Nikon aims to expand its reach in the cinematography business. The company revealed that it entered into an agreement to acquire cinematography camera maker Red, which would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikon. Terms and value of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“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,” the company said in the announcement. “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.”
Red cameras have been selected by leading cinematographers such as Erik Messerschmidt, who used Red for his Oscar-winning work on David Fincher’s “Mank,” plus “The Social Network” and most recently “The KIller.”
Noted cinematographers that have used Red cameras including three-time Oscar-winning DP Robert Richardson (“Emancipation”), Cesar Charlone (“The Two Popes”) and Jeff Cronenweth (“Being the Ricardos”).
Recent projects lensed with Red cameras including “Griselda,” “Rebel Moon” and upcoming “Horizon: An American Saga.”
The design for the first Red One 4K camera was unveiled around 2007 and the camera body initially sold for a significantly lower price than other cinematography cameras at the time; as a result the company gained an almost cult-like following of indie filmmakers. In its later years the range developed and expanded to include its V-Raptor camera system with an 8K sensor, recommended for 8K large format or 6K Super 35m use.
Red — headquartered in Foothill Ranch, Calif. and with roughly 220 employees — is led by president Jarred Land. It was founded by Oakley’s Jim Jannard.
