What we heard from the industry

While many cinematographers prefer to specify Cooke lenses to take advantage of the Cooke look as well as their ease of use on set and reliable operation, cost has sometimes been a barrier. Additionally, many buyers of digital cameras such as Red also want to have a complete set of lenses at a realistic price.

We also wanted to open up the possibility of using Cooke lenses in risky situations such as car stunts; less expensive lenses reduce rental and insurance costs.

S4 quality deserves the S4 name

Our goal was to offer a smaller and lighter lens that provides the same resolution, optical quality and reliability as the S4/i, but at a lower price. We decided that the lenses should also be suitable for shooting on film and digitally up to and beyond a 4K resolution pipeline.

Additionally, the lenses include /i technology, providing lens data per frame for downstream post-production. Like the S4/i lenses, the miniS4/i are designed for motion picture photography and do not breathe.

The lenses are one stop slower than the S4/i, which allows them to be smaller and lighter.

All Cooke lenses are colour matched. This means that miniS4/i and S4/i lenses can be mixed on a shoot with confidence that the images will match.

The miniS4/i Prime lenses (T2.8 to T22 aperture) incorporate everything today's filmmakers are asking for: smaller and lighter lenses that offer the same resolution, optical quality and reliability as the S4/i lenses at T2.8 speed. With the speed of new digital cameras, T2.8 is the new economical T2.0. The Mini S4/i are interchangeable with S4/i and 5/i lenses for shooting on film and digital images up to and beyond 4K resolution. Current Mini S4/i focal lengths are 18, 21, 25, 32, 40, 50, 65, 75, 100 and 135mm.

Technology

All our miniS4/i Prime lenses come with /i technology, and are designed for all professional film and electronic cinema cameras with PL mount. The /i technology provides cinematographers and camera operators with essential information about lens settings, focus distance, aperture and depth of field, hyperfocal distance, serial number, owner data, lens type and focal length in metric and feet measurements. For zooms, the zoom position is displayed.

Maximum Format Coverage -- 33.54mm diameter (New Epic S35mm Format)

Focus Scales -- Two opposing focus scales - metric or feet. Scales marked from infinity to minimum focus distance.

Focus Drive Gear -- 121 teeth 0.8 metric module x 5.0mm wide x 101mm from image plane.

Iris Scales -- Two opposing linear T scales - whole and third stop values marked.

Iris Drive Gear -- 119 teeth 0.8 metric module x 2.5mm wide x 85mm from image plane.

Screw-in Filter -- M82 x 0.75 (25mm - 135mm)


Features


Optical Design -- The optics are designed to give maximum performance at full aperture with superior control of flare, distortion and spherical aberration.

Electronics -- Accessible via contacts in the PL mount that synchronise with /i compatible cameras.

Colour Balance -- All miniS4/i lenses are colour balanced, colour matched and compatible with Cooke 5/i, S4/i and Anamorphic/i.

Aperture -- All miniS4/i lenses have a true T2.8 aperture and cover the Super 35mm format.

Index Marks -- Each index mark is labelled. More detailed markings allow more precise focus control.

Focus Movement -- Our Academy Award®-winning cam focus movement, combined with the advantage of a large lens barrel diameter, has enabled us to increase the number of focus marks, particularly in close focus. Spherical aberration has been controlled across the entire focal range to eliminate compensation for back-focus changes with aperture. A four-point contact bearing provides smooth and positive movement without play.

Camera Mounts -- Hardened Cooke PL mount with /i technology.

Focus Graduation -- Large clear numbers on both sides of the focus barrel assist the focus puller when shooting in difficult lighting conditions.

Compatibility -- All Cooke miniS4/i lenses, except the 18mm, have a common fixed front diameter of 87mm, with a 121T x 0.8 mod focus drive gear and a 119T x 0.8 iris drive gear.

External Finish -- A scratch-resistant PTFE hard anodised finish is applied to all Cooke lenses, providing a durable and resistant surface to meet the most demanding environmental conditions.

Iris -- An eight-blade linear modular iris assembly is integrated into the miniS4/i lenses with an aperture range from T2.8 to T22.

Weight/Size Ratio -- The lenses are designed for all shooting applications, including handheld and Steadicam, providing a comfortable balance ratio with the latest compact cameras.

Reliability and Service -- The miniS4/i lenses are designed to meet a market requirement for totally reliable performance with minimal downtime.