The Australian company updated their 19-inch display after 5 years, essentially bringing it in line with today’s technology.
When I has reviewed The original Atomos Sumo, I thought it was a great tool on set. In fact, I’d recommend it for HDR, as it’s the cheapest option available. This is partly because it doesn’t have a true 10-bit HDR display – it does 8 + 2bit FRC display. In short, it will work for HDR monitoring on set, but won’t compete with higher-end monitors.
Since then, Atomos has released “neon” series. These monitors have full 10-bit HDR displays and cost a bit more. They’re not perfect, but they get the job done.
So it’s refreshing to see that Atomos Sumo 19″ SE actually comes with a 10-bit, 1,200-nit HDR display. On top of that, the write element can now handle 6K raw ProRes. That’s a pretty good spec bump if you ask me.
I feel that this monitor is great for shipping. After all, it’s sturdy and just the right size. However, it is too small to edit, which is why Atomos ‘Neon 24” is probably the better choice. Looks like Atomos is having problems stocking Neon in larger size now. Maybe we’ll see a worthy update to these monitors as well?
Either way, I’m glad Sumo is getting the love it deserves. It’s a pity that it doesn’t integrate directly with Atomos ‘”LINK, integrated with Frame.io. Maybe that will be saved for the Neon series refresh. New monitors can be picked up for $2,000. This is $500 cheaper than the Neon 17″, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea if the screens turned out to be comparable.
