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Nikon is trying to invalidate RED’s raw video patent, arguing it shouldn’t have been granted in the first place

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It’s no secret that RED is very protective of its patents, particularly the one covering the internal recording of compressed raw video. They’ve pursued it pretty relentlessly over the years, stifling the competition and probably setting back camera development by quite a few years. DJI and Kinefinity are rumoured to have removed their internal raw capabilities over RED’s threats. More recently, however, RED’s sights have been aimed towards Nikon.

Nikon announced in April that the Nikon Z9 was going to gain internal 12-Bit ProRes RAW and 8K 12-Bit N-RAW in a firmware update. The very next month, RED sued them over patent infringement claims as a result. In September, Nikon denied that they’d done so and now we know why. They’re claiming RED should’ve never been granted the patent in the first place and this video from FrameVoyager summarises the whole saga in probably the best way I’ve seen so far.

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Nikon denies RED’s infringement accusations, ready to prove it in court

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Earlier this year, RED filed a lawsuit against Nikon blaming them for illegally copying their video compression patent. Nikon announced the new version 2.0 firmware for the Nikon Z9, and RED claimed that Nikon illegally infringed on seven patents that deal with “a video camera that can be configured to highly compress video data in a visually lossless manner.”

However, Nikon isn’t ready to give in without a fight. The company recently answered to RED’s accusations, claiming that they deny every allegation of the infringement. And from Nikon’s statement, it appears that they’re ready to prove their claims in court and challenge RED’s lawsuit.

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Did you know that RED was promoting a 28K resolution cinema camera back in 2008?

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RED has had a pretty… interesting history. With marketing campaigns often filled with a lot of big promises and hype that really failed to deliver, Well, it’s not just a one-off. RED has had a habit of rejecting your reality and substituting their own (I’m being nice) and misleading customers for quite a while now. Not least of which was the claim that they designed and made their own sensors from scratch.

But this interesting video popped up today covering a topic that I don’t remember ever hearing anything about before. In 2008, RED announced their new series of cameras with multiple sensor options including a massive 28K resolution 617 Mysterium Monstro sensor. It’s part of Frame Voyager’s “Abandoned Cameras” series and it’s a fascinating series to spend some time watching!

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RED sues Nikon for infringement on video compression patent

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High-end video camera brand RED is suing Nikon for illegally copying their video compression patent. Nikon introduced the system in their new firmware 2.0 update for the Z9 mirrorless camera. With the 2.0 update, the Z9 can capture 8.3K RAW video at up to 60 frames per second in Nikon’s new “N-RAW format” or up to 4.1K at 60 frames per second ProRes RAW HQ.

The lawsuit was filed in a southern California federal court and asserts that the Japanese camera manufacturer and its United States subsidiaries have illegally infringed on seven patents that deal with “a video camera that can be configured to highly compress video data in a visually lossless manner.”

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TTArtisan launches silver anodised version of their 50mm f/0.95 lens for Leica M

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Initially released last year, TTArtisan has expanded its colour options for their 50mm f/0.95 lens for Leica M mount once again. As well as the standard black and limited edition shiny “Silver Black” and red versions, there is now an anodised silver version available. Unlike the other non-black models, this one doesn’t appear to be a limited edition.

As well as the various Leica M mount versions of the lens, TTArtisan also released a very limited run of Sony E and Fuji X mount versions of the lens last year – they only made 20 of each. Like the other Leica M mount versions, though, the lens is identical in spec other than the colour.

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This hands-on review of the RED Komodo contains the best footage I’ve seen it produce so far

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Recently, we posted a video by filmmaker Joey Helms about his shiny new RED Komodo 6K camera, and five reasons why you might want to get one. He got a lot of questions asked in response to posting that video, so he’s created this 30-minute follow up to provide a full hands-on review and blast through as many of those questions as possible.

Joey seems to know what he’s talking about with this camera, too, as the video shows some of the finest sample footage I’ve seen shot with the RED Komodo so far. Whether that’s down to the camera settings used or the work he does in post, I’m not entirely sure but he sure makes that thing look pretty amazing.

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Five reasons why you might want to get a Komodo 6K cinema camera

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The RED Komodo 6K cameras are still so new that there isn’t even an official page for them on the RED website yet. But the cameras have now started to ship to a few lucky people. Filmmaker Joey Helms has received his white “Storm trooper edition” RED Komodo and in this video, he walks us through an overview of the camera, why he chose to get one and some footage he’s shot since receiving it.

The footage in the video looks pretty spectacular, as one would expect from a RED camera. But the little Komodo is a fraction of the cost of many of its larger siblings. Despite costing only around $6-7,000, though, it boasts an impressive set of specs. According to a recent update from Jared Land, the specs are final, although the first early cameras may require some firmware updates to iron out some bugs.

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This lunatic is diving 18-story buildings with a $20,000 drone-mounted RED camera

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The world of FPV droning doesn’t typically have much to do with the more aesthetic, cinematic of drone filmmaking. At least, not usually. Well, not unless you’re Paul Nurk. Going by the name NurkFPV on YouTube (and Instagram), Paul is pretty obsessed with FPV. How obsessed? Well, he’s obsessed enough to build an FPV drone he could mount a RED Epic Mysterium-X to it.

The goals are to capture the speed and excitement of flying FPV, but at a much more cinematic way than FPV cameras typically allow. They’re usually pretty cheap stripped-down action cameras, essentially, with low resolution and terrible dynamic range. Strapping a RED to such a drone, though, is no easy task.

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RED confirms the Komodo will have a 6K global shutter sensor and anamorphic lens support

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The RED Komodo 6K rumour mill is starting to get some confirmations as it gets closer to production. RED President, Jarred Land, now has a “Stormtrooper” Komodo 6K in his hands, the white colour typically denoting a pre-production unit, and has let loose a few more specs, including the fact that it uses a global shutter sensor.

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