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The Lost History of Cooke Lenses


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On 6/22/2020 at 4:17 AM, Jarin Blaschke said:

Cooke Series 1: "Back Roads" (certain sequences), tested on multiple occasions, used once on a fantasy Claritin commercial!

These were a close second place for "The Lighthouse." I have them earmarked for a certain, future Eggers film for sure. They have a very similar look to the original Baltars, with a natural palette, and the swirly bokeh is almost a perfect match. The contrast is little higher, though, and the color is very slightly warmer, probably a proper "neutral' but everything is relative. Soft flare control is better. Out of focus backgrounds are a bit more "globular" looking, if that makes sense. The biggest difference, though is that the image circle for the 25 and 28mm is smaller than any other lens type I know, so forget about open-gate.

So they are basically an enhanced-contrast, marginally warmer Baltar with an added soft vignette in Super35.

I've only used them digitally, and would have to ask about adapting for use for film, a la "Lighthouse."

Super Baltars: "Brothers", extensively tested.

These are a very different look than the original Baltars. The contrast is much higher like a contemporary lens and the color much, much warmer - enough that overall I would call it a "warm bias." Maybe this is inherent to the design, but I have a suspicion that it could be from the deterioration of Thorium that was widely used in optics of the 50s and 60s. So maybe they were not always this warm - but this is pure speculation.

Despite the contrast, this "macro contrast" does not translate into "microconrast" and skin tones are still very silky and flattering. Still a truly great portrait lens.  

"Cat's eye" bokeh is very subtle, but is still there, apparent when you compare to Panavision SS and more modern lenses.

Just a hint of chromatic aberration, but only when compared to Cooke S2s. Much less than Panavision SS, or Cooke S4s for that matter.

My only complaint is that the aperture blades are not truly round, so bokeh is a little geometric. Perhaps this can be fixed for a long project.

Cooke S2 (and s3): "The Witch," "Back Roads"

I picked these for "The Witch" because of the weird, globular, cat's-eye bokeh, before the series1s were rehoused at Panavision. At the time, the "crystal ball" effect on the backgrounds felt "alien" and unsettling to me somehow.  This semi-petzval bokeh effect is more pronounced than a Super Baltar, but certainly less pronounced than a Series 1 or Baltar.

Among 1960+ lenses, the color is very slightly cool- very different than its contemporary, Super Baltar. This was a subtle aid for our gloomy look. They have visibly less contrast than a Super Baltar too, also good for that low-contrast movie. 

Aperture blades are beautifully round, and most impressively, ZERO chromatic aberration- my least favorite aberration. Plenty of other aberrations though!

For me, skin texture don't quite have the same "shimmer" and magic of a Baltar or Super Baltar though. But this is my personal ju-ju and and hearsay. Please test yourself.

Hey Jarin-- That was an epic post. Really appreciate the time and commitment to getting this concise roundup to all these old glass comparisons between the Cooke and Baltars series. Fascinating to see this thread still pick up viewers now 2 years later.

I have tended to become very partial to a warmer, soft, and yet detailed look. ~ perhaps that sound contradictory, but the effort to attain that silky shimmer yet combined with a sense of micro-contrast (not a clean edge-to-edge sharpness throughout) is an exciting endeavor. My final short, State of the Game, which Iwas completed finished up
 

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On 6/22/2020 at 4:17 AM, Jarin Blaschke said:

Cooke S2 (and s3): "The Witch," "Back Roads"

 

I picked these for "The Witch" because of the weird, globular, cat's-eye bokeh, before the series1s were rehoused at Panavision. At the time, the "crystal ball" effect on the backgrounds felt "alien" and unsettling to me somehow.  This semi-petzval bokeh effect is more pronounced than a Super Baltar, but certainly less pronounced than a Series 1 or Baltar.

Among 1960+ lenses, the color is very slightly cool- very different than its contemporary, Super Baltar. This was a subtle aid for our gloomy look. They have visibly less contrast than a Super Baltar too, also good for that low-contrast movie. 

Aperture blades are beautifully round, and most impressively, ZERO chromatic aberration- my least favorite aberration. Plenty of other aberrations though!

For me, skin texture don't quite have the same "shimmer" and magic of a Baltar or Super Baltar though. But this is my personal ju-ju and and hearsay. Please test yourself.

Hey Jarin-- that is an epic post. Major thanks for making a concise comparison to all these different Cooke and Baltar series. It's incredible to think this thread still grabs attention 2 years after posting.

I've personally become very partial to a warmer, soft yet detailed look-- those attributes may sound contradictory, but the effort to achieve that soft and classic shimmer while combined with a presence of an organic microcontrast (not edge-to-edge sharpeness), is a worthy endeavor.
For my last short film, State of the Game, I rolled the dice on a set of Cooke s4 with uncoated front elements, (while also using ProMist filters) and the results are very distinct.

Curious to hear if you think the look is at all reminiscent of any of the above lenses you mentioned or if this resulted something entirely different. Shoot me a message/I'll send you the rest of the film if you'd like. 

Lastly, have you happened to have tried out the new Pancro/i Classics? If so, do you think they are ultimately closer to the series 1 or 2/3? Maybe they'll even release a Pancro Classics SF edition haha (you never know). Nonetheless, I do think they will eventually release some wider focal length in this new lineup to basically match the total range of the S4s. Who knows.
 

Robert.

Edited by Robert Daniel Martin
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