The Cooke Panchro 65/i Series lenses announced late last year have now launched, bringing the classic “Cooke Look” to modern large-format cinema cameras.
As reported by CineD, the Cooke Panchro 65/i series comprises six prime lenses with varying apertures, five of which are available now with a sixth to follow next spring. The lenses cover large-format image sensors, including those found in the Arri Alexa 65, Arri Alexa 265, Blackmagic Ursa Cine 17K, and Fujifilm’s new medium-format GFX Eterna 55.
The Cooke Panchro 65/i series includes the 30mm T2.8, 40mm T2.8, 55mm T2.5, 75mm T2.5, 100mm T2.5, and 152mm T2.9, the lattermost of which will arrive next spring.
“Cooke’s Panchro heritage spans decades of cinematic excellence, from Hitchcock’s VistaVision classics to today’s digital epics,” Cooke Optics explains. “The Panchro 65/i preserves those distinctive optical characteristics — gentle aberrations, natural skin tones, dimensional depth — across true large format coverage.”
Cooke has an area of its website dedicated to the “Cooke Look,” a trademarked term. The company characterizes the distinctive look as “sharp, subtle, and smooth,” while delivering high contrast. The company’s lenses are among the sharpest in the cinema lens market, and the new Cooke Panchro 65/i lenses do not deviate from this objective, even as many newer cinema lenses aim for a softer look. The lenses promise resolution of up to 200 line pairs per millimeter, which, as CineD notes, is far above the 40 line pairs per millimeter required for 4K video.
The Panchro 65/i lenses feature Cooke’s /i Technology, which enables metadata capture and has significant workflow benefits for videographers. These are the only 65mm format lenses to include this feature.
Although these new lenses are built specifically for the largest digital sensors in modern cinema cameras, Cooke notes that the look its new lenses produce is aesthetically consistent with the look from its SP3 lenses, which are usable on much smaller, compact cameras.
“The Panchro ecosystem now spans every format, budget and creative ambition,” Cooke explains. “Emerging cinematographers can establish their visual signature on accessible platforms, then seamlessly scale that same distinctive look to flagship productions. One aesthetic DNA, infinite creative possibilities.”
As expected, each new lens sports a professional, cinema-friendly build and design. The lenses weigh between 1.7 and 2.2 kilograms (approximately four to five pounds), depending on the focal length, and each features a scratch-resistant coating designed to withstand the rigors of long-term professional filmmaking. These lenses, although available for purchase, will be rented most commonly, so they must withstand extensive use.
‘The Panchro ecosystem now spans every format, budget and creative ambition.’
All six lenses feature 90 degrees of iris rotation, 270 degrees of focus rotation, and, except for the widest 30mm T2.8 prime, a 110mm front diameter. The 30mm T2.8 lens has a larger 125mm front diameter. However, they all have M105 x 0.75 filter threads. Each manual focus lens has dual focus scales — imperial and metric — marked from infinity to minimum object distance.
Pricing and Availability
The Panchro 65/i lenses are available only in LPL mounts, and the first five lenses will be priced at $23,000 each when they launch next month. The sixth lens, the 152mm T2.9, will arrive next spring and will presumably also cost $23,000 when it arrives.