A standard by which other prime lenses were measured between the 1930s and 1950s, the Cooke Speed Panchros were estimated by George Eastman to have captured approximately 90% of 16mm films shot during that time in America. This modern redesign of the now legendary Speed Panchro recreates the same look and feel of the original with the advantage of modern glass mounted for today’s cameras. And, the new lenses come equipped with /i Technology for frame by frame digital information capture, as do all modern Cooke cine lenses for film and digital capture.
No other lens has the beautiful and unique look of vintage Cooke Speed Panchros. They are known for how well they render faces, and for their painterly quality. These are the lenses responsible for the term “The Cooke Look.” They are as sharp as you need a lens to be, but still very flattering. They have a gentle focus roll-off and are just a little warm. They have the perfect amount of barrel distortion and vignette. These are often the lens of choice for shooting close-ups of faces.
With imperceptible backlash in the focus movement, zero image shift and smooth transition of the optical unit within the lens housing, the TLS re-housing has become the standard measure of which professionals have become to expect from this process. Positive stops on the focus ring are designed to withstand the rigours of modern day drive systems that can often overrun the frail end stops from some earlier designed re-housings. The iris ring is also governed and designed to stop cleanly at either end of the scale. Internally adjustable stops on the iris aperture ring mean that the lens can be set to overrun the end markings, if required, but this will not necessarily mean that the lens will open or close any more than the original specified settings. Made from stainless steel, brass and aircraft grade aluminium, the whole lens is now brought up to modern day specification.
