Cooke Optics launches S8/i FF spherical lenses

Cooke Optics announces the launch of their S8/i Full Frame (FF) series of seven lenses for full-frame production with an all-spherical design and T1.4 throughout, these currently include 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm focal lengths. A further nine lenses will join the range from late 2022.

Cooke Optics S8/i FF Spherical Lenses

The S8/i are cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, high-speed full-frame lenses motivated by cinematographers’ feedback to create more realistic and film-like images with spherical lenses for digital motion capture. An evolution of the Cooke Look®, S8/i produces breathtakingly beautiful images with an almost organic feel and a clean bokeh.  

To achieve this, Cooke has focussed on optimizing the contrast performance for the S8/i. Good resolution is, of course, vital with a modern lens. Crucially, human perception of resolution is tied to contrast so that an observer will perceive a sharp image due to the synergy and balance of both.  

Creating film-like images and the Cooke Look® requires the optimization of contrast. Cooke’s design team – and Academy Award® winning designer Iain Neill, Chief Optics Advisor at Cooke – undertook a huge study to ensure S8/i’s contrast performance is maximized to suit the actual resolution of digital cameras (today and indeed for many years into the future). 

Under the body, S8/i is an all-spherical design that produces a near telecentric output of the light rays, which is efficient for sensors. It is characterised by smooth, spherical bokeh and minimal color fringing, enabling cinematographers to create sensitive and emotional images with a high dimensionality. 

Faster

With a maximum aperture of T1.4 across the focal range, the new S8/i FF lenses are amongst the very fastest produced lenses for larger than full-frame capture. They also offer greater control over depth of field and flare characteristics while still providing excellent low light performance without graining.

Lighter

Compact and light, agile, and easy to use, the new S8/i FF lenses have been created for a wide variety of situations and today’s compact cameras. Being lighter, however, has not compromised strength, durability, or their exceptional image quality.

Smarter

Designed from the ground up to incorporate Cooke’s very latest intelligent /i technology, the new S8/i FF lenses include: 

• /i data focus and iris position

• /i motion inertial data

• /i maps factory calibrated shading and distortion data

Tim Pugh, CEO, Cooke Optics, said, “We are very proud to reveal the new S8/i FF series, built as always with cinematographers in mind. The lenses have been designed and produced in a smart way using an all-spherical design which provides an organic, filmic aesthetic to accompany the latest digital film cameras.”

 The S8/i FF series is now available to order in the following focal lengths: 25mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 135mm.