Nikon Goes Hollywood, Snaps Up Camera Giant RED In Blockbuster Deal
RED Digital Cinema has been famous for its high resolution images and beautiful colors. A Hollywood favorite, especially for more adventurous cinematographers who do not want to use staple Arri cameras, it has helped blaze a trail for many creators. RED helped to usher in the use of digital formats in the film space, a huge boon for all. RED has also been an independent and risk-taking company since its inception, but that may be changing.
Nikon, the massive Japanese manufacturer of cameras, has announced a purchase of the entirety of the RED Digital Cinema company. In this stunning move, Nikon will now have access to the patents and other goodies that RED has amassed over time.
Nikon, the massive Japanese manufacturer of cameras, has announced a purchase of the entirety of the RED Digital Cinema company. In this stunning move, Nikon will now have access to the patents and other goodies that RED has amassed over time.
R3D Raw, RED's patented video raw format, has been in contention between manufactures for years in terms of its application. RED famously sued Nikon recently, which had used its data compression technology in the Nikon Z9 camera. With Nikon now owning RED, the possibilities for technological advancements within Nikon cameras should be interesting to watch.
While Nikon has a heavy consumer focus with its lineup of cameras, RED has traditionally appealed to professionals and the heavy-duty cinema crowd. Its products are typically much more expensive and focused solely on video, not photography.
Nikon often competes with Canon, which has a similar lineup of consumer cameras that have been popular for decades. Canon also has a more robust cinema camera lineup, something that Nikon currently lacks. The acquisition of RED should surely be followed by some stellar cinema-grade products from Nikon, both with the hardware and software. Having access to the RED patents will be a tremendous help, since the system is already proven and robust.
RED has made some strides into the more affordable consumer cinema market with its RED Komodo camera released a few years ago. Blending a cheaper price point with RED's high image quality, this camera has been very popular with cinema professionals and consumers. RED likely will benefit from being under the wing of such a massive company such as Nikon, which will have more financial resources for future development.
Nikon often competes with Canon, which has a similar lineup of consumer cameras that have been popular for decades. Canon also has a more robust cinema camera lineup, something that Nikon currently lacks. The acquisition of RED should surely be followed by some stellar cinema-grade products from Nikon, both with the hardware and software. Having access to the RED patents will be a tremendous help, since the system is already proven and robust.
RED has made some strides into the more affordable consumer cinema market with its RED Komodo camera released a few years ago. Blending a cheaper price point with RED's high image quality, this camera has been very popular with cinema professionals and consumers. RED likely will benefit from being under the wing of such a massive company such as Nikon, which will have more financial resources for future development.
