JVC enters the JY-HMQ30 with a 1.25″ CMOS, 8.29 million pixel sensor. It comes with Nikon F-mount for using interchangeable lenses. The apertures of newer Nikon lenses can be controlled from the camera body, older ones work by simple closing the iris. There appears to be no autofocus.

It can record 4K (3840×2160) MPEG4 at up to 60P onto a SDXC or SDHC. The 4K image is divided and recorded onto four separate cards simultaneously. To do this it uses a fast image processing engine that JVC calls Falconbird. Four 32GB cards records 2 hours of 4K material. Four 64GB cards will let you record 4 hours. If you are filming in HD mode you can record in AVCHD to just one SD card. The 4K material is redcorded at a VBR (variable bit rate) at up to 144Mbps in MPEG4 AVC/H.264. In HD mode it records also at a VBR at up to 28Mbps. Gain can be set at either 0dB, 2.5dB, 6dB or 12dB.

Read more at: News Shooter | JVC announce JY-HMQ30 4K large sensor camera with Nikon lens mount (http://www.newsshooter.com/2013/06/14/jvc-announce-jy-hmq30-4k-large-sensor-camera-with-nikon-lens-mount/)

So is this the seed that will get Nikon moving towards a cinema camera?

I've been shooting with its little brother, the HMQ10 and like it.Surprising how detailed it is even at 1080. But $18,000 for this stepped up version seems awfully high.

The 4 SD card system isn't horrible, but it does add more work. I don't shoot every day but if I did I would probably look for something with a more streamlined workflow.

For the right price this would be tempting, but with the BMPC 4k at only $4,000 this is a no go for me.

For some reason I didn't catch the price. At $18k, there are so many other cameras I would consider first. BMCC 4K is a great option as well as a battle tested Red One or Scarlet. July is around the corner so BMCC 4K may be the best option paired with a Canon to Nikon adapter.