Cooke Brings its Anamorphic Lens Legacy to Mirrorless Cameras

Cooke, a legendary name in cinema lenses, has announced the AP3 FF lenses, a new series of 1.5x anamorphic lenses designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Cooke has kicked off its new AP3 FF cinema lens series with a trio of primes, all featuring fast T2.4 apertures. There is a Cooke AP3 FF 35mm T2.4 1.5x Anamorphic, a 50mm T2.4 1.5x, and finally, a longer 85mm T2.4 1.5x prime.

All three lenses promise uniform aesthetics and natural optical rendering. Cooke describes its philosophy as embracing “controlled anamorphic character with the clarity and dependability that modern filmmaking demands.”

Although the new AP3 FF anamorphic lenses come in Sony E-mount by default, they feature interchangeable mounts. Cooke says RF, L, and M mounts are available to order as a free accessory. Since they’re built from the ground up for mirrorless cameras, each lens features a compact, lightweight design, at least for its class. Cooke notes that each lens is well-suited to handheld filmmaking.

The lenses range from 1.2 to 1.4 kilograms (2.6 to 3.1 pounds), and each of them features a unified 87mm front diameter. The lenses are 142 to 159 millimeters (5.6 to nearly 6.7 inches) long. They also feature unified 0.8 MOD gears, 79 degrees of iris ring rotation, and 160 degrees of focus ring rotation, all of which support seamless filmmaking workflows.

“Anamorphic is a format that demands to be taken seriously and rewards patience over novelty,” Cooke says. “AP3 brings the optical pedigree of Cooke’s high-end anamorphic lineage into a compact, lightweight series built for modern mirrorless cameras. Balanced, purposeful and with the cinematic depth and character you’d expect from Cooke.”

To that end, the AP3 lenses promise the distinct flare characteristic of anamorphic lenses, meaning long, horizontal flare patterns. Cooke says the flares “have depth and complexity.” The company also promises that the flare pattern and look are consistent across all three AP3 lenses.

Likewise, transitions between focus planes promise to look natural and organic. There is minimal focus breathing in Cooke’s examples. However, the company notes it has not sought to eliminate it entirely, citing breathing’s ability to be a creative tool in and of itself.

Cooke also promises beautiful bokeh, and as the company’s sample footage shows, it delivers. That said, the new AP3 lenses, unlike many other cinema lenses these days, prioritize exceptional sharpness, at least in the center of the frame. Cooke has not opted for a purposefully soft look with its new lenses, claiming that the AP3 lenses are “defined” where they need to be, and “expressive everywhere else.”

“AP3’s bokeh is a product of its ground-up design. As a true 1.5x anamorphic lens it renders out-of-focus elements with a painterly quality that draws the eye but doesn’t distract. The impressionistic shape and dappled character remain consistent across the entire T-stop and focal length range,” Cooke explains.

Cooke is not known for affordable lenses, and the new AP3 FF 1.5x Anamorphic primes are no exception. A single Cooke AP3 FF T2.4 1.5x Anamorphic lens is $7,750, while a three-lens bundle with each of the new lenses is $22,250, for a $1,000 total savings.

Image credits: Cooke