Nikon strikes deal to acquire camera manufacturer Red

Nikon is to acquire digital cinema camera manufacturer Red.

In a deal which appears to have taken most of the industry by surprise, Nikon Corporation announced today that it had reached an agreement to buy 100% of Red, which will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikon.

Since its establishment in 2005, California, US-based Red has positioned itself as a disruptor in the field of digital image capture, with the introduction of the company’s original Red One 4K and its proprietary RAW compression technology.

In a statement, Nikon said the 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”.

It added: “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 said it would use the acquisition to grow its presence in the professional digital cinema camera market.

As well as being used to shoot feature films, dramas and documentaries, Red’s cameras also used to achieve a shallow depth of field in sport by the likes of La Liga and NBA.