Cooke Optics is announcing its entry into larger format cinema with the Panchro 65/i lens series which is specifically engineered for 65mm imager cameras. Cooke was an early supporter of larger format cinema and released limited runs of the Double Speed Panchros and Duopanchros in the early 1950’s to support both VistaVision and 65mm film formats. This combination was used to photograph many great films such as Vertigo (1958), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and To Catch a Thief (1955).

An increasing number of camera manufacturers are now embracing 65mm digital imagers, so Cooke plans to provide filmmakers with the Panchro 65/i series. This lens series is inspired by the legendary Speed Panchro line, beloved by filmmakers since the early 20th century, now reimagined for modern larger-format cinematography. Cooke has crafted the Panchro 65/i lenses to preserve the unique aesthetic qualities of the Panchro line. Aberrations are integrated into the optical design, delivering the classic Panchro feel across a much larger image circle to meet the demands of this larger format and modern digital imagers. The Panchro 65/i will include six focal lengths: 30mm / 40mm / 55mm / 75mm / 100mm / 152mm.

On an Alexa65 this set gives a horizontal angle of view range from 84.1 to 20.2º. On this camera the 30mm focal length would facilitate an angle of view slightly wider than the S8/i 21mm on a full-frame camera. The lenses are designed to offer filmmakers enhanced depth and dimensionality, especially in facial features and foreground-background separation. The 55mm, 75mm and 100mm offer a fast maximum T-stop of T2.5 while the 30mm and 40mm offer T2.8 and the 152mm T2.9. All lenses offer a minimum T-Stop of T22 and the Panchro 65/i series is lightweight across the range at 2.3kg. The Panchro 65/i series also debuts as the first 65mm-format smart lens series equipped with Cooke’s latest intelligent /i technology. Cooke will announce the launch date for Panchro 65/i in early 2025 and expects to have demo units available later that year. To stay informed about the Panchro 65, Cooke has created a dedicated newsletter that can be joined on their website: https://cookeoptics.com/news-and-events/cooke-embraces-larger-format-cinema/