LEICESTER, U.K.—Cooke Optics has announced that its new 60mm, 90mm and 150mm Macro/i FF 1:1 lenses are now available to order as a full set. 

The set of three spherical complimentary macro lenses are performance matched to the S8/i FF, Varotal/i FF, and S7/i FF and feature the iconic Cooke Look. Each lens has expanded focus scale marks for shooting as normal focus standard prime lens, with the ability to close focus down to 1:1 macro with a maximum aperture of T2.5. These unique macro lenses are equally at home for principal photography and table top product close-up shots, the company explained. 

At 1:1 macro, the close focus of the 60mm lens front measured from the sensor plane is 46 mm (1.8 in.). For the 90mm, the 1:1 close focus is 92mm (3.6 in.). For the 150mm, the 1:1close focus is 162mm (6.4 in.). 

“These new macro lenses enable cinematographers and directors to get those very special extreme close-up shots, as well as to use them as regular spherical lenses, providing exceptional creative focus possibilities,” said Carey Duffy, director of product experiences, Cooke Optics. “These types of shots are exceptionally impactful and help to bring audiences further into the story.”

With a small front diameter of 87mm, the new Macro/i FF lenses have been created for a wide variety of situations and today’s compact digital cinema cameras. 

LEICESTER, U.K.—Cooke Optics has partnered with EZtrack to develop a seamlessly integrated system that will blur the line between production and post-production by allowing film makers to merge images from on-set cameras with high-quality computer generated (CG) elements in Near Real Time (NRT). 

An integral aspect of the project is Cooke’s /i Technology maps, which allow precise and accurate manipulation of the digital image. This means lens distortion can be corrected quickly, CG elements added to the undistorted image, and then the image can be re-distorted, so the CG element is matched to how the lens sees it, the companies reported. 

This technology is coupled with the EZtrack system’s ability to deliver precise camera movement tracking, together with lens and camera data, plus the movement of many other on-set elements such as mechanical cranes. This allows the VFX and camera teams to accurately know the position and movement of the camera at all times, while also providing access to all the Cooke /i Metadata.

The combination means that a director can sit on-set watching the feed from the live cameras with a real time version of a basic CG render for the sake of positioning. Even more importantly, the collaboration between Cooke and EZtrack means that all the data collected can be used by the on-set VFX team to produce an updated rendering of the required CG that, while not big-screen-ready, is more than good enough to allow the editor to see their vision come to life in Near Real Time.

This allows filmmakers to have confidence in the shot, but also provides them with the freedom to re-think a shot if necessary before they reach the post-production phase, when laborious re-shoots are prohibitively costly. 

This innovation in the cinematography process debuted on the Italian film “Comandante.”

The project used Cooke’s 1.8x Anamorphic/i Full Frame Plus lenses as well as /i Technology, which enabled Cooke and EZtrack to provide spatially accurate, frame accurate distortion maps, that track focus pulls across time for spherical and anamorphic lenses.

Cooke and EZtrack co-developed key technical workflow aspects which fed into The Foundry’s NUKE, whose VFX compositing software delivered the Near Real Time (NRT) workflow utilized in the film. Cooke worked closely with EZtrack, The Foundry, Kevin Todd Haug and David Stump, ASC, in realizing this creative and technical achievement. Other visual effects vendors involved in the project included Wow Tapes and Bottleship, and it was produced by Indigo Films and O’Groove Productions. 

Daniela Kesselem, chief product officer at Cooke, said: “This revolutionary innovation from Cooke Optics and EZtrack may have started on `Comandante’, but the flexibility and creative control it offers filmmakers means it will feature in many more productions in the years to come”.

Timothée de Goussencourt, EZtrack CTO added that “Participating in this project was really a challenge, I think that together with Cooke we pushed the limits of what is possible. The result we got with the anamorphic lenses is incredible”.

Visit Cooke stand 48 at CineGear Los Angeles on June 2-3 2023 to see a live demonstration of the Near Real Time technology in action, in partnership with EZtrack.

Leicester, UK—Cooke Optics is making some notable additions to its range of Full Frame lenses. Two new Varotal/i FF zoom lenses bring leading-edge modern design and materials to this historic line of zoom lenses that were first seen in 1971, while the extensive Panchro/i Classic FF range offers the beloved vintage Speed Panchro look for full frame sensors.

The Varotal/i T2.9 zoom lenses cover all full frame sensors and are matched in resolution, color and fall-off to the Cooke S7/i range, thus providing a complete suite of Cooke full frame spherical lenses. The focal lengths of the zoom lenses are 30-95mm and 85-215mm respectively. The mounts can be chosen as either PL or LPL at time of order.

“Fifty years after the launch of the first Varotal lenses, we are proud to bring these new Varotal zooms to our customers,” said Tim Pugh, CEO of Cooke Optics. “They are now able to choose an entire color-matched Cooke line, complete with the Cooke Look, for their full frame productions.”

Like all modern Cooke lenses, the Varotal/i zoom lenses include /i Technology to record invaluable lens data, and are optimized to capture the warmth, texture and beautiful skin tones which are the hallmarks of the famed Cooke Look. The lenses are designed for all shooting applications, including handheld and Steadicam, providing comfortable balance ratio with the latest digital cinema cameras.

The Panchro/i Classic FF range offers full frame film makers the ability to capture the classic Panchro Look, as well as the Cooke Look, in their full frame productions. 

The focal lengths 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 40mm, and 50mm have been specially redesigned to fill full frame image circles. 

The 65mm MACRO, 75mm, 100mm, 135mm and 152mm in the standard Panchro/i Classic range were already capable of filling a full frame image circle, so no optical or mechanical alterations have been made for these focal lengths. Additional FF scale covers are available for 65mm MACRO upwards if required to harmonize rental fleets.

Like the standard Panchro/i Classic prime lenses, the FF lenses are color balanced, color matched and compatible with all Cooke lenses. They also feature /i Technology.

The Varotal/i FF zoom lenses and the Panchro/i Classic FF range are available for pre-order now.

LEICESTER, U.K.—The use of Cooke Optics 5/i prime lenses the last few seasons on HBO’s comedy series “Insecure” has helped director of photography Ava Berkofsky and director/executive producer Melina Matsoukas define the look of the show.

After the initial season, Berkofsky started using the Cooke 5/i T1.4 series of prime lenses, replacing the more traditional zoom-style lens for a half-hour comedy. The two full kits of new lenses featured nine focal lengths ranging from 18mm-135mm that were used with two ARRI Alexa Mini cameras. Most of the storytelling Berkofsky used the 65mm lens, but for the show’s distinctive breaking of the fourth wall she would use the 5/i 32mm at 3.5 feet.

“The 5/i is such a thorough set, they’re matched so well, even the 135mm,” said Berkofsky. “We would bounce all over the place. Always trying to figure out how to compress space; there was always a choice between focal lengths that gave me a consistent look.”

The lenses also allowed Berkofsky to often shoot people without using diffusion.

Berkosfky and the show earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half Hour) for an episode in season three that used the Cooke lenses.

“The 5/i’s really are an integral part of developing the look of ‘Insecure,’ they are so specifically engrained in the DNA or the personality of the show,” said Berkofsky. “These lenses have been really, really good to me.”

LEICESTER, ENGLAND—Easter weekend will see the premiere of CNN’s six-part, six-hour miniseries “Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History.” For recreations of different historical eras, cinematographer Dane Lawing, SOC, made the call to go with Cooke S4/i prime lenses to give each era a distinct look.

Lawing utilized a Cooke S4/i kit that came with eight prime lenses: 18/25/32/40/50/75/100/135mm. The 25mm and 40mm were the most prominently used, per Cooke’s press release, for the two-camera shoot, with 138mm +1 and +2 diopters added for close-up work. The cameras used for the production were the Arri Alexa SXT and Amira.

The historical era reproductions were shot in 32 fps and for certain time eras candles were combined with LED lighting to create a natural look.

“Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History” will air Easter weekend, March 31-April 1.