While not internally, the Canon EOS R5 will be able to record full-frame 8K 30FPS ProRes RAW via the newly announced Ninja V+ from Atomos. This capability will be allowed by a firmware upgrade coming later in 2021.

Atomos Ninja V+

Yesterday, Atomos has announced the Ninja V+ recorder which is a significant upgrade to its predecessor Ninja V. The Ninja V+ delivers high-quality accurate monitoring and extended recording capabilities for the camera of choice by delivering support for continuous recording of 8Kp30 and 4Kp120 in Apple ProRes RAW. The Ninja V+ key features are 1920 x 1080 touchscreen display, HDMI 2.0 Input/Output, record up to 8K30 ProRes Raw, and H.265 Codec Pre-Activated. According to Atomos, the Ninja V+ sports a new stealth grey bezel and expands the processing power to deliver for 8k and high-frame-rate RAW recording. One of the first cameras to “work” with the Ninja V+, is Canon EOS R5.

Canon R5 + ProRes RAW

The Ninja V+ will be able to record full-frame 8K 30FPS ProRes RAW when connected to a Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera (external recording). As stated by Atomos: “Atomos and Canon are delighted to be bringing customers a world-first for capturing stunning pristine 8K images with such an affordable, capable and compact camera system. This will be a true game-changer in content creation. Coupled with the proven Full Frame Canon EOS R5, this combination will propel content creators to a whole new level of production values. In order to activate this capability, a firmware update is needed (Coming later in 2021).

Other RAW options

Last month, we’ve reported on a new RAW implemented in the most recent Canon EOS R5 firmware upgrade, which is the Canon RAW (Light). The Canon RAW (Light) is a new RAW by Canon (not to be confused with the known Cinema RAW Light implemented on Cinema EOS cameras) which offers a better compression/bitrate ratio. The RAW (Light) is available on the EOS R5 and EOS 1D X Mark III cameras only (for now). For instance, when recording 8K on the EOS R5, in RAW mode the bitrate is 2,600 Mbps vs 1,700 Mbps in the RAW (Light). However, this RAW is being recorded internally on the Canon R5, without the need of purchasing any added components.

Initial insights

The ability to record FF 8K externally from the Canon EOS R5 is pretty impressive and it might be a well-requested feature by R5 shooters. However, you’ll have to buy the Ninja V+ which is three times more expensive compared to its predecessor – the Ninja V (see prices in the Product List at the end of the article). For now, you can record 8K FF RAW (Light) internally without the need of investing $1,500 more. Nevertheless, all the hassle will be remained to post-production and workflow, as ProRes RAW is much more post-friendly than Canon’s RAW. So what should you choose? Paying $1,500 for the ability to shoot ProRes RAW? Or shooing the build-in Canon RAW Light?

Product List

• Recorder: Atomos Ninja V+ 5”. Price: $1,500 [maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://adorama.rfvk.net/RyGGKR” ]
• Recorder: Atomos Ninja V 5”. Price: $600 [maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://adorama.rfvk.net/4eGG2r” ]
• Camera: Canon EOS R5. Price: $3,900 [maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://adorama.rfvk.net/YgRRLB” ]