Since the surprise which saw Nikon acquire Red Digital Cinema Cameras, the whole community has wondered what this new venture could mean to the cinema camera industry. Well the new CEO of Red, Keiji Oishi has hinted that Nikon's mirrorless Z-mount could be available on Red cameras in the future?
In a recent interview with Film and Digital Times Oishi was asked what the new strategy would be for Red and his response was very intriguing:
"From our point of view, as the entire Nikon group, we will continue to support RED’s excellent product lineup, including like V-RAPTOR [X], launched this January, and KOMODO-X. Support includes marketing, sales, product updates and service. This means there is no change in sales, or support or warranties as they are now. Because we know customers may be worried about the health of the future lineup, we want to say that we will keep the RF mount in the product line. So please choose RED cameras with confidence.
We would like to introduce RED cameras with a Z Mount as one of the options in the future. It will be in addition to the RF mount currently offered, but it could take a couple of years. We also will look forward to the synergies with MRMC mainly in the cinema and broadcast fields."
So, it looks like RED users like me will all get our wish of being able to use our best Nikon Z lenses, albeit not for a few more years yet, and on the whole rumors of co-branding Oishi and Jarred also addressed these concerns head-on:
Keiji: "I think it’s not decided yet officially. But, because the RED brand is very important not only for us but also for the customer, the RED brand stays the same. But we may have the opportunity to do some additional co-branding together with RED."
Jarred: "I think co-branding is great. RED and Nikon are two premier brands in cinema, equal opportunities, where you don’t need to do it, but if you do, it’s beautiful to think of it as empowered by both. There are so many options available, but it’s not trying to elevate one at the expense of the other. I think that’s very important."
There we have it, right from the horse mouths, there will be co-branding, but only if it works for both brands, which I think would be a great ethos as each brand is a star in its own right within each field of the industry.
