Is RED dead? Nikon applies for "Z Cinema" trademark. Here's my hot take…

Nikon Z Cinema logo on a white background above the Red logo on a black background .

I noticed the folks over at Nikon Rumors have posted a link to a trademark application from Nikon, for the name 'Z Cinema', while asking the question, “Is that the end of the Red brand?”

Well, I highly doubt it. But ever since the Big N’s acquisition of cinema camera manufacturer Red, it seemed inevitable that moves were going to be made to bring these two legendary brands closer together.

Following the release of the first Red cameras with Nikon’s Z mount, the V-Raptor [X] Z Mount and Komodo-X Z Mount, a Z Cinema trademark seems like the next logical step – especially because Z Cinema is nothing we don’t know about already.

It was front and center during the release of the two aforementioned cameras, with Nikon stating: “[the cameras] are the first entries into the all-new Z Cinema series; a new product line of co-developed solutions from Nikon and Red.

“The Z Cinema series is targeted at providing high-quality solutions for the cinema, high-end production and creator market.”

The Red V-Raptor [X] Z Mount (pictured) and Komodo-X Z Mount are the first Red cameras with a Nikon mount, since the original Red One launched with an optional F mount in 2007  (Image credit: Red)

Heck, Nikon even called the cameras “The first models in the Z Cinema series”. So, it certainly doesn’t look like the Red name is going anywhere. And why would it? Since its establishment in 2005, Red has worked hard to establish itself within the cinema camera sphere.

I can’t think of any advantage to ditching the brand name, especially when the cinema camera industry is its own entity and there’s little crossover into the enthusiast camera market.

What Z Cinema does is highlight Nikon’s acquisition and will hopefully help to raise Nikon’s stock as a serious video contender. After all, we’ve seen huge leaps in terms of video from Nikon’s consumer cameras in recent years, ever since the release of the Nikon Z6 II and Nikon Z7 II and their Raw video output capabilities.

And if you need further evidence that Z Cinema represents the merging of these two worlds, the ‘Z’ is the Z-mount logo, while ‘Cinema’ is decked out in Red’s blocky typeface. I certainly think Red's here to stay.

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