At launch, the Cooke AP3 range includes three focal lengths. These are 35 mm, 50 mm and 85 mm. You can buy the new lenses individually or as a three-lens kit.
No PL mount
The Cooke AP3 lenses ship with E mounts. You can also order interchangeable mounts for RF, L and M mount cameras, all free of charge. Cooke says the lenses were designed “from the ground up” for mirrorless. That focus explains one notable absence. There’s no PL mount option. Given the reduced flange distance mirrorless cameras require, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to adapt the AP3 lenses for PL mount bodies.
1.5x anamorphic
The Cooke AP3 lenses deliver 1.5x anamorphic compression. That means the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses give you the horizontal field of view of spherical lenses at roughly 23mm, 33mm and 57mm. Cooke says the lenses offer “the characteristics that epitomize anamorphic imaging while supporting the controlled, consistent image and wide-open performance that modern filmmaking demands.” The flares, the company adds, “have depth and complexity, streaking with a classic anamorphic tint without ever limiting where you can shoot.” Those flares stay consistent across all three focal lengths.
The Cooke look
Cooke says the AP3 lenses offer “the clarity and center sharpness of a high-end anamorphic, even wide open. Defined where it needs to be and expressive everywhere else. Gently blooming highlights wrap elements of the image together with a filmic softness.” The lenses share “some characteristics with Cooke’s modern anamorphic S35 2x and FF 1.8x lenses.” They also borrow “hardware architecture and lens coatings with the SP3.” For you, that means footage shot on either series should match easily across a production.
Aperture and focus
All three lenses share a maximum aperture of T2.4 and a nine-blade iris. Cooke says that combination renders “out-of-focus elements with a painterly quality that draws the eye but doesn’t distract.” The iris ring has a 79-degree throw and the focus ring a 160-degree throw. Both use standard pitch gearing for a follow focus, and both sit in the same spot across all three lenses. That consistency lets you swap optics without rearranging your rig. Close focus runs from 20 inches (500 mm) on the 35mm to 3 feet (900 mm) on the 85mm. Each lens carries focus marks in both imperial and metric.
Design
The 50 mm is the lightest of the three at 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg) and 5.59 inches (142 mm) long. The 35 mm comes next, measuring 6.02 inches (153 mm) and weighing 2.8 pounds (1.3 kg). The 85 mm is the largest and heaviest at 3.1 pounds (1.4 kg) and 6.65 inches (159 mm). All three share a 3.42-inch front diameter and an 82mm filter thread.
What we think
The Cooke AP3 launch shows just how far mirrorless cameras have come. Cooke built the series specifically for E, L, RF and M mount bodies. It also tuned the AP3 lenses to intercut cleanly with footage from its SP3 spherical lenses. Better still, the anamorphic look holds steady across all three focal lengths, so you can pick the focal length you need without worrying about a mismatch. These lenses are expensive. When you need the highest quality, though, they won’t let you down.
Pricing and availability
A single AP3 lens costs $7,500, while the three-lens set runs $22,250. Both options ship in a hard case. For now, availability is listed only as “coming soon.”
