The Cooke Panchro/i Classic Prime Lenses are a modern update to the legendary Speed Panchros of the 1920s to 1960s. They share optical designs with the early series Panchro lenses, but have new glass and coatings with contemporary housings. The “Cooke Look” is naturally warmer than neutral, flattering on faces, sharp where you need, with focus falloff and distortion that can be abstract, impressionistic, and dream-like. Many cinematographers also allude to the 3D or three-dimensional quality with which these lenses render subjects.

Color and contrast in particular are more predictable and evenly balanced across the set when compared to the variable range of rehoused Panchros out there, as well as being more mechanically easy to work with. That’s not to say they don’t have their own surprises– it’s a joy to discover how each focal length and T-stop handles aberrations and falloff differently, and we are regularly shocked at the close focus capabilities of these lenses without the use of a diopter.

Covers image formats up to Super 35. The Panchro/i Classic Primes are color-matched with Cooke’s S4/i, 5/i, mini S4/i, Anamorphic/i, and SP3 lenses. Each Panchro/i Classic Prime lens sports both a hardened PL mount and a cable connection that use Cooke’s /i Technology to transmit lens data including focal length, aperture, focus, and depth-of-field to compatible cameras.

Lenses Available: 18mm, 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm