Out of the blue, Nikon announced that they had just agreed to acquire the famous US cinema camera company RED. According to the press release, Nikon will “agree to acquire 100% of the outstanding membership interests of RED.com, LLC (RED).” This agreement will make RED a wholly owned subsidiary company of the Japanese camera maker.
Established in 2005, RED has been at the forefront of digital cinema cameras. This includes the original RED ONE 4K camera to the latest V-RAPTOR [X] featuring its proprietary RAW compression technology. RED cameras have been the choice for many Hollywood productions as well as cinematography teams the world over.
The recent Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was shot using the V-Raptor from RED.
Nikon meanwhile has been a household name in the photography scene since its inception way back in 1917. Since then, the brand has delivered many cameras, producing some of the most iconic photos in the world. It recently was chosen as the official camera brand for the International Space Station.
Nikon’s expertise in product development, exceptional reliability, and know-how in image processing, as well as optical technologies and user interface along with RED’s knowledge in cinema cameras, including unique image compression technology and colour science, will enable the development of distinctive products in the professional digital cinema camera market.
Nikon will leverage RED’s acquisition to expand its digital cinema product line. This expansion will be building on both companies’ business foundations and networks. It is currently unconfirmed if Nikon will maintain the RED branding or incorporate the RED brand into the mainline Nikon brand for future products. It will not be a surprise to see a future product with the tagline “RED by Nikon” soon
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