In an announcement that has many (including this author) scratching their heads, Nikon announced its plans to acquire 100% ownership of RED.com, LLC (RED). For those not familiar, RED was founded in 2007 and has gained a very loyal following in the cinematography world due to its early innovations in Raw video and cinema workflows.
Nikon states that RED will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikon.
“Since its establishment in 2005, RED has been at the forefront of digital cinema cameras, introducing industry-defining products such as the original RED ONE 4K to the cutting-edge V-RAPTOR [X] with its proprietary RAW compression technology. RED’s contributions to the film industry have not only earned it an Academy Award but have also made it the camera of choice for numerous Hollywood productions, celebrated by directors and cinematographers worldwide for its commitment to innovation and image quality optimized for the highest levels of filmmaking and video production.”
Perhaps one of the first challenges to overcome will be that RED cameras most often use cinema lenses with Canon and PL mounts. Of course Nikon isn’t currently known for their cinema lenses which is more a space controlled by Fujinon (Fujifilm) and Canon.
It seems the goal here is for Nikon to expand into the higher-end video and cinema markets.
“Nikon will leverage this acquisition to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market, building on both companies’ business foundations and networks, promising an exciting future of product development that will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in film and video production,” the company said in the announcement. “Nikon’s expertise in product development, exceptional reliability, and know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface, along with Red’s knowledge in cinema cameras, including unique image compression technology and color science, will enable the development of distinctive products.”
