Cannibalism, Segmentation, and the RED-Nikon Acquisition Drama

Opinion

by Omri Keren LapidotMarch 29^th, 2024

Nikon’s recent acquisition announcement of RED Cinema may turn out to be a tectonic shift in the world of both photography and cinema. A merger of the rather traditional, relatively stills-oriented Nikon with the young, passionate, even disruptive RED Cinema is bound to affect both stills-hybrid and cine markets, if this segmentation is even relevant anymore. In this article, I’ll try to describe the specific effects such a merger might have on the hybrid market which, in my eyes, facilitated such a shift.

Hybrid cameras have been a prominent creative tool for the last decade. These cameras combine the technical traits and design philosophy of stills cameras with ever-improving video capabilities. Some manufacturers maintain both hybrid and cine lines of cameras, lenses, etc. Canon and Sony are the starkest examples, and also the biggest players in the stills-hybrid market. With every hybrid camera launched by one of these two major players, a wave follows, which includes countless comments criticizing the lack of certain video-oriented features in the latest model. It may be the lack of shutter angle, waveform, codecs, etc, and it is usually fact-based and true. There’s also an immediate suspect:

Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the term describing the scenario in which one product is eating away at another product’s target market. For example: The Sony a7 III was originally aimed at photographers and hybrid creators, but its unique feature mix, combined with very competitive pricing, made it the choice of many videographers, eating away at the a7S II target audience. Camera manufacturers try to walk the fine, sometimes blurred line between required innovation and unwanted cannibalism. This is much harder if you produce expansive lines, stretching all the way from entry-level to high-end cine cameras.

Segmentation

All camera manufacturers apply certain levels of segmentation. Entry-level cameras will be mostly made of plastic while professional tools are composed of metal alloy. A dual-card slot is a common indicator for prosumer-professional cameras, as well as weather-sealing and so on. Companies like Canon and Sony also segment the stills-hybrid from the cine line. This practice has caused quite a stir in the user community. People seem not to appreciate arbitrary limitations forced upon their cameras. With this recent acquisition, Nikon relocates itself into a whole new position, alongside Canon and Sony. Will having a cine line affect the Japanese company’s hybrid cameras?

Bigger isn’t always better

Unlike Canon and Sony, FUJIFILM, Nikon, Leica, SIGMA, and to a certain extent also Panasonic don’t have these problems. While Panasonic does make some dedicated cine cameras all others have no such offers, making their lines invulnerable to this kind of cannibalism. Once we reckon this fundamental change, it’s no surprise that those smaller players were the first to incorporate some significant video-centric features into their hybrid cameras. The list is long: ProRes and RAW recording, direct SSD recording, 4K and 10-bit internal recording, shutter angle, waveform, and many more. If there’s no cine camera above – the sky is the limit. With the recent acquisition of RED, Nikon shifts from one segment to another.

Are things changing?

It’s hard to tell whether a change in the concept of segmentation/cannibalism is happening or whether it’s a change in the line between the segments. But something is happening, even before the recent Nikon-RED event unfolded. While smaller, more agile players leaped forward in recent years, behemoths like Canon and Sony have more to lose hence the more cautious progress. However, we have seen significant progress with both Canon and Sony in recent years.

Canon’s EOS R5C marks an important benchmark with dual operating systems. This camera contains most hybrid and cine features. It does however lack an IBIS and a full-size HDMI-A port, but it’s close. Sony has recently “resegmented” the lineup, with the last firmware update separating the FX3 and a7SIII, but until that point, they were both quite similar in terms of specs. We also see features trickle up and down across Sony’s line, with Autofocus and IBIS making their way into purely cinematic cameras (like the BURANO). On the other hand, we see better codecs and color profiles trickling down to Alpha cameras. Both Sony and Canon’s lineups feature multiple cameras capable of various features only available in cine cameras not so long ago. These include Log profiles, 10-bit recording, no arbitrary recording limit (the infamous 29:59), and a plethora of other features and abilities.

Back to the Nikon-RED drama

Nikon was actually the first to make a video-capable stills camera. It was the D90 who beat the legendary Canon 5D Mark II to the podium. I won’t tire you with the rest, but it seems Nikon was a bit reluctant to fully develop its video capabilities. Things started to change with the D850, getting a bit more traction with the company’s mirrorless transition, completely exploding with the impressive Z 9. The next step, following the RED acquisition, may take us to some interesting territories. Incorporating the ground-breaking 8K global shutter Vista Vision shutter in a smaller, outdoor-ready body may be one of them. Incorporating Nikon’s excellent autofocus into cine cameras is another option. Nikon’s Z Mount boasts a large diameter bayonet and very short flange distance. These items are great news for adapting lenses. The Z Mount is so adaptable it can even take Sony E-Mount lenses, with full electronic connections and autofocus. Options are abundant, and CineD’s staff have covered many already so make sure to read, watch or listen.

Another brick in the wall (one less in fact)

The Nikon-RED acquisition may mark another significant step in the deconstruction of the line separating still from motion. This depends on the philosophy Nikon chooses to practice. Will Nikon let technology freely trickle up and down across this newfound system or will it succumb to segmentation, fearing cannibalism? Only time will tell, but as a tech-optimistic, my hopes are high.

Do you believe we’ll see a new breed of hybrid cameras following this acquisition? Or will we see segmentation creep into Nikon’s newfound lineup? And how will other manufacturers react? Let us know in the comments.