If you’re serious about multi-camera video production, but on a bit of a budget then this is the product for you – because it will work and work well! You have to admire Blackmagic for continuing to offer such a range of products affordable to everyone within a certain price range without scrimping on invaluable specs. Depending on your style of video you can be as creative as you want with a few useful transitions or stick to basic hard cuts. Either way your Youtube or Twitch followers won’t help but notice a massive improvement in your video streams moving from 1 basic webcam mounted on your laptop to this user friendly and super sleek video switcher that’s pretty close to flawless in its price category.
Pros
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Ready to go plug and play.
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Small, lightweight & portable
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Cheap
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2 x Audio (Mic) inputs
Cons
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No 4K compatibility
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Only 1 X HDMI Output
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Small sleek, and straight forward, the Blackmagic ATEM Mini. This is the latest video switcher (AKA Vision Mixer) in the ATEM family by Blackmagic Design. It is most affordable entry level product to date, with other products in the family costing thousands the budget-priced ATEM mini gives a lot of bang for its buck.
The Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini allows you to create high end professional live multi camera productions for streams, recordings or video presentations. Multi-camera broadcasts have been an industry standard for years, but with this powerful device you can now bring home higher production levels into your own streams and video projects.
With it’s simple design this production switcher is ready to go right out of the box. Aimed at YouTubers and bloggers the ATEM Mini is quick & easy to setup. In the box you will find the switcher itself, and a power cord. All you need to add are the HDMI cables with the relevant connections to your device. Whether it be an iPad, DSLR, camcorder or games console, you’ll be able to attach any device to the switcher via one of its four HDMI ports.
As ATEM Mini acts as a webcam, you can easily use the USB out to connect to any video software or by using the HDMI out to go to another screen or projector. The control buttons are well designed with clear lighting indicators for on/off. They are easy to press and make selections, but strong enough that you can rest your fingers on them without feeling like you’re going to accidentally switch to the wrong camera before you’re ready.
If you’re just starting out as a blogger or have even been doing it for a fair while now, you’ll likely only be using two cameras at most, but the ATEM Mini will allow you to have up to four inputs via HDMI. It will easily allow you to cut between cameras instantly, or by using simple fades & dissolves for added style or effect. If you’re a games reviewer it will also allow for picture in picture display so you can simultaneously show your viewers what you are playing whilst talking them through the gameplay without any lag from separate sources.
Blackmagic ATEM Mini: Performance
Up until now any vision mixers on small or major productions have usually come with a hefty price tag and have usually been aimed at professional productions. But now, for most people at home we have now been in the digital age for quite some time, and the ability to synchronize all of our equipment together in one place is important. The ATEM Mini does this with ease making all sources identical in frame rate and resolution to the product connected in HDMI port 1.
For slightly more advanced users it also has a keyer function built in to add on screen graphics with chroma keying. If you’ve been wanting to up your production values and not bought a production switcher before, this is the one for you.
We’ve struggled to find anything on this level for much less than double the price of the ATEM Mini, and at such an amazingly low price for a high end product this is a no brainer, and will instantly take your vlogging to the next level.
