BREAKING: Nikon Acquires Red!

Here's the news: https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/0307_01.html

Wow.
Now that's breaking news!

In the history of the internet there have been over 23 billion posts written in all caps. Finally, one is worthy of the caps lock key.

Good Luck

So, now all three Japanese former photographic companies have a professional motion camera line.
Interesting times!

So firmly set the future for N-Raw.
Keeping or phasing out REDcode? It's getting a bit long in the tooth.
And ProRes Raw?
Definelt no BRAW.
And another blow against Atomos, I guess.

Nikon also do have the robotics subsidiary.

Well, Red themselves have phased out the good, old wavelet codec and replaced it with DCT in recent models.

I hope Nikon rebrands everything and stops that stupid cult.
I'm down for a Nikon Cinema line.

I imagined it would be Apple that would either license raw on a hundred million iPhone 16s or buy Red outright.

Nikon? Other than raw, what do they need from Red? 12G driver specs? Cinema Gravitas? The Raw War between Braw and Prores Raw has thus far been a cold one. Maybe Nikon shakes it up a bit.

Good Luck

Nikon? Other than raw, what do they need from Red? 12G driver specs? Cinema Gravitas? The Raw War between Braw and Prores Raw has thus far been a cold one. Maybe Nikon shakes it up a bit.

Good Luck

RED got a way out and cashed in.
Nikon got their foot into Cinema.

hopefully theres not a firmware update that'll require me to pull focus backwards now

hopefully theres not a firmware update that'll require me to pull focus backwards now

Don't sweat Pat. Should you ever have to use one, the newer Nikon Z cameras have an option to reverse the manual focus direction for the new Z lenses.

So, now all three Japanese former photographic companies have a professional motion camera line.
Interesting times!

Not to worry, Sigma will merge with Blackmagic Design!

Massive for Nikon, not so sure for RED.
My prediction...... Nikon bought them for the tech and over time will incorporate that into their own cameras/new 'cinema camera' line up. Ultimately the RED name will be killed off. I doubt Canon will allow the continued use of the RF mount, then again why would Nikon even want to.
As an ecosystem who would invest in a new RED camera right now? If you had one on deposit you would cancel? I would, until the dust settled and Nikon were crystal clear in their roadmap for the future. Words are cheap (as in the Nikon press release).
With ARRI having a stranglehold on 'Hollywood', and quality cameras becoming ever cheaper, it strikes me that this is a way out for RED. Add in Nikon has no 'cinema' line and struggles competing against Canon and Sony (who are market leaders in both genres) it does appear a last ditch effort for them.
Understandably a mixed bag of comments over on REDuser.

Whatever anyone says about RED no one can deny that RED changed the world of cinema and for that I will be forever grateful. I'm currently editing a new showreel and once upon a time there would have been only one camera used (Arriflex). The footage I'm editing has been shot across a real mixed bag of cameras. I have been seeking critics from a range of people, all advising different tweaks here and there. But none of them have been able to tell me what has been shot on RED, ARRI, Canon, Sony or Blackmagic and that includes the original big URSA 4K, (which I still occasionally shoot on!) but mostly 6K Pro. Motion, like stills, is a tough market to be. RED (and actually the 5D) started a revolution. Blackmagic have continued it. I'm still very grateful.
I'm all for increasing the range of options to shoot with so I hope this works out for both RED and Nikon, however I think it's going to probably get messy first.

The Nikon press release draws attention to Red’s unique compression techniques. As long as Red is operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Nikon, looks like Red’s dubious patent for in-camera raw compression will continue to be enforced.

The press release is very limited and circumspect about what this really means going forward. For example, will a Nikon-branded cinema camera line emerge or will Red continue to be enhanced for decades under the Red brand?

What happens to Mr. Jarred Land, President?

The internet may break today with rabid conjecture. Naw, think about it. The really big news in terms of a generational impact is Taylor Swift’s entreaty to Americans to vote (for you know who).

Below is the press release issued by RED​

RED Digital Cinema Announces it will be Acquired by Nikon Corporation

HOLLYWOOD (March 6, 2024) – In a landmark move, RED Digital Cinema (RED.com, LLC), is excited to announce it will be acquired by Nikon Corporation (Nikon). The agreement with Nikon, reached with RED’s Founder Jim Jannard and President Jarred Land, signifies a new era of innovation and excellence in the professional filmmaking sector.

This strategic partnership brings together Nikon’s extensive history and expertise in product development, know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface, with RED’s revolutionary digital cinema cameras and award-winning technologies.

For over 17 years, RED has been at the forefront of digital cinema, introducing industry-defining products such as the original RED ONE 4K to the cutting-edge 8K V-RAPTOR X, all powered by RED’s proprietary REDCODE RAW compression. RED’s contributions to the film industry earned a Scientific and Technical Academy Award, and their cameras have been used on Oscar-winning films. RED is the choice for numerous Hollywood productions and is celebrated by directors and cinematographers worldwide for its commitment to innovation and image quality optimized for the highest levels of filmmaking, documentaries, commercials and video production.

This acquisition marks a significant milestone for Nikon, melding its rich heritage in professional and consumer imaging with RED’s innovative prowess. Together, Nikon and RED are poised to redefine the professional digital cinema camera market, promising an exciting future of product development that will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in film and video production.

Stay tuned for more updates as Nikon and RED embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of cinema technology.

RED DISCUSSION
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Thats funny because we thought RED Komodo swapped tech with Canon to use its RF mount and AF in exchange for compress RAW but being bought by Nikon will mean IP rights belonging to Canon might be a problem and not least future RED cameras.

The Nikon press release draws attention to Red’s unique compression techniques. As long as Red is operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Nikon, looks like Red’s dubious patent for in-camera raw compression will continue to be enforced.

It's going to be interesting, and I can kinda see Nikon also licensing out REDCODE to allow other manufactures to use it. That being said, if Nikon does allowing for licensing of the patents, we may finally see ProRes Raw come to Resolve.

How will Blackmagic respond? Go in partnership with another, camera division sold to a major camera maker (Sony)?

In the end small companies gets absorbed by big companies.

How will Blackmagic respond? Go in partnership with another, camera division sold to a major camera maker (Sony)?

Maybe Apple will acquire Blackmagic Design and kill Final Cut Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve Studio being under their professional video editing software. Then the Cinema Cameras will get fed some nice R&D money from that hefty Apple money. They just killed their Apple Car division, so they could be looking to invest in a new market.

How will Blackmagic respond? Go in partnership with another, camera division sold to a major camera maker (Sony)?

Maybe Apple will acquire Blackmagic Design and kill Final Cut Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve Studio being under their professional video editing software. Then the Cinema Cameras will get fed some nice R&D money from that hefty Apple money. They just killed their Apple Car division, so they could be looking to invest in a new market.

Given BMD developing Apple apps that might be a clue were Blackmagic is heading to

How will Blackmagic respond? Go in partnership with another, camera division sold to a major camera maker (Sony)?

Maybe Apple will acquire Blackmagic Design and kill Final Cut Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve Studio being under their professional video editing software. Then the Cinema Cameras will get fed some nice R&D money from that hefty Apple money. They just killed their Apple Car division, so they could be looking to invest in a new market.

Apple shareholders, which I've been for almost 15 years, and Apple management, see Apple as a consumer market hardware company. Becoming a maker and vendor of niche video cameras doesn't fit.

Based on clues dropped by John Brawley awhile back, it seems clear there is some sort of larger Apple-BMD partnership in the works but I agree that it seems unlikely to involve the camera line, probably just focused on the software end.

The threat to Canon is most obviouse with Nikon now owns RED they will be charging and even excluding Canon from using compressed RAW. Blackmagic might benefit should Canon adopt BRAW and get into bed wih a technology exchange. Imagine BMD cameras getting RF mounts, continuous AF and in body stabilisation.

Maybe Apple will acquire Blackmagic Design and kill Final Cut Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve Studio being under their professional video editing software...

I expect not, at least not while Tim Cook is in charge. And not while Grant Petty is Grant Petty, meaning true to character.

Imagine BMD cameras getting RF mounts, continuous AF and in body stabilisation.

According to most of the people on this forum, proper cinema cameras don't have, and proper cinematographers don't use, "continuous AF and in body stabilisation"

Imagine BMD cameras getting RF mounts, continuous AF and in body stabilisation.

According to most of the people on this forum, proper cinema cameras don't have, and proper cinematographers don't use, "continuous AF and in body stabilisation"

We know Would you bet most people on this forum not use any of those features?

I imagined it would be Apple that would either license raw on a hundred million iPhone 16s or buy Red outright.

Nikon? Other than raw, what do they need from Red? 12G driver specs? Cinema Gravitas? The Raw War between Braw and Prores Raw has thus far been a cold one. Maybe Nikon shakes it up a bit.

Good Luck

The cinema gravitas is my guess. Nikon reps told me at NAB that they wanted to get into video, and really hasn't accomplished that much market wise in spite of some pretty good technology development.

My guess therefore is that it's for basically the same reason that Adobe bought Frame.IO: to buy the customer base.

Thats funny because we thought RED Komodo swapped tech with Canon to use its RF mount and AF in exchange for compress RAW but being bought by Nikon will mean IP rights belonging to Canon might be a problem and not least future RED cameras.

I'm pretty sure the IP cross licensing deal with Canon was more than a guess, but how it will evolve going forward will depend on how Nikon and Red deal with the new organization. If it's a subsidiary relationship, then Red will probably acquire new branding and share technology with its new parent company, and maybe we'll finally see an end to the silly militaristic marketing mumbo jumbo.

We'd probably if that's the case also see more technology sharing between the two, in areas like sensor design. since even though neither has in-house sensor manufacturing, both do custom sensor design. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they both used the same sensor fabrication partner already...

It's going to be interesting, and I can kinda see Nikon also licensing out REDCODE to allow other manufactures to use it. That being said, if Nikon does allowing for licensing of the patents, we may finally see ProRes Raw come to Resolve.

Red already licenses Redcode to other manufacturers, and Nikon probably has no influence whatsoever in ProRes Raw in Resolve.

Maybe Apple will acquire Blackmagic Design and kill Final Cut Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve Studio being under their professional video editing software. Then the Cinema Cameras will get fed some nice R&D money from that hefty Apple money. They just killed their Apple Car division, so they could be looking to invest in a new market.

Remember what happened the last time Apple did something like that.

Shake ceased to exist because of the Crapple Effect, and D2 sold Nuke to The Foundry, and now owns professional VFX with an even stronger stranglehold than Black Magic has on color.

Maybe Apple will acquire Blackmagic Design and kill Final Cut Pro in favor of DaVinci Resolve Studio being under their professional video editing software.

I'd rather see Apple get Ma Belled!

Well, alternative ideas on acquisitions and mergers can exist. I was mainly speculating.

Nonetheless, I think future REDs will have the Nikon Z Mount instead of the RF. Then the Raptor XL will continue to have PL.

Maybe we will have some PL Mount Nikkor Cinema Lenses!

Either way, the thing about Blackmagic is that DaVinci Resolve is hands down their most valuable asset. So anyone acquiring or merging with them would probably mainly focus on throwing a lot behind Resolve, and then the cameras to have that nice workflow.

Resolve however will continue to support REDRAW. Maybe even NikonRAW will replace REDRAW in the naming.

On the short term we won't see many changes. In the next 2-3 years they both will probably operate as they have been operating.

…Nikon probably has no influence whatsoever in ProRes Raw in Resolve.

What I was meaning is that if Nikon doesn’t follow the footsteps of Red by suing any company that’s wants to do internal raw recording that isn’t partially debayered, and is a lenient for companies to do such. Then hopefully that will be a big enough push for BMD to do ProRes Raw since it will be more widely available and outside of influence from Atomos. One can only wish.

Tim, besides Resolve what do you see as Blackmagic Design's major source of income? I mean they give Resolve for free away with almost everything. I would "guess" it's not the cameras uniquely, and not Resolve uniquely, but the broadcast, editing, hardware and cloud integrated universe as a whole.

And if you look at Blackmagic as a potential acquisition target as at some point it probably will be, it will have more interested buyers than Red. BMD could be a target for private equity firms as an investment strategy with growth potential. I see Red as more of a camera company that has run its course, reached it's potential, Jannard sunsetting out before its inevitable decline, employee layoffs etc. BMD isn't putting all its eggs in one basket. My sense is that Red sold to a camera company that saw specific opportunities from controlling it, but not in growing the brand.

Tim, besides Resolve what do you see as Blackmagic Design's major source of income? I mean they give Resolve for free away with almost everything. I would "guess" it's not the cameras uniquely, and not Resolve uniquely, but the broadcast, editing, hardware and cloud integrated universe as a whole.

Blackmagic has major income from the Broadcast space with the ATEM and other Broadcast gear they provide. Beyond that they provide a lot of hardware across the industry to assist in production in various ways with their VideoHubs, etc. Their tech is used for a lot of VFX industry with LED Volumes and such.

Then cameras is another big one for them. Resolve they primarily make money from the hardware they sell with it. They give the software away for free basically by making money off the hardware.

If it was for sale why didnt Blackmagic buy RED?

And announce it at NAB 2024?

Nobody can just buy Blackmagicdesign as the company is privately owned.
That’s also the reason why they are where they are and why you keep seeing the same people for decades being responsible for development in their respective branch. BMD seems to have a flat hierarchy and lots of dedicated developers, led by Grant Petty and his and his team’s visions.
I find this remarkable because I have seen a lot of other companies burning through developers due to crazy never ending crunch times and goalpost zigzag.

And announce it at NAB 2024?

KOMODO 8K Z10

The culture of Nikon being quite different from that of Red, the attack animals and weaponry branding may just give way to model numbers. Some might regard that as an advance.

Nobody can just buy Blackmagicdesign as the company is privately owned.
That’s also the reason why they are where they are and why you keep seeing the same people for decades being responsible for development in their respective branch. BMD seems to have a flat hierarchy and lots of dedicated developers, led by Grant Petty and his and his team’s visions.
I find this remarkable because I have seen a lot of other companies burning through developers due to crazy never ending crunch times and goalpost zigzag.

I'm not sure of your point. Red was privately owned. When Grant is ready to retire, he can pass it to his heirs, negotiate a private sale with an interested party, take it public, do anything he wants. All I was saying is that when that point in time comes, BMD has more intrinsic value for its growth potential than Red did as basically just a company that sold cameras.

I'm not sure of your point. Red was privately owned. When Grant is ready to retire, he can pass it to his heirs, negotiate a private sale with an interested party, take it public, do anything he wants. All I was saying is that when that point in time comes, BMD has more intrinsic value for its growth potential than Red did as basically just a company that sold cameras.

That's not how private equity works, they're not investors in the usual sense. "Growth potential" is beside the point. They look for retail operations which they can load with debt, saddle with their own management fees, then cut costs (labor) and strip down, to sell for a profit. Sometimes the company survives the assault and sometimes it doesn't. But either way, private equity makes money. The point isn't to make a great company. It's to make a lot of money.

I'm not sure of your point. Red was privately owned. When Grant is ready to retire, he can pass it to his heirs, negotiate a private sale with an interested party, take it public, do anything he wants. All I was saying is that when that point in time comes, BMD has more intrinsic value for its growth potential than Red did as basically just a company that sold cameras.

That's not how private equity works, they're not investors in the usual sense. "Growth potential" is beside the point. They look for retail operations which they can load with debt, saddle with their own management fees, then cut costs (labor) and strip down, to sell for a profit. Sometimes the company survives the assault and sometimes it doesn't. But either way, private equity makes money. The point isn't to make a great company. It's to make a lot of money.

Thank you, I know how investments, IPO's and private equity firms work.

Nobody can just buy Blackmagicdesign as the company is privately owned.
That’s also the reason why they are where they are and why you keep seeing the same people for decades being responsible for development in their respective branch. BMD seems to have a flat hierarchy and lots of dedicated developers, led by Grant Petty and his and his team’s visions.
I find this remarkable because I have seen a lot of other companies burning through developers due to crazy never ending crunch times and goalpost zigzag.

I'm not sure of your point. Red was privately owned. When Grant is ready to retire, he can pass it to his heirs, negotiate a private sale with an interested party, take it public, do anything he wants. All I was saying is that when that point in time comes, BMD has more intrinsic value for its growth potential than Red did as basically just a company that sold cameras.

That was meant for Tim as he mentioned Apple might buy BMD.
I agree that Grant someday will have to make a decision about the future, but I think is a very smart guy and will make sure his legacy will remain.

That was meant for Tim as he mentioned Apple might buy BMD.

Yeah, I am not anticipating Apple to buy BMD. Was more playing to a degree. Still, I think Blackmagic can do partnerships. I would hope that they are partnering with Apple to get the best performance out of the Camera App on the iPhone. Plus Apple does use Resolve a lot in promotional material for their latest Mac Computers.

Ultimately as a Private Company BMD has the right to sell should someone come along and offer them enough money. At the same time they have the right to refuse any such offers.

So I guess this thread represents a partial snapshot of what Nikon have in mind buying out Red - cinematographers and videographers talking about Nikon. The last time Nikon got a real mention in this world was when they went ahead and updated the firmware on the Z9 to record internal raw and all the furore that caused.

However, although the internal raw furore turned a lot of heads and Nikon have produced a couple of very highly specified hybrid cameras in the last couple of years at very competitive prices, it seems to me that not a lot of videographers made the switch from the main hybrid makers: Sony, Canon, Panasonic. The Nikon name does not normally come up when people ask for recommendations for a hybrid camera. The acquisition of Red will most probably change that and Nikon will now register in minds as a serious brand in the high end hybrid market. The Z series professional lenses are the best the company has ever made. One thing about Nikon, when they make a leap, it is usually a quantum leap, not a minor increment. I expect they will release a high end hybrid within the next couple of years that will be best in class or thereabouts.

I know nothing about the cinema camera market, except what I read on here, but I expect they will be making some giant leaps there as well. Overall I think it bodes well for the industry.

I expect they will release a high end hybrid within the next couple of years that will be best in class or thereabouts.

You mean higher than the Z9? We can all find faults with anything but it's hard to find something overall better than either the Z8 or Z9.

America has special laws that favours their own companies. Now that RED is foreign owned I doubt Nikon has the legal strength to protect RED intellectual property rights unlike before when it was American owned.

I expect they will release a high end hybrid within the next couple of years that will be best in class or thereabouts.

You mean higher than the Z9? We can all find faults with anything but it's hard to find something overall better than either the Z8 or Z9.

I’ll agree. I got some N-RAW footage from the Z8 and it was a pleasure to work with. Nikon does make great cameras.