Cooke SP3

The SP3 is Cooke's attempt to bring its signature look out of the high-end segment. Five focal lengths — 25, 32, 50, 75, and 100 millimeters — all at T2.4, with full-frame coverage, and a compact design. The price is a fraction of a set of S7/i or S8/i lenses.

The Unusual Part: No PL

The SP3 does not come with PL from the factory, but with a mirrorless mount — Sony E, plus Canon RF, Leica L, and M as interchangeable options that the user can mount themselves. This is a departure for Cooke, and it's the clearest statement about who this series is built for: Sony FX, Venice with adapter, RED Komodo, Panasonic. If you need PL, this series is not for you.

What T2.4 Means

T2.4 is one stop slower than the S4/i and significantly slower than the Speed Panchros. This is the most visible compromise of the series. In practice, it's less impactful than expected because full-frame allows for a smaller aperture for the same visual effect compared to Super 35 — the depth of field of a 50mm T2.4 on full frame is roughly equivalent to a 35mm T1.8 on Super 35.

Mechanics

Nine-blade iris, 78-degree focus throw, 160-degree focus travel, 64mm consistent front diameter, 0.8 MOD gearing. 160 degrees is tight for a focus puller — cine primes typically have 270 to 300 degrees. On a handheld camera or gimbal, where focus is pulled wirelessly anyway, this is barely noticeable; for precise focus shifts in the studio, it is.

The Look

Image diagonal 81 degrees on full frame, 62 degrees on Super 35. The series inherits the Cooke characteristics — warm skin tones, soft highlight rolloff, controlled bokeh — without achieving the resolution of the more expensive series. That's precisely the point: the look is the product, not the measured performance.