Surprising news: Nikon officially acquired RED!

No, this is not an early April fools joke nor a crazy rumor! Nikon did indeed acquire 100% of RED! The question is….what benefits does this bring to Nikon and RED?

For Nikon:

  • Maybe some Nikon cameras will get the REDCODE RAW recording feature
  • Access to some amazing sensor tech

For RED:

  • Maybe future RED camera will have Z-mount instead of the current Canon RF mount
  • Red could have access to Nikon glass

What do you think about this news?

Official press text:

Nikon to Acquire US Cinema Camera Manufacturer RED.com, LLC

TOKYO – Nikon Corporation (Nikon) hereby announces its entry into an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding membership interests of RED.com, LLC (RED) whereby RED will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikon, pursuant to a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Mr. James Jannard, its founder, and Mr. Jarred Land, its current President, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions thereunder.

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.

This agreement was reached as a result of the mutual desires of Nikon and RED to meet the customers’ needs and offer exceptional user experiences that exceed expectations, merging the strengths of both companies. 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 in the professional digital cinema camera market.

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.

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Interview Nikon CP+ 2024

Photorend spoke with with Mitsuteru Hino , Head of UX Planning, Imaging Business Unit at Nikon Corp. Here are the most interesting parts:

  1. Selling products at higher prices, both cameras and lenses, has helped increase revenues and profits at Nikon’s Imaging division.
  2. Nikon is therefore the only manufacturer to produce its lenses from the glass stage. The glass company [Hikari Glass, Editor’s note] is part of the Nikon group, which allows us to have a constant exchange and to specify our needs in terms of lenses. This represents a significant advantage for Nikon, it’s a capability that other manufacturers do not have
  3. About future products: We would like to surprise you, so please be patient for that.
  4. we are putting more emphasis on firmware updates
  5. The reason some of our cameras do not accept third-party batteries is security. That’s why we prefer that you use official Nikon batteries.

Five Japanese stores share the most sold cameras of January: Z 8 and Zf(c) cameras make it into the top

Five large Japanese retailers open share the top 5 of the best selling cameras in January:

■Yodobashi Camera
1 Sony “α7 IV Zoom Lens Kit (ILCE-7M4K)”
2 Sony “α7 IV (ILCE-7M4)”
3 Fujifilm “X-T30 II XC15-45mm Lens Kit”
4 Sony “α7C II (ILCE- 7CM2)”
5 Sony “α7R V (ILCE-7RM5)”

■Bic Camera
1 Sony “VLOGCAM ZV-E10 Power Zoom Lens Kit (ZV-E10L)”
2 Nikon “Z fc 16-50 VR Lens Kit”
3 Canon “EOS R50 RF-S18-45 IS STM Lens Kit”
4 Canon “EOS R50 Double Zoom Kit”
5 Olympus “PEN E-P7 EZ Double Zoom Kit”

■Camera Kitamura
1 Sony “VLOGCAM ZV-E10 Power Zoom Lens Kit (ZV-E10L )”
2 Fujifilm “X-T5 XF18-55mm Lens Kit”
3 Canon “EOS R10/RF-S18-150 IS STM Lens Kit”
4 Canon “EOS R6 Mark II”
5 Canon “EOS R50 Double Zoom Kit”

■Map Camera
1 Sony “α7C II (ILCE-7CM2)”
2 Nikon “Z 8”
3 Canon “EOS R6 Mark II”
4 Fujifilm “X-T5”
5 Sony “α9 III (ILCE-9M3)”

■Fujiya Camera
1 Nikon “Z 8”
2 Canon “EOS R6 Mark II”
3 Sony “α9 III (ILCE-9M3)”
4 OM SYSTEM “OM SYSTEM OM-1 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Kit”
5 Nikon “Z f”

via Digicameinfo

New images of the Laowa 15mm f/5 FFII Z-mount lens

The new lens appeared at the CP+ 2024 exhibition. It is suitable for full-frame cameras. It will be launched for Sony E, Canon R, Nikon Z, Leica L and Leica M mount versions. The aperture range F5-F22, minimum focusing distance 0.12 meters, 0.2x magnification, manual focus, compatible with 39mm filter, lens size approximately 67.1 × 42mm, weight approximately 160g.

 

via Weibo