Cooke SP3 Prime Lenses Introduced – Aimed at Mirrorless Cameras

Lens News

by Johnnie BehiriSeptember 6^th, 2023

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Cooke, a British manufacturer of “high-end” cinema lenses, just announced a new series of full-frame compact lenses designed specifically for the new age of mirrorless cameras. Let’s take a closer look at the new Cooke SP3 series of lenses.

Cooke is a well-known and established name in our filming industry. Their lenses are being used across the line in Hollywood cinema production. The term “Cooke Look” might have come across your filming carrier more than once, and if you’ve been wondering what that is exactly, it’s probably best to quote the company referring to the look as “a sharp, subtle, smooth rendering that provides dimensionality, high contrast, and pleases the eye”.

The thing with Cooke lenses is, that up until now you either had to splurge on it in order to own a new lens (not to mention an entire set of them), or, simply rent them. The other thing that was kind of an obstacle for some, was their mount options. Nothing to really cater directly and without adapters the new generation of camera mounts.

Now the company has come up with a somewhat surprising move by introducing their SP3 series of lenses. At $4,500 a piece or $21, 375 for a kit of five lenses, these are still not for everyone’s pocket, but maybe donating “half of a kidney” will do… Dry jokes aside, certainly the lenses in this series are much more affordable than before, especially if filming is your main profession and bread-and-butter source of income.

Cooke SP3 Lenses

The new series of lenses has a completely new design optimized optically and mechanically for full-frame mirrorless cameras. It will come in four focal length ranges: 25mm, 32mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm.

One of the big advantages of these lenses is their interchangeable mount design: Out of the case it comes fitted with a Sony E mount. Also, a Canon RF mount can be found in the case, which is perfect for Canon and some RED cameras. Mind you that this RF mount might not be available at the time of purchase, but Cooke is promising to deliver it to happy SP3 owners as soon as they have it. Also available as an accessory are L and M mounts (scheduled for early 2024). Speed-wise, all lenses are T2.4 and have Dual Focus scale indicators. Look-wise, according to the company, they will match the Panchro/i Classic series.

Another important “sale point” is the lenses’ shared architecture, as the focus and iris mechanics are aligned across the set allowing for fast, smooth, and accurate lens changes in order to maintain focus and iris motor positions.

Since all lenses are small and lightweight, using them on a gimble should be a joy.

Last but not least, Cooke claims that the SP3 series of lenses will easily resolve 8K resolution (and even beyond)…

For more information, head to Cooke SP3’s dedicated page here.

What do you think about the new offering from Cooke? Do you see yourself investing in such lenses? And not less important, what other mounts would you like to see produced? Share your comments with us in the section below.