I'm going to at last get a monitor, not just for the bigger display, but for the focus peaking and zebras (to name just a couple of reasons why).

Now the first question I need to resolve, is do I get just a monitor by itself (such as one of the SmallHD monitors) or get a combined monitor/recorder (such as from Atomos).

Currently my situation is I'm using a Nikon D5200 plus a BMPCC that has just arrived with future upgrading plans of maybe perhaps getting a Panasonic GH4 in a few months from now. (slim possibility it might be instead a Sony A7S, or even a Samsung NX1. Could even be something that hasn't be released yet! I'm in no rush, I'll wait and see) So whatever I'm picking should be suited for what I've got now (& in the near future).

Am thinking I've narrowed down my decision to Ninja Blade vs Ninja 2.

I'm leaning towards getting the Atomos Ninja Blade (it is worth it over the cheaper Ninja 2???), for a few reasons (let me know if they're good reasons or not! I'm just presuming here): a) I'm thinking using SSDs could be better than SD cards in the BMPCC (though not being able to record CinemaDNG raw to SSD is a pity) b) having the ability to tag good/bad takes on set with AtomosOS seems like it could be a big time saver when doing rush edits. c) no time recording limit with the Nikon D5200 (if I got just a monitor, I expect I'd then get a Blackmagic Design: HyperDeck Shuttle as well. Well, or maybe maybe wait a few months to see if NikonHacker removes the recording time limit on the D5200)

But on the flip side the Ninja 2 is significantly cheaper.... so I wonder, is the older Ninja 2's screen satisfactory for pulling focus or is the Blade's high resolution screen going to be a huge bonus here?

Probably the biggest point of confusion I have between the two is how the Ninja Blade and Ninja 2 run different version of Atomos OS (with the Blade having the newer version of course), as I can't seem to clearly find any info on what specifically is the benefits of that. (such as around workflow around tagging clips on set and then in post)

Thoughts/criticism/suggestions? I'm all ears!