Lens manufacturer Cooke has officially launched the Panchro 65/i series for 65mm and large-format cinematography. The six-lens lineup brings the Panchro aesthetic to larger image circles with /i Technology integration. Shipping begins in November 2025. Cooke has been manufacturing cinema lenses for over 100 years. The company developed /i Technology, the protocol for capturing and passing lens metadata to post-production teams. Back when we first covered the Panchro 65/i announcement, Cooke hadn’t disclosed much information about pricing or availability. Now, the company has confirmed full specifications and pricing details for the series. Cooke Panchro 65/i Large circle coverage. Credit: Cooke The Panchro 65/i marks Cooke’s return to large-format lens design, following the Double Speed Panchros and Duopanchros developed for VistaVision and 65mm film in the early 1950s. The new series is designed for compatibility with cameras like the ARRI ALEXA 65 and 265, as well as the FUJIFILM ETERNA 55. The “Cooke Look” The “Cooke Look” is defined by several distinct characteristics. While often associated with softness, Cooke lenses are among the sharpest cinema lenses available, capable of resolving up to 200 line pairs per millimeter – far beyond the 40 line pairs per mm required for 4K cameras. Key elements include the focus characteristics: at minimum focus distance, Cooke lenses produce an anamorphic-like distortion where the image center magnifies and tapers toward the edges, creating a circular distortion effect. This has been part of the Cooke aesthetic since the 1920s and produces an almost dream-like quality in close-ups, with...
Published By: CineD - Today