here to start a download of the Vlog LUTs that Kinson posted on the day of release. Click here to go back up to the importing LUT FAQ for help. Be sure to watch for Dan Ludeman’s upcoming post in the Z Cam Facebook group in the next few days for more info about his favorite LUTs.
- Z Cam Settings to Enable ProRes RAW External Recording
In the Record Menu in your camera body set the to either 6k (on supported models), 4k or C4k. Now change the Raw Over HDMI setting from off to on. Enabling this setting disables many other settings in camera, so only turn it on when intending to send a clean HDMI
- Atomos Ninja V Settings to Enable ProRes RAW with a Z Cam
In the Input Menu on your Atomos Ninja V change HDMI Standard from 2.0 to Z-Cam, if you want to enable simultaneous internal and external recording with Z Cam then also change Trigger source to HDMI and swap Trigger to on. 
Under the Ninja V Record Menu, make sure you are in ProRes RAW Codec, which will let you select ProRes RAW or PRR HQ compression.
If you want to acquire time-code information from your camera body then make sure HDMI is the source under the Ninja V Timecode Menu.
Atomos Ninja V Touch Commands & Menus Explained
Some menus don’t have a main screen shortcut, but here is a list of all the touch shortcuts for the main screen.
- Video Input Menu
- Gamut
- Video Output Menu
- Monitoring Gamma
- Codec
- Metering
- Media
- Battery
- REC / PLAY / MON / EDIT
- Monitoring Tools & Features
- Settings
Video Input Menu
Simply tap the source input menu to the top left of the screen to bring up the input control panel. This panel is a command center for all devices connected to the Ninja V and will assist you with connectivity by indicating if the signal is active or if attention is required.
Official Ninja V Documentation
Video Output Menu
Record Menu
File Menu
Meters Menu
Audio Menu
Media Menu
Timecode Menu
Date Menu
Battery Menu
Info Menu
