Lens
Cooke
Cooke Speed Panchro Lenses
The Cooke Speed Panchro is a line of cinema prime lenses designed by Horace W. Lee and first produced in the late 1920s, becoming the first lenses used to shoot Hollywood sound pictures in 1927. The Series I (1930-1947) covered focal lengths from 24mm to 121mm at f/2, followed by the Series II in the 1950s and Series III in the early 1960s. The lenses dominated Hollywood cinematography for over 40 years and originated the term "The Cooke Look" for their characteristic rendering of skin tones and soft contrast.
Artists who use this(2)
Connection note
"We shot on film negative with the older Cooke Speed Panchro lenses." Used on Far from Heaven, Carol, Wonderstruck, and Dark Waters
Connection note
"Virtually all Technicolor pictures were made with specially modified Cooke Speed Panchros until the early 1950s." Five-lens set from 30mm to 140mm
Know an artist who uses the Cooke Cooke Speed Panchro Lenses?
Log in to submitLast updated March 20, 2026