Nikon confirms no Z mount RED cameras coming …yet

Nikon’s acquisition of RED was probably the biggest surprise of the year so far. Immediately after the announcement, there was a lot of speculation about what might happen and how quickly. Did this mean Z mount RED cameras? What about the Komodo’s RF mount?

RED responded to concerns via its Xitter account a few days ago, stating that nothing was happening. Business as usual for RED. Now, the new owner, Nikon, has also posted to its own Facebook page to confirm the situation.

Although Nikon doesn’t come out and explicitly state that there will be no Z mount red cameras in the near future, it’s certainly implied. As is the existence of the Canon RF mount in Nikon’s newly acquired RED lineup.

The Facebook post reads:

We are deeply grateful for the overwhelming support and anticipation we have received after the announcement of the RED acquisition.

We are planning that there will be no changes to the RED‘s current product lineup, the partners, and the relationship with the dealers.

RED will continue to support its policies with warranty, repair service, customer service, and overall product support.

Nikon

No changes to the current product lineup means no new cameras. It also suggests no updates to existing cameras to add a Z mount. And for existing RED owners, nothing is going to change in regard to your warranty, support and service.

No changes to partners also tells us that we’ll continue to see the RED Komodo (buy here) with its Canon RF Mount. Whether Nikon and Canon shooters like it or not, Nikon and Canon are now essentially partners in this context. Of course, it’s not the first time the two companies will have worked together.

I expect this will change at some point in the future, but for now, it’s status quo. Things will continue as normal. It must change eventually, though, right? If not, Nikon paid a pretty huge bill just to not have to fight in court over raw video rights.

How long this might take, however, is anybody’s guess.

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