Who said there aren’t enough lenses for 65mm format? 

When the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 was shown under glass at Cine Gear in June and out in the open at IBC in September, there were cries and whispers from rumor mills, rental houses and DPs about a dearth of new lenses that covered the Larger Format. 

Of course, you could almost hear ray-tracing and prototype printing by lens manufacturers at that time. 

November 12, 2024. Cooke Optics announced their Panchro 65/i Lens Series—designed specifically for 65mm Larger Format digital cinema cameras.

6 Focal Lengths

The Panchro 65/i series will include six focal lengths:

30mm T2.8, 40mm T2.8, 55mm T2.5, 75mm T2.5, 100mm T2.5, and 152mm T2.9.

They all stop down to T22 and are equipped with Cooke’s latest intelligent /i technology. The Panchro 65/i series is lightweight across the range (1.8 kg to 2.3 kg).

Cooke was an early supporter of 65mm and VistaVision film formats. They released limited runs of Double Speed Panchros and Duopanchros in the early 1950s. These 65mm format lenses were used on major motion pictures such as Vertigo (1958), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and To Catch a Thief (1955).

Danny Haikin, Chief Commercial Officer at Cooke Optics, writes, “An increasing number of camera manufacturers are embracing the 65mm format. 

“As such, Cooke plans to provide filmmakers with the Panchro 65/i series, which brings the signature Panchro look to larger formats and widens the lens options available to productions that are embracing this impressive capture method. 

“This lens series is inspired by the legendary Speed Panchro line, beloved by filmmakers since the 1930s, now reimagined for modern larger-format cinematography.

“Cooke has carefully crafted the Panchro 65/i lenses to preserve the unique aesthetic qualities of the Panchro line. 

“Aberrations are skillfully integrated into the optical design, delivering that classic Panchro feel across a much larger image circle to meet the demands of this larger format.”

Cooke will announce the launch date for Panchro 65/i in early 2025 and they expect to have demo units available later that year.

 

Math

To compare comparable focal lengths (if the sensor proportions are similar), divide the sensor diagonal of the 65mm Larger Format camera by a Full Frame camera’s 43.27 mm sensor diagonal. (e.g. 59.86 ÷ 43.27 = 1.38 ratio.) It’s OK to round out the numbers, so 60 ÷ 43 = 1.4. 

So, divide the focal length of a 65mm Format lens by 1.4 to find the comparable Full Frame/Large Format focal length. 

Or, multiply the Full Frame focal length by 1.4 to find the comparable 65mm Format focal length.

For example, a 30mm Cooke Panchro 65/i lens would result in an angle of view slightly wider than the Cooke S8/i 21mm on a Full Frame camera.