RED moves to reassure users following Nikon acquisition

RED has taken to its social channels to reassure users that it is business as usual with, it has to be said, mixed results.

So, two weeks after the shock Nikon acquisition of the company, RED has put out what is best described as a minimalist statement letting its user base know that they should carry on as if nothing has happened.

The statement in full is:

We figured we'd clear the air. We're excited about the future and remain fully committed to our products, the RED brand, our team, and our customers. There are no changes to product support, warranties, or policies.

Keep Creating.

There’s a video too, which is also on the compact and bijou side:

Judging by some of the comments on the various social channels (and you get the feeling this debate has all only just started) there are some definite feels about this. Many are miffed, pointing out that two weeks is a long time to leave people hanging and wondering about the future, especially when it comes to something as major as their investment in a RED camera. All of which perhaps points to the fact that the deal perhaps blindsided more than a few people in the RED organisation itself.

That said, it does add a crumb at least to the body of evidence that points to how this might all shake out. We really don’t have much to go on as yet, apart from Nikon’s terse “Nikon will leverage this acquisition to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market,” comment from its PR announcing the purchase. 

Alongside some informed speculation surrounding technology transfers (and to forestall the comments, we’re journalists —  speculation is part of what we do) probably the best guide we have to the future is what happened with Nikon’s acquisition of an equally high-end company, Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC). That is coming up to its eighth anniversary this year, and MRMC is still a fully functioning, independent entity, albeit one with the cash reserves to invest in some seriously cool new technology such as its Polymotion Stage.

Our guess is that RED will follow largely the same path, but the market dynamics are a bit different here and you might see Nikon’s name rather more prominently displayed as part of RED’s overall branding. Anyone for the slogan ‘Shot on Nikon RED’? Hopefully, we’ll find out more at NAB.

In the meantime, keep creating…