Peer pressure is alive and well.

Peter Jackson tells the RED.COM site that he’ll be shooting both chapters of “The Hobbit” in 3D using, of course, the new-fangled and dreadfully popular RED cameras.

“I have always liked the look of Red footage”, Jackson said. “I’m not a scientist or mathematician, but the image Red produces has a much more filmic feel than most of the other digital formats. I find the picture quality appealing and attractive, and with the Epic, Jim and his team have gone even further. It is a fantastic tool, the Epic not only has cutting edge technology, incredible resolution and visual quality, but it is also a very practical tool for film makers. Many competing digital systems require the cameras to be tethered to large cumbersome VTR machines. The Epic gives us back the ability to be totally cable free, even when working in stereo.”

Jim Jannard the owner and founder of RED also had this to say about Jackson’s choice to use their camera:

“Everybody at RED is incredibly proud that Peter has chosen the Epic. The Hobbit is a major production, and could have chosen any camera system that they wanted. The fact that they went with us is extremely gratifying.”

The first chapter of “The Hobbit”, starring Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman and James Nesbitt, starts filming early next year for a 2012 release.