Nikon to acquire RED and make it a subsidiary

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Nikon Press Release

Nikon Corporation (President: Toshikazu Madate, Minato-ku, Tokyo) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with James Jannard, founder of RED.com, LLC (President: Jarred Land, California, hereinafter referred to as "RED"), a U.S.-based company that develops, manufactures, sells, and services professional cinema cameras, and Jarred Land, the current president. Subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions, the Company entered into an equity transfer agreement that included the acquisition of all of RED's interests, and agreed to make RED a subsidiary of the Company.

Since its founding in 2005, RED has been engaged in professional cinema cameras used for filming movies and commercials. The company has released a number of market-leading products for cinema cameras, including the development of digital cinema cameras such as the RED ONE 4K with its proprietary RAW compression technology and the state-of-the-art V-RAPTOR [X]. RED's products have been selected for numerous Hollywood productions, including Academy Award winners, and have been praised by directors and cinematographers around the world for their innovation and image quality.

With this acquisition, the strengths of Nikon, which has high reliability in product development, knowledge of image processing technology, user interface, optical technology, etc., and RED, which has cultivated know-how in cinema cameras, including proprietary image compression technology and color science, will be integrated, enabling the development of distinctive products for professional video equipment. While making the most of the business foundations and networks of both companies, we aim to develop the professional video market, which is expected to expand in the future.

Both parties agreed on the desire to be close to customers and provide an emotional experience that exceeded their expectations, and this agreement was reached. Nikon will continue to contribute to the development of visual culture in the field of moving images, with the aim of further expanding the possibilities of visual expression.

RED Press Release

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.
 
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It's okay. I still wuv you. On another note, this likely came out of the RED-Nikon patent lawsuit and was not something that happened organically or with great thought and effort on RED's part. Both Jim and Jarred LOVE Canon and have a personal history with their products, so I suspect they would have loved to have sold out to them, but the two companies never sat down and talked about anything as far as I know.
 
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May 30, 2017
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It's okay. I still wuv you. On another note, this likely came out of the RED-Nikon patent lawsuit and was not something that happened organically or with great thought and effort on RED's part. Both Jim and Jarred LOVE Canon and have a personal history with their products, so I suspect they would have loved to have sold out to them, but the two companies never sat down and talked about anything as far as I know.
"Old Joke" Canon would not buy Red because it will hurt their cinema lineup and sale. :LOL:
 
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RED had reverse-engineered their RF mount and didn't license it from Canon, though they may have struck an under-the-table agreement later, which allowed RED to implement features that weren't initially available, due to lack of information about the RF mount lens and information protocols, in exchange for the RAW patents that allow Canon to have their own take on it. Because RED walked away from lenses - they briefly offered RED lenses at one time or another - Canon didn't see them as a threat to their biggest business, as their using the RF mount meant Canon cinema lenses would be sold to use with them, when Canon got around to launching such lenses.
 
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Feb 6, 2023
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Well... thats one way to solve the legal issues. I did not sexpect this, but I am happy to see Nikon gaining traction - they are an old friend after all. I wonder how they will proceed with the RF mount cameras. My guess is they will remove those and replace them by Z mount versions.

Also I always thought there was some kind of deal between RED and Canon: trading mount for compressed RAW. If this deal gets cancelled, maybe Canon will be next to be sued for compressed RAW. Anyway not good for Canon's cinema business IMHO. I wonder if they saw this coming.
 
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Sep 20, 2020
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It's okay. I still wuv you. On another note, this likely came out of the RED-Nikon patent lawsuit and was not something that happened organically or with great thought and effort on RED's part. Both Jim and Jarred LOVE Canon and have a personal history with their products, so I suspect they would have loved to have sold out to them, but the two companies never sat down and talked about anything as far as I know.
More likely the settlement cost Nikon so much that they were better off just buying RED.
 
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I had thought RED and Canon had some arrangement where RED gets to use Canon’s mount and protocols while Canon gets to use their in-camera raw compression. I wonder what this will mean for Canon’s arrangement with RED. This seems like a pretty big shake up.
I guess it means that
1) Nikon has license to the RF mount.
2) RED will switch to the Z mount ASAP.
3) Canon is going to sell fewer RF lenses.
 
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LSXPhotog

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Was looking at the calendar to see if it was April 1st. LOL

All joking aside, this is a vary big move for Nikon. Depending on how they work this, it could be a major blow to Canon's Cinema lineup if they look to create a Nikon camera in that same marketplace. I am also curious how this will impact the RF mount Komodo cameras...I'm also very glad that we didn't buy a Komodo now.
 
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Feb 6, 2023
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While recent RED cameras can produce world-class results, the amount of operational management required to achieve such output is significant. In comparison, cameras like the FX3 or R5C are considerably easier to manage.
While I agree, I think this is a bit an apples vs oranges comparison. RED is more in line with the likes of Arri and Sony Venice, while the R5C IMO competes more against S1H, A7S Series, GH6 etc. Anyway, when handeled well, all of these can and will produce lovely results.
 
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mdcmdcmdc

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The best acquisitions are the ones where both companies gain something. The acquiring company might gain technology, a mature product line, access to new markets, etc., and the acquired company might gain financial support, volume production capability, access to new sales channels, etc.

I’ll admit I don’t really know the professional cinema camera market, but I’ve heard of RED, and I’m familiar with Nikon. From what little I do know about both companies, this sounds like a deal that could benefit Nikon, but it’s less clear to me how it will benefit RED.
 
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