Panchro by Cooke
Panchro by Cooke is the latest range of lenses from Cooke Optics, due to ship late in 2009.
What we heard from the industry
While many DPs prefer to specify Cooke lenses to take advantage of the Cooke look as well as the on-set usability and reliable operation, cost has sometimes been a barrier.
In addition, many purchasers of digital cameras like Red also want a full set of lenses at a realistic price.
We also wanted to open up the opportunity to use Cooke lenses in risky situations such as on-board stunt work; lower costs lenses reduce rental and insurance costs.
Our goals for the new lenses
Our goal has been to deliver a smaller, lighter lens which offers the same resolution, optical quality and reliability as the S4/i, but at a lower price. We decided that the lenses should be equally suitable for shooting film and digital images up to and beyond a 4K resolution pipeline.
In addition the lenses include /i Technology, providing lens data per frame for downstream post production.
Like the S4/i lenses, the Panchro’s are designed for motion photography and they don't breathe.
The lenses are one stop slower than the S4/i, as a result they can be smaller and lighter.
All Cooke lenses are colour matched. This means Panchro by Cooke and S4/i lenses can be mixed on a shoot with full confidence that the images will match.
A brand new design
In order to build everything we wanted into the new lenses we needed a brand new design, built on our 100 years of experience of what works for filmmakers. These are 100% Cooke products manufactured by us to our traditional high standards in Leicester, England. Panchro by Cooke is not a modified or re-badged externally-sourced product. You choose Cooke, you get Cooke.
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Features |
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Optical
Design |
The optics are designed to give maximum performance at full aperture with superior control of flare, distortion and spherical aberration. |
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| /i Electronics |
Accessible via cable connector near the lens mount and contacts in mount that sync with /i compatible cameras and accessories. |
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| Colour Balance |
All Panchro prime lenses are colour balanced to a specification within parameters approved by Kodak. |
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| Aperture |
All Panchro primes have a true T2.8 aperture and cover Super 35mm format. |
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| Index Marks |
Every index mark is labelled. More detailed markings allow for more detailed focus control. |
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| Focus Movement |
Our Academy Award® winning cam-style focus movement coupled with the added benefit of a large lens barrel diameter, has allowed for an increased number of focus markings, particularly at close focus. Spherical aberration has been controlled throughout the range of focal lengths to eliminate compensation of changes in back focus with aperture. A four-point contact bearing provides a smooth positive backlash-free movement. |
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| Camera Mounts |
Arriflex PL Mount |
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Focus
Scaling |
Large, clear numerals on both sides of the focus barrel benefit the focus puller when shooting under difficult lighting conditions. |
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| Compatability |
All Cooke Panchro primes have a common fixed front diameter of 87mm, with a focus drive gear of 121T x 0.8 mod and an iris drive gear of 119T x 0.8. |
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| External Finish |
A scratch resistant PTFE hard anodised finish is provided on all Cooke lenses, providing a durable, hard-wearing surface to meet the most demanding environmental conditions. |
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| Iris |
An eight-leaf linear module iris assembly is fitted into Panchro primes with an aperture range of T2.8 to T22. |
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| Weight/Size Ratio |
The lenses are designed for all shooting applications, including handheld and Steadicam, providing comfortable balance ratio with the latest compact cameras. |
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Reliability
and Service |
Panchro prime lenses are designed to meet a market requirement for fully reliable performance with a minimum of downtime. |
