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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Red Cooke Lens

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Gael Geneau

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I'm curious to know if anybody has shot anything with the Red using the specially designed Red Cooke Lens that Cooke has made recently. I'd really like to get a handle on the quality issue and how they compare with Zeiss lenses for example.
 
Gael Geneau said:
... specially designed Red Cooke Lens that Cooke has made recently. I'd really like to get a handle on the quality issue and how they compare with Zeiss lenses for example.
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Specially designed for Red they are not.. Special? allot of people think so..

I've shot with the Primes (a little) and, with no real testing, I think they are great modern glass for those who don't want too sharp (that's not necessarily me).. ACs seem to love all modern Cooke lenses (DP can't get silly with the stop, there is something about them that makes the distant marks more spread out, and very slightly out of focus is not quite as noticeable as Ultra Primes)

The zoom on paper is a little special and I believe from the usual gossip its a bit of a cracker. Its a bit big. Although it's not particularly heavy.. You limit yourself with mattebox options a little.

Michael
 
Thanks Michael for the insight, its appreciated. I was under the impression that they had developed lenses to use especially with the Red. I guess its the Red engraving that fooled me...:)
cooke_red_special_6x6.jpg
 
Like Michael said. There's nothing special about the set other than the marketing. You can purchase the 4 lenses in a kit and they have red paint for the Cooke logo and markings.

The 15-40 zoom is a very nice lens. But the one in the RED set doesn't appear to be any different than the regular current model 15-40mm T2 /i lens.

I'd love to buy this set personally... If I can find it somewhere at 65% off. Heh.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Like Michael said. There's nothing special about the set other than the marketing. You can purchase the 4 lenses in a kit and they have red paint for the Cooke logo and markings.

The 15-40 zoom is a very nice lens. But the one in the RED set doesn't appear to be any different than the regular current model 15-40mm T2 /i lens.

I'd love to buy this set personally... If I can find it somewhere at 65% off. Heh.
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you think Cooke will do a "Red Group Purchase"??? :biggrin:
 
Guys,
It's the same lens. Just engraved red. I went with the normal "yellow" film lens engraving. Same glass.
I think they're more flattering to faces and less contrasty than my Mark III Superspeeds, but no less sharp. I'll be interested to see the difference at 4K.
If I ever get that email...
Cheers,
Harry
 
Cooke is busy making lenses as fast as they can. The demand is big and they are a small boutique company doing fine, craftsman work. Should someone come to them today and request 100 sets of primes they will not be able to produce them much faster than they are currently, because that's when quality fades.

The build quality of Cooke lenses is top notch, easily on par with the Zeiss glass. They are physically different sizes for some lenses but then again so are some of the Ultra Primes. I like them both but they have different optical characteristics. One cannot say one is better than the other, just different.

And if a big LA rental house wanted to buy 20 sets of primes they would still pay the same price as someone buying a single set, so you won't have much luck with the group buy here.

Mitch Gross
Abel Cine Tech
 
That's actually like $10K off I think.

Personally I'm not a super-fan of the Cooke look. Some here definitely are and I'd never suggest they weren't top notch lenses but having shot three Red projects on the S4s two on Super Speeds and Standards speeds and one on Ultra Primes I have to say the Ultras are my choice. They are just snappy and the focus fall off is very creamy. Also the S4s display some pretty noticeable CA as well as some funky flare characteristics, again not by any means ugly but just not my preference.
 
Rosetta said:
So if they work in such low volumes, why don't they sell direct? Why do they need distributes? Up until a few years ago it made sense, but today....
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Hi,

Does Cooke have any distributers?

Stephen
 
studiodrome said:
they obviously could have a huge new customer base if they were able to bring down their high cost.
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That's very unlikely since they have the orders they need. It's more likely costs will rise considering the pound is plummeting.
 
Cooke's ownership and contractual agreements necessitate the need for sales through distributors. It is a small company that does not have the manpower to process all of the requests for quotea and information that would flood in about their product. That is what distributors are for. RED is the exception to the rule and for every sell direct company such as a RED (or Dell or RedRock Micro or dozens of others) there are thousands of others who utilize more traditional distribution networks. It is not a plus or minus; it is simply a different business model. Certainly selling directly to end users is a lot more work than selling to a few distributors.
 
ZGC is the US distributer of Cooke.
www.zgc.com
Les Zellan is a really great guy; his company is top-notch. I've purchased Cooke lenses as well as a Pro-35 and Mini-35 from them, and had my 20-100, 18-100, and 9-50 serviced there.
Cheers,
Harry
 
...except for the hundreds of inquireries by tire-kickers who may never buy but still need to be processed and attended to. And the fielding of all of the inevitable questions. This is the burden of the distributor.
 
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