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We've all been wondering what Nikon was going to do with Red Digital Cinema Cameras now that they bought the company. The path just became a bit clearer: Nikon pushed the Founder & former CEO (James Jannard) and the current CEO and co-owner (Jarred Land) to "advisor" roles. Nikon put in their own CEO, Keiji Oishi.
Previously, Oishi had been the Manager of User Experience at Nikon Imaging, so this is a big promotion and a pretty drastic culture shift. Tony Northrup digs into the merger to try and understand Nikon's future plans for the cinema camera company... are they going to completely absorb what is now Red, or will they try to take advantage of the benefits of a fast-moving US tech company? One thing is for sure: Nikon isn't going to let Red keep doing business as usual.
0:00 Introduction
0:16 Squarespace Promo
1:01 Background: Nikon bought Red Cinema Cameras
2:04 Nikon removes the Red CEO
4:01 Who is Keiji Oishi?
4:55 Red's new Co-CEO: Tommy Rios
5:49 What will Nikon do with Red?
10:40 Summary
In a Japanese company culture, when a company loses money, the CEO is the first to take a pay cut before any worker is laid off. In American company culture, when the company loses money, the CEO gets a bonus and workers get laid off through no fault of theirs.
Yeah american culture is toxic
Literally happened at my company. We missed a deadline, bosses got raises, engineers got laid off.
Ok but Japanese are still weird
...That's why and so many other reasons Japan is normal country. People are brain washed as never before.
The Boeing CEO just got canned. Did any workers, like the ones who forgot to install the door bolts, get fired?
Jared Land was NOT a very friendly guy. He was known to be ruthless, cocky and aggressive. Many will be relieved of his ousting.
There is no way you actually met him. This is the furthest thing from truth I have ever heard. Complete BS comment
Why does one have to be friendly in business? Competence is far more important. It's a cutthroat environment. It's clear you've never run a business in your life, which would explain why you're broke.
Agreed. I met him years ago in LA. Now Jannard seemed cool.
Let’s not forget that the CEO of RED started Oakley sunglasses, built a hugely successful company, then sold it off. When he was looking for another project he built red into a hugely successful company and sold it off. I think it’s great for both companies, RED gets an influx of funding and the technical and manufacturing expertise of a very well established Japanese company, Nikon gets the technology of one of the top cinema camera companies. It’s a win-win. I know the red people are all crying crocodile tears that they’re fancy cameras are now owned by a Mega corporation but let’s wait and see what actually happens when you have a really innovative company funded by one of the top three camera companies on the planet.
Yeah I'm excited to see how it goes
When's the last time you saw a crocodile shed tears.?
Incorrect. Jarred Land (the CEO) did NOT start Oakley. That was Jim Jannard who eventually walked away due to health issues, but left Jarred Land in charge. Jim still owned and had majority control of RED from distance; Jarred was just the “face” of the company up until the Nikon acquisition.
@@InfamousStar1 you people have way too much free time
@@unbroken1010totally shedding you crocodile tears, bro.
"They're named after predators, it's super cool, it's like Hollywood..." I see what you did there. 😂
Was gonna type this, haha!
Haha, didn't intend that but I get it.
The company you thought was about to go broke, is making aggressive moves. They are committed to growth from this merger. This is a company with their backs against the wall, willing to fight hard to get to the top. I wouldn't underestimate their desire to achieve their goals.
Can't blame them for what we did
I wonder if RED has a Contract that lets them produce RF lenses. Now Nikon has that contract.
@@answeris4217 RF mount is unimportant for the cinema world contrary to EF mount.
Good point I didn't think about that @@answeris4217
Nikon was in a very dark place just 4 years ago fighting for the company's survival. Hmmm, prior to the Z9 in 2021, Nikon was far behind the 8 ball. Hanging on for dear life with dying DSLRs they finally woke and saw their future was fading away. They definitely don't want to experience that again. This meshes with their low to no risk business culture of the 2000s. But that was then. Since the beaucoup success of the Z9 with all their updates, they realize they can be leading the curve instead of lagging it. Maybe that's what prompted them to buy Red in the 1st place. Will Nikon completely transform into an Apple? Hell no! A culture make take a generation to change, but they do realize that with baby steps they can change their future and the movie landscape we currently have. Why not leapfrog your competitors and let them chase you for a change. Innovation will always be a key for most companies. But they have to get this transformation right. Those that are first typically don't stay there for long as cheaper products or better products surpass the leader. If Nikon can smartly incorporate features/functionality from Red into their line-up they may surprise a lot of people in a good way. but they have to make sure everything is seamless and not some features slapped in. Nikon has taken a bold step into their future by thinking outside the box. They control their destiny! Can't wait for the future of Nikon camera/video cameras.
Nikon’s acquisition of Red seems reminiscent of when Sony bought Minolta’s camera decision. So it is possible that the Nikon will follow in Sony’s footsteps when it comes to product integration.
That is a very good point I hope that is the case
Nikon was in a very dark place just 4 years ago fighting for the company's survival. Hmmm, prior to the Z9 in 2021, Nikon was far behind the 8 ball. Hanging on for dear life with dying DSLRs they finally woke and saw their future was fading away. They definitely don't want to experience that again. This meshes with their low to no risk business culture of the 2000s. But that was then. Since the beaucoup success of the Z9 with all their updates, they realize they can be leading the curve instead of lagging it. Maybe that's what prompted them to buy Red in the 1st place. Will Nikon completely transform into an Apple? Hell no! A culture make take a generation to change, but they do realize that with baby steps they can change their future and the movie landscape we currently have. Why not leapfrog your competitors and let them chase you for a change. Innovation will always be a key for most companies. But they have to get this transformation right. Those that are first typically don't stay there for long as cheaper products or better products surpass the leader. If Nikon can smartly incorporate features/functionality from Red into their line-up they may surprise a lot of people in a good way. but they have to make sure everything is seamless and not some features slapped in. Nikon has taken a bold step into their future by thinking outside the box. They control their destiny! Can't wait for the future of Nikon camera/video cameras.
It’s not reminiscent of anything Sony has done. They’re doing what corporations do in acquiring assets to improve themselves.
Nikon was the only camera company that has pushed advanced software development hard through free firmware updates for the Z-series cameras. That's the reason why Sony recently made the big announcement and failed with mediocre, faulty, buggy firmware updates.
Mmm, they've been great with the Z8 and Z9 but Panasonic, Olympus, Fuji, even Canon have had some pretty breakthrough firmware updates.
Ironically Nikon’s other software products SUCKED big time. Lesson: camera companies aren’t software centric!!
Japanese companies aren’t software developers. Whether it’s Sony, Canon, Yamaha, Nikon, Toyota, etc. They make great hardware. I think adding American and European divisions within the Japanese companies is helping them integrate software better. I have seen this in Yamaha digital mixers. We are now finally seeing camera companies bolster their UX.
Panasonic has been just as good, glad there are companies which care at the professionals who use their products. Even if it's a tax right off... you shouldn't be buying a new camera each year.
@@tommynikon2283 But Nikon was very software centric will those firmware updates on the Z8 and Z9. They packed a lot of new stuff into their cameras. At Sony you would need to buy new cameras for this.
And Canon still has no third-party autofocus lenses for RF... that shows how behind they are.
@@Whatsgoodmydude2222 I don't understand your mentality. You're openly defending Canon when they are actively restricting you and all the other fellow Canon shooters from having options. Who cares if you would never buy them, not everyone wants to only buy Canon lenses. Plus, Tamron and Sigma are making some insane innovations that you don't have access to because of some greedy Japanese businessmen.
Canon is the apple of Camera Companies
@@Whatsgoodmydude2222 as a life-long Canon shooter, I regret buying into the R5. We're missing out on this system, Canon needs to get their s*** together
Sack toppers never stop
@@Whatsgoodmydude2222bruh even nikon got some third party So does fuji and l mount 🐸
Here in Australia we have different pronunciations. For instance, we have Zed not Zee in the alphabet. So instead of ZR for the camera, I can imagine the Nikon ZedRed instead. 😀
Oooh I love ZedRed!
Here in Malaysia we say it as Zack
I'm an Aussie living in the US. But I love the sound of owning a Z-RED camera. Jurassic Park? Has a nice punch to me. Should I trademark it now before anyone trolls me?
Zed's dead, baby...Zed's dead
Jarred Land moved to an advisor position. James Jannard announced his retirement on October 24, 2019. He cited his age and "a few health issues" as reasons for stepping back, plus he's a billionaire after selling Oakley to Luxottica in 2007. He owns and enjoys the islands now. He is 74 years old. I think Chelsea is more on point.
Sony wanted to kick start their camera business and bought Minolta, using their patents, technologies and expertise to get a head start. Nikon wants to get serious about video cameras and buys RED, to use their patents, technologies and expertise to get a head start. Never mind that they currently already are on level terms with other brands, having hybrid cameras that do 12Bit 8K RAW internal. This could be a huge thin for Nikon, to bring them to the place they feel they deserve in the market. They might have slept on the transition to mirrorless for a while, but man have they caught up quickly.
Just to comment... Japanese "manager" titles often don't translate to English well, because they tend to use "manager" for everything (team manager, section manager, department manager, division manager, etc.). In English Mr. Keiji Oshi's previous title might have been better translated to "Director" -- and his rank would've been equivalent to a VP or even SVP. Also as.I understand Osihi-san's role wasn't mere "UX Planning", which again is a misnomer. I believe he was in charge of product development at Nikon, and the main person behind the flagship Z9.
Japanese business last for centuries and they are not run like US business, they are one of the few country that have permanent employment policies once you are employed for a certain years. The Japanese companies take risk on long term research and development not seen by the public unlike the US companies that announce their research as a product and document their research and experiment live for the public to see so that they can use other peoples money for the development. That's why US companies looks like they take more risk because it's not their money they are spending.
They no longer have permanent employment policies, they have not had them for decades. And they have years of stagnation. They need to change. I hope they use RED to modernize but keep the good of Nikon culture, including discipline.
I'm excited to see the first Nikon x Red co-developed camera.
Nikon was in a very dark place just 4 years ago fighting for the company's survival. Hmmm, prior to the Z9 in 2001, Nikon was far behind the 8 ball. Hanging on for dear life with dying DSLRs they finally woke and saw their future was fading away. They definitely don't want to experience that again. This meshes with their low to no risk business culture of the 2000s. But that was then. Since the beaucoup success of the Z9 with all their updates, they realize they can be leading the curve instead of lagging it. Maybe that's what prompted them to buy Red in the 1st place. Will Nikon completely transform into an Apple? Hell no! A culture make take a generation to change, but they do realize that with baby steps they can change their future and the movie landscape we currently have. Why not leapfrog your competitors and let them chase you for a change. Innovation will always be a key for most companies. But they have to get this transformation right. Those that are first typically don't stay there for long as cheaper products or better products surpass the leader. If Nikon can smartly incorporate features/functionality from Red into their line-up they may surprise a lot of people in a good way. but they have to make sure everything is seamless and not some features slapped in. Nikon has taken a bold step into their future by thinking outside the box. They control their destiny! Can't wait for the future of Nikon camera/video cameras.
The company I worked for bought several smaller companies during my career. The smaller company always ended up with our corporate culture either through firing the entire C-suite of the smaller company or just absorbing it into the our company to the point there was no unique identity other than the brand names. Just the way it is in business and much of life, big fish eat smaller fish. It is always beneficial to be the biggest fish in the pond and it rarely works out well for the smaller fish.
Surely we can expect RED cameras will begin to accept Z mount lenses of Nikon!😄
For example the Z 58 mm 1:0,95 S Noct will give filmmakers a very special look.
You may not know what a T-mount is if your information is comming from Tonny. He "forgot" to mention that many RED cameras are sold with T-mount, or that the mount is modular.
Some of the new Z mount lenses are spectacular, now we need long throw geared glass.
I can see Red sensor and color science in Nikon Z pro bodies and RED cinema camera with a Z-mount and nikon autofocus!
How have Red's sales been? The industry cinema camera market can't be very big and competition at that level must be pretty stiff, while even mass market cameras today provide 4K, Red's original breakthrough. What may be telling is that Red has initiated what seem to be an inordinate number of lawsuits-is Red's market so saturated they needed all those patent infringement settlements to stay afloat? In terms of sales, according to Wikipedia, "In 2010, 5% of the top 100 grossing domestic films that were shot on digital video used Red cameras as their primary system. Their share increased to over 25% by 2016, but has declined since then." Anyway, the spirited, albeit unrealistic, California culture may need a Japanese cold shower to bring some sobriety back, which would also be helpful for the rest of the nation. Of late we've been more about inspiration than perspiration, but now we need to wake up & learn how to buckle down if we're to flourish in a maturing global marketplace.
In fairness Oishi seems very animated for a Japan native. If I were Nikon I would call it Red by Nikon and continue their cinema cameras as they have been. But also use the Red tech in there cinema focused Nikon cameras.
Finally Internal RAW recording
I think it's definitely a great time for Nikon to buy RED. I can see them eventually moving the company to Japan. With Cinema of China now being the second biggest and gunning for hollywood's title as the biggest. Plus the boom of korean and japanese films in Western society. Buying a company is the easiest way for Nikon to jump into things. Oh and we can't forget how big KZhead is and the fact every creator needs a cinema camera to record their kid or dog or cat 🤔
I would imagine the Nikon name will soon be on the body like, the Red Nikon? When will they be available to the public and what do you think the pricing range will start or???
Nikon culture and business strategy has already changed before the Z9 was even announced. They are not the old company from the DSLR days. The business strategy is to be a serious player in the video & cinema world and they listen to customer feedback carefully. Which hybrid camera on the market offers currently 8K 60p video with internal recording and N-RAW, Stacked Sensor with low rolling shutter?
Who can afford a z9 in this disaster of economy and administration?
@@unbroken1010 People who don't buy golden bibles from scammers
@@unbroken1010 It's way less expensive than a Sony A1. And the Nikon Z8 undercuts it even more with the same feature set.
@@unbroken1010but no consumer or even prosumers needs 8k 60 men. If only they build their midrange and entry point cameras as strong as fuji and sony, it will be great. So I'm with you.
A think Red’s clients will just love the new CEO 😁. The Co CEO will manage them while the Japanese CEO will run the company as operational head and translate for old boys at the home base. Have seen this over and over at Sony
if RED and Nikon really do start to make good video cameras? Whoa! It will change everything. The Sony snobs will switch to Nikon and be like "Ah Sony is so yesteryear daddy-o" or whatever they say. I use a sony but its because its the best for vintage lenses.
RED already makes great video cameras.
Vintage? Sony is the most recent still photo camera maker. Nikon has far more vintage lenses you can use on the F mount, going back to the '60s. Sony DSLR/mirrorless glass is what... 2010?
@@TRobBrownPhotography Um Sony has the most accurate Focus peaking for ALL vintage lenses including Nikkor which I have about a dozen of them.
@classic.cameras Okay, if you say so. I don't mix camera brands because it costs too much money to work in multiple systems. I'm personally not a fan of Sony's lack of ergonomics... their cameras look mostly like boxes, they don't make any with a built-in grip, and they're more expensive. The A1 is $1K more expensive than a Z9, and you then have to spend more for the grip. I'm not going to pay $1.5k extra, plus buying adapters. I'm happy with my Z9 and my Nikkor lenses. As far as vintage glass, it's manual focus, so the AF system isn't a concern. You just have to know how to focus manually.
Having been a 20 year Nikon shooter and have switched to canon recently to match my cinema camera look, The Nikon build quality is superior and any RED Cinema Cameras they build will be great. Nikon has incredible and sharp glass as well and the largest mount for lenses making PL and any others viable. I prefer the canon look for portraiture personally, but the cooler, more contrast, sharper RED/Nikon look is a good match. I'm looking forward to seeing what they create together.
I dont know but Japanese culture is pretty radical in parts. Plus Nikon is pretty well known in the movie industry around the world, not just for cameras.
Nikon must get that first post-merger RED product spot on. If they do any less than that they will lose the RED customer base. My big question is, will Nikon continue the flexible lens mounts or will they roll Nikon only proprietary lens mounts?
PL mount is needed in the cinema camera industry. RF mount not so much.
I doubt much will change about the fundamental nature of most products, besides a Z mount V-Raptor and Komodo-X. Otherwise it will be a collaboration of technologies and R&D. Nikon bought Red for it to be the cinema division of Nikon, not to make the Red cinema cameras into weird hybrids all of the sudden. At most, we see Nikon’s version of the R5C in a couple years based on the Z8 and V-Raptor platforms.
The PL-to-Z adapters already exist, as do the Sony E-to-Z adapters. The only thing that would be lost switching to the Z-mount is the use of RF lenses, and only Canon makes fully functional RF lenses.
Nikon is an optics company first and a camera company second. They might keep interchangeable mounts. But its a safe bet that they’re going to make a cine-nikkor line, and maybe in a proprietary mount with some strong cost/performance incentives towards adoption. They want to tempt users away from the $20-50k cooke, zeiss, angenieux lens to something they make. (Maybe at a cheaper price point) And they’ll ditch RED’s goofy aesthetics for a more traditional black and red. But the fundamental product is not liable to change much at all, except maybe making cheaper models to lower the barrier to entry.
I have to infer that Nikon realized that they were losing sales because they were perceived as stills only cameras (not reality, but perception) so “RED-ifying” their cameras while still offering cinema cameras seems like a likely route. I also wonder how much long time camera experts Nikon were bothered by radio/TV company Sony becoming the leader on “their turf”?
Nikon has always struggled to get a foothold in motion picture and broadcast equipment. While they flirted with cine optics in 8mm and 16mm, and even offered a few 8mm movie cameras, they never had broad success. In contrast, Fujica (fujifilm), and Canon were early adopters, and pursued those markets pretty aggressively to the point of being market leaders. So while respected, they never got a foothold in the amateur market. They also never produced cine lenses at scale for professionals outside of a handful of PL mount options, and perhaps some mitchell mount stuff in Japanese licensed clones of the mitchell 35 SS. What nikon lenses did make their way into proffessional equipment, were F-mount lenses adapted to hollywood equipment, or rehoused to mount in other systems. When it came to video cameras, nikon mostly dipped out of that market as well. So basically every chance nikon has had to get into motion picture markets, they’ve had a bad time. Not for lack of effort, but for lack of success. But for being a mostly optics focused company, to not have a broadcast lens offerings, or movie lens lineup, really hurts their business. So it’s definitely an attempt to widen their portfolio of lens markets, and get a foothold in an industry they’ve struggled to claw their way into. If ARRI, or Panavision had been for sale, they would have jumped on the opportunity. As for what that means for their stills business is debatable, but I think they’re more than happy to use RED as a vehicle to expand video equipment at higher price points, and sell more expensive optics. (Ideally to claw back some market share from Zeiss, Cooke, etc.)
Maybe they want their patents?
Maybe Arri have put Nikon up to it?
My opinion is that Nikon make some of the best lenses in the market. Hopefully, Nikon will come out with some pretty remarkable cinema based lenses that will rival some of the others. And, like you were saying. Nikon/Red may bring out some very user-friendly cinema cameras, integrating both technologies.
Nikon was in a very dark place just 4 years ago fighting for the company's survival. Hmmm, prior to the Z9 in 2021, Nikon was far behind the 8 ball. Hanging on for dear life with dying DSLRs they finally woke and saw their future was fading away. They definitely don't want to experience that again. This meshes with their low to no risk business culture of the 2000s. But that was then. Since the beaucoup success of the Z9 with all their updates, they realize they can be leading the curve instead of lagging it. Maybe that's what prompted them to buy Red in the 1st place. Will Nikon completely transform into an Apple? Hell no! A culture make take a generation to change, but they do realize that with baby steps they can change their future and the movie landscape we currently have. Why not leapfrog your competitors and let them chase you for a change. Innovation will always be a key for most companies. But they have to get this transformation right. Those that are first typically don't stay there for long as cheaper products or better products surpass the leader. If Nikon can smartly incorporate features/functionality from Red into their line-up they may surprise a lot of people in a good way. but they have to make sure everything is seamless and not some features slapped in. Nikon has taken a bold step into their future by thinking outside the box. They control their destiny! Can't wait for the future of Nikon camera/video cameras.
The way they're heading is literally in the statement of their new CEO. "Pay respect to corporate culture". Red was anything but corporate, coming up with innovative mishmash that just works and shoots pretty pictures. Nikon is anything but that. We'll be looking at years between product updates, and overly careful tactics doing only things that the rest of the industry tested 3-5 years ago. It's literally how nikon does the development. I don't see any hype around them similar to the one surrounding sony ro canon.
I think they could use the RED technology and expertise for the JAPAN film industry, which has birthed some legendary filmmakers, and brilliant cinematographers. They can also use the RED technology in their Z camera range, now that would bring in a lot of new customers. Another thing that came to mind, they can do joint projects with other big mamoth companies like APPLE. I am guessing Hollywood filmmakers will approach them for the use of their RED technology, due to the brand and previous history of RED. So this could be a great thing.
If by Hollywood, you're referring to the LA crowd, their growth is stagnating. Areas like Georgia and Texas are growing their film industry. What I wonder is how this has affected the industry, and if a culture change at Red will be as impactful. I also wonder how much growth exists in high end cinema vs videography, content creator, and the midrange streaming crowd. I could see Nikon making a run at the Blackmagic demographic. They could have products in every range from the startup YT creator to the seasoned creators, indie guys and pro cinema with all the demographics in between. Once you're in the Nikon ecosystem, you just upgrade.
I would love for this to work, but I fear that the culture clash will be so huge that it won't work go well for RED. Nikon will be fine doing what they already do and their consumer line will benefit a lot from this, but trying to convince the cinema world to take them seriously could be a challenge.
The cinema world seems to be more interested in features and capabilities than name plates. Equipment is typically rented for each production, so the stills situation of buying into a brand ecosystem is irrelevant. The Nikon-RED cameras should generally be accepted if they keep the features the cinema world requires, such as timecode, REDCODE Raw, shutter angle, modularity with mount points, etc. Looking at the Netflix requirements for cameras, it's easy to identify what the Z9/Z8 lack.
I think you made some very good analysis here Tony. I look forward to Nikon coming out with some amazing cameras dedicated to filmmakers at both prosumer and professional levels. They have done that with still cameras, and I hope that they will do it with cine cameras. I also like to see Nikon develop some good dedicated cine lenses at affordable prices, including anamorphic type lenses for proper cinema widescreen. Nikon certainly have the means and capability to make it a success.
Too bad that Nikon couldn't have made a move to try to purchase DJI. That would solve a whole lot of problems especially for Public Safety but also for a lot of commercial drone flyers. With all the issues with the CCP and their drone technology and the spying fears, we are presently stuck in a world where we are forced to buy American made drones (and a few other countries) that are not half as good and cost twice as much! Hope Nikon hears this!!
This. I don't own drone for this reason, and I'm getting ready to move into areas that would benefit from a drone. No way I'm buying DJI.
Sadly I think they’re too focused on being an optics business. And if they did, we’d get all kinda of weirdness, like nikon optics on hasselblad cameras. (RIP bronica, which did it first.)
it is not just that nikon won't purchase dji, but that the ccp will not allow dji to be sold to foreign companies.
Tony, I come to you for every piece of camera gear I purchase and I learn about it first feel comfortable in my purchase. Thanks to your videos. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
the same happened in software space, when the purely hardware Broadcom bought the Switzerland of enterprise software - VMware. The south Asia company bought itself a huge *(twice its size) California-based mammoth and cultures started clashing from day one.
Agree with most of your take especially those regarding the blending/clash of the corporate cultures. This leads me to ask - what was the motivation of the previous controlling shareholders (Founder) to sell to Nikon. Take the $ & run? Founder took it as far as he could -simply - from a capital context? The Founder truly bought into a bold new Nikon/Red business model - thereby exploding new technologies to the market? Or is he simply moving on to his next great idea?
These are great questions that I haven't been able to find the answers to. Red is a private company. Some rumors say Red was struggling financially, but that's impossible for me to verify.
If they are ‘afraid’ to fail they should pull together the top cinematographers and managing part of Red and get feedback before making moves… They didn’t do that that I’m aware of so next they are going their own route. They did buy the company and they are a conservative brand but to make it their own they will redesign the outer frame and materials m and make the cameras look more like Nikon as far as the brain they will keep the insides almost the same with some tweeks. They will over time adapt the cinema aspect to their mirrorless like canon and Sony adding cinema cameras. Their ‘RED’ line will continue to advance the tech inside the cameras and they will start putting out cameras that look like the Sony Venice but that are basically Red inside. The Red utilitarian metal body and design might be relegated to a couple of cameras in a line that is utilitarian and will remain Red. That way if the Nikon version fails they can slowly transition back to the Red designs…
OK... considering the tone we can clearly guess how stressful this acquisition is for Tony... 🙂
I feel like Nikon won't leave the red name behind. I think we'll see Nikon cameras with red technology and red will keep doing what they do, maybe we'll see more z-mount reds and a new color science as Nikon is capable of investing in this. I think Nikon is a company looking for relevance in the video market in the same light that RED looks to be seen in the same light as Arri. And I think the Nikon money might get Red there.
I really hope Nikon haven't taken over Red at a bad time given the huge product announcments by Black Magic today. Their prices, specifications and rate of development are going to be hard to compete with.
Yeah, Nikon / Red better have new camera lineups announcing by the end of the year. If they wait to long the public will move on.
If they someone how put autofocus in those box cameras then they'll be ahead of the game. I see that was the only thing that'll justify a $6k box camera when I can get a $3k one that does almost as much.
Semantics, but Nikon is the same company that came out with the 850. It's no longer the same company that came out with the action camera, or the Nikon 1.
Found the black magic sack topper 😂
Ah yes, they’re in so much trouble after Black Magic released their first good slate of cameras in several years.
Re: Manager quip at the 4:20 ish mark. In a Japanese corporate matrix, a Manager is the equivalent of a Western corporate structure Vice President. It is an esteemed title and it takes a decade (or more) to achieve. The title “Manager” here in America is given to people who can count to 20 without using their toes.
Hi Tony and Chelsea, as a Nikon shooter it's always good to hear a Nikon story, and a positive one. Thanks 😊
Does ANYONE have ANY NEWS on the status of RED's patent on compressed RAW-Video? That's the main reason I've been following the Nikon/RED-Saga. I find it ridiculous that a company can obtain a patent on compressing a file format... It also seems hard to exactly pin down what the patent is protecting. The wording seems to be less than clear. Arri, for example, offers a way to compress their RAW video while it's being copied via a card reader. It just seems deliberately obtuse but word around the internet is that their litigiousness is the main reason for the slow integration of non-camera-proprietary RAW video formats like ProRes RAW. Right now RAW-Video is the only thing that brings my pretty well-specced machine to a grind (and that's before applying noise reduction). But ProRes RAW would unlock hardware acceleration and make working with those files a breeze. At ZERO additional cost!! The camera manufacturers wouldn't even need to retroactively make it available via firmware. I just want to be able transcode those Canon R5 RAW (Lite) video files to ProRes RAW on my computer before I start working. We've been transcoding our stills RAWs to DNG upon import to Lightroom for ages. Why isn't this happening for RAW video?
Yeah this entire video juxtaposes positions that would make no sense. The Brand RED is just too big to get rid of or “absorb” into Nikon. Why even appoint a new “CEO”?? It would be best for Nikon to use the RED technologies they now own to incorporate into Nikon offerings, “same technology found in our RED Brand of Cinema Cameras.” Does anyone really think, with Black Magic now releasing new Cameras, serious filmmakers are going to use Cinema Cameras with the Nikon Branding!!? Especially since f they already own RED Branded Kit?? And I thought according to you, Nikon was going under??
We never said Nikon was going under. We predicted they would be fine.
@@TonyAndChelsea No you said Nikon was just about done in the hybrid market. Should we find the videos and show the vibe you had toward Nikon?
@@TonyAndChelseaDude, you lie so much. Nikon did not fire the CEO, he probably made a ton of money in the acquisition and has stayed on as a consultant. Does everything you post have to be sensationalized? Again your dishonesty is known throughout the industry.
RED is "too big" to be absorbed into Nikon? Huh?! In what world? RED has 220 employees - Nikon has 19,000 employees, they would have NO PROBLEM absorbing a company like RED.
@@bamboojled8919 Where did they say that he was "fired"? Last I checked, they said that the CEO & founder were moved into consultant roles where "they get paid a lot of money to pickup the phone". Did you watch the video?
What I want to know is, will it still have a default L mount for Canon Lens?
I love all the speculation. Here's my take. (I may be wrong, but...)I've been a part of buyouts like this. Nikon will kill RED. It's competition. Why fight when you can buy out? The appearance RED still existing is as a result of the former CEO now an advisor. Jarred and James will be the interface for "Hollywood" and that whole market. The Nikon badge will be on the camera. Perhaps Nikon RED-1 with RED in red and of course Nikon in white both on a black camera. (Nikon name will be more prominent). Nikon historically is not a camera company but a lens company. They made periscopes for subs as well as other lens products. They even made lenses for Canon in the early days of Canon. I predict whey will make cinema lenses for the new video cameras. Perhaps PL mount to compete with Fujinon, Ziess and yes, Canon. Keep in mind Nikon is part of the Mitsubishi group. That equals lots of money. Just my take. We will see. Either way Nikon is aiming to dominate. Think Samurai.
GREAT REPORT TONY‼️ LETS HOPE NIKOREDD COMES UP WITH THE PERFECT CAMERA
I hope both make one another better in many ways. I’m long time fan/user of both brands. And pushed for Nikon glass mounting. Both have good interface but I would prefer red users interface. As much as I love Nikon just hope they don’t mess things up.
I have a mixture of feelings about this. In matter of in camera raw video recording patent, Nikon was fighting RED to open up that patent, that would unleash all camera makers a big innovative opportunity, but buying RED means they will just keep the patent for themselves, as Star Wars meme: NIKON! "You were the chosen one, it was said you were going to destroy it, not join them." That in camara RAW recording patent is quite a deal, holding many from bringing prices down. As consumers it will keep the same, was a good solution for Nikon since their last cameras are quite impresive in specs, now including in camera RAW recording will be HUGE, I might will look getting one. Hope they will give born to the best Hybrid Camera EVER. Bring 16bit Hybrid RAW, no matter the price and size.
I’m glad it was Nikon that bought Red instead of Sony.
Nikon is Sony…check your sensor 🤭
@@greysuit17 it’s the software that controls the camera.
@@greysuit17 Stacked sensor of Z9 was developed by Nikon. It has dual stream technology you won't find on other sensors.
@@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas unfortunately that is wrong according to DP Review. “Sony Semiconductor’s IMX609AQJ sensor, a 45.7MP Stacked backside-illuminated sensor.” This is the sensor in the Z9. Sorry but you’re shooting Sony. 😂
@@bngr_bngr I thought the photographer controlled the camera!!! Way to go auto mode!
Now if we could get Apple to buy Nikon then the next iPhone cameras would have the god mode button
The co-CEO thing is interesting, but very Japanese in how camera companies operate. There’s always a Japanese person closely tied to HQ who has ultimate authority for the foreign (US) division? Sometimes it isn’t even reflected in their official title, they might seem to be in a lower position or even sideways-connected in the org chart, but they’re the ones who call the shots. Besides maintaining control, this is also part of how Japanese companies develop their most promising managers by moving them through positions in their foreign subsidiaries and sales groups.
This is such a great video. I have watched this 5 times so far, but still again watching for the information.
Wouldn't it be nice to have all Plena cine lenses? And now RED camera can have Nikon autofocus. But with the DJI Lidar system, not too sure how game changing or useful is great autofocus in RED cameras.
Adapting too much from Red into Nikon would almost certainly be seen as "admitting failure", I don't see that happening. You almost never see two CEOs unless a company is getting ready for a succession or divesture of a division. Last major "dual" was Blackberry - lessons re-learned. I'm guessing the US guy wanted the title to stay, they needed him, and that's how that happened. Red will be completely dismantled and adsorbed before long. all they need in the US is the business represented and support structure for studios but nothing else. I doubt Red's assembly plant is anything great - it's their software that drives the system that Nikon needs.
To me, the whole thing feels like a pretty exciting new chapter for a great company that has floundered recently, and has had enough of it. I think Nikon feels like they’ve been outdone and doesn’t like it, especially when much of the competition now comes from Sony, which isn’t historically even an imaging company. Japanese companies are super savvy and clever. I bet the next several years will really put Nikon back in the forefront.
I think nikon are looking to improve sensor quality whilst being all in house. I agree with what tony mentioned 💯
Why didn't they send a higher Nikon executive? Because the higher-ups were smart enough not to want to live in California.
Beautiful from the old RED CEO it seems she did not expect the colors to match her hair.
What I am understanding is that RED is getting a mature, stable leadership that will most likely start removing its fun, lax vibes and into a more boring company. Something that it probably needed at some point to grow further. Some CEOs aren't capable of handling that immense growth prospects. I think the former RED CEO might be great at making startups but perhaps knows when to head out when the company needs a different type of leadership. Would be great to have petapixel interview him, seems like a very interesting character.
RED is kinda an outlier in terms of the movie business, where basically every other high end maker, started as some kind of precision manufacturing business, with a focus on engineering excellence, and close cooperation with their partners. Take mitchell corp, the original movie camera monopoly, which built cameras to spec for competing interests, like technicolor, and fox pictures (who at the time was building their own competing camera). Or Arriflex which focused on one innovative solution and took it all the way to the bank. Those companies followed the industry and adapted to it by being very responsive to its needs. RED on the other hand just kinda threw money at solving the engineering problems, and treated their product as less of a tool and more of an expensive commodity. But time will tell if nikon will take it more in one direction or the other. They certainly know how to run an optics business, and precision industry (in their fab business, even if ASML stole their lunch.) And they’ve got good reasons to grow their commodity camera business. But I’ve got good reason to think nikon has a strategy in mind, that will sell more RED cameras, and give users a good reason to put nikkor lenses on them.
I think it's a bad statement, but more about Japan than about Nikon per se. When a large company buys an aggressive 200 employee startup, it's really buying the people. I've seen successful acquisitions where a psychopathic CEO was immediately ousted but the employees remained behind happily, and unsuccessful ones where the CEO and all the smart seniors stayed for a year of retention bonuses before leaving en masse. I don't know enough about the people involved and other employment/startup options in the space to guess about this case. However the fact that Nikon immediately imposed a lower ranking Japanese exec certainly matches up with the sense that only Japanese executives will prosper. And if that's the case, why would Red seniors with other options remain? Per your point, that's kind of the difference between Co-CEOs, and a CEO plus a co-CEO. Writ large in Japan, that's a problem for international growth outside manufacturing.
It is very unlikely that they will merge software or have a common software stack with consistent UI .. probably there will be cross porting of software features. I guess we'd see more collaboration in the hardware side of things, like using the same image processor SOC and Sensor from RED across Nikon range etc.
Wow, that freaks me out a little. I hadnt even heard about it. I think it could be worse if an agressive American company bought them out cause they would immediately hand out lots of lay offs to the new company and send peeps from the big company to crack the whip and make the employees lifes hell as weve seen time and again. So good luck to em. I hope they do well and maybe with this ceo be able to show Cannon how to do customer Service which is a joke. You have to pay a subscription fee to get customer service now. American Corporations are just blowing my fn mind, theyre all bad and no good
I could see everything you both said being correct. They might take over some flexibility and risk taking from RED, while streamlining and perfecting the production there à la Nikon. I could also see 3 “brands” besides each other: RED, Nikon & Nikon x RED 1 for cinematography, 1 for photography and 1 for consumer based hybrid & video with focus on video. Similar to Sony Ericsson back in the day. Best wishes
Yeah maybe Nikon will add "video by Red" to their consumer hybrid cameras.
seems that the acquisition of Red pairs well with the new cinematic robot just released by Nikon part of the larger picture
Red cameras branded Nikon but with a red shutter button and red letters on their pro-video gear would be a nod to Red and keep the old brand of Red recognizable...I wonder if there will be those that leave the Red brand because of the takeover, unless they believe that Red as a brand still still exist albeit with the letters Nikon printed on the camera?
Hey, i don't think RED is going to change a lot, from the product stand point is designed by filmakers, the whole concept on RED gear is already kind of standard, innovation on this field means been in the edge, making products on the go to make some new shoots possible. Red is kind of the cool brand on the hood, the brand, the culture and the design and particular workflow you can achieve is why the people start using this gear. It is a very challenging acquisition, from the cultural stand point, will be interesting to see how it goes.
Jared Land's vibe is like drinking a slushie. Keiji Oishi's vibe is like drinking sake.
really interesting. thanks. i think it looks like they're setting up oishi as the fall guy in case american risk-taking culture doesn't pan out. he's a lower level guy they can afford to crush, or, if it does work out, their leadership will be lauded for being geniuses for picking just the right guy. the american co-ceo, will pass up the risky ideas to oishi. he'll be the interface between the Red corporate culture worker bees, and the new CEO. that's the guy who will be caught between a rock and a hard place, whenever things aren't going smooth. we'll see how long he last in that position.
success or harakiri!
Chelsea is spot on regarding Japanese companies being risk-averse. They also have a significant attitude regarding their technical superiority in all things. Could you see the Lana and Lilly Wachowski meeting with Oishi? They will look at him like just another empty suit. Red cameras have a Canon mount, not Nikon; how is that going to work?
RF Canon mount is not that popular for cinema cameras. EF Mount was. The most important and popular mount is PL mount.
@@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas Well it ain't the Z mount, is it?
This channel is awesome!
Glad you think so!
I think they will change the name from Red to Blue . Pretty bold move if you ask me.
I think that Nikon will use video technologies to improve Nikon cameras and make Red cameras all Z mount, improving profits both times, and maybe improve the Red software and UI, but not kill the Red name that they just paid a bunch of money for.
I like to hear about cinema cameras. My idea of a movie camera was like something from the 30s, not like this at all.
Rios isn’t a “co-ceo”, he’s a “vice ceo” 😄 Whether or not he actually knows that however…
I hope the ceo often meet with kojima & production IG it will fit both company culture and market demand 😅
Recode Raw for Z8 please :) Then Expeed processors for Red Red code raw licensing to other companies at say $50USD per camera cheaper for mobile phones in bulk
Considering the current state of the American economy I think those 'risks' might be coming down in number. Anyone can take risks when there are no consequences, nothing to do with being American. I think Red going to Nikon sounds good overall considering both sides of the equation.
Nikon is the new owner of RED and Nikon must prove that it is the owner of RED even if RED continues to behave as before the merger (or maybe not). The previous CEO of RED may not have much to contribute in this change due to his high profile, Nikon needs it to be known that RED is now owned by Nikon and perhaps Jannard's personality is an obstacle. I'm just waiting for my Nikon camera with +16 stops of dynamic range and a competitive focus. Thanks!
So the parted the red sea... . . . . ee oo from the comapny?
Since I spent most of my career in Silicon Valley, I've been through a number of acquisitions as a "worker bee." Most of the time it was the very people who created the products, the design engineers who were let go grinding any future development to a halt. I hope Nikon doesn't make this mistake.
A sound business decision on Nikon's part; Nikon's purchase of RED affords still camera manufacturers a choice of global shutter equipped sensor other than Sony, while insuring that an Apple, Meta, or even Kodak, remain without one.
What if they make an inexpensive system so that social media people can generate cinematic-quality videos? That is a new market with little competition.
Tony, in Japan, a General Manager is higher ranked than an VP.
His title was Manager, not GM.
Among other is adapting red tech and conceptual potencial clients to their future camera lines.
Red has a personal touch with people who make movies. They know them and therefore their needs. Nikon are great at developing tech but maybe lack the ideas on what they should push the boundry with. So to me they will probably keep RED with the name and all. Just let them be a big extention of their R&D. Maybe they will put their Z mount on the RED cameras. Or maybe there's a Contract that lets RED develop lenses for the RF mount... Which would let Nikon compete in the lenses for Canon's cameras.
Obviously.
Plot twist. Next Nikon Camera is going to be called the "Desert Cobra Mach 7 - Stealth edition".
I think trying to incorporate red into nikon cameras is going to be expensive for consumers. I can tell now that there may be a lot of conflict between red management and nikon management. That really worries me Tony. I can see where Nikon believes purchasing Red is a great idea. I don’t think Red has the same sentiment about Nikon. I would love for it to work but I think it’s going to be a struggle.
If RED thought being purchased by Nikon was a bad idea, they would have passed on the deal.
I knew this would happen with the removal of Jarred. This normal with mergers. But I am pretty sure he got a golden parachute!
Oh he was a co-owner so he's set for life.
Nikon UI has always been a strong point so maybe this new CEO is really good.
You hit a few points dead on. Japanese companies are extremely risk adverse. We backed out of a mega acquisition during the pandemic only to have our target swooped up by our largest German competitor. That being said...they are also VERY patient and won't have an expectation to see a return on their investment for what would be by US standards an eternity. The "Co CEO" also doesn't surprise me. They won't often have anyone not Japanese running a major division. Don't believe for a second they pushed the founder out. That I'm sure was part of the deal all along. Cash out and leave his creation in a better position to grow. He wouldn't have signed the deal if he wanted to stay. Look forward to what he does next. Japanese companies ALWAYS want to pay respect to their roots as well so I wouldn't be shocked seeing the name stay alive either in their products or at minimum in how they name the American branch. They'll likely use a DBA for the products but the actual legal entity will pay homage to RED in some way.
Sounds pretty risky to me that Nikon would buy Red, but it goes well with the need of expanding their video capabilities
I hope they keep the Red names. My biggest question is what they will do with the EOS R mount.
Definitely gone
I don't see this going well for Nikon or RED.
Tony, the guy is temporary for the transition IMHO.