{"id":1812,"date":"2026-03-31T10:56:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/?post_type=product&#038;p=1812"},"modified":"2026-03-31T10:56:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:56:47","slug":"cooke-varotal-18-100mm-zoom","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/cameras\/zooms\/cooke-varotal-18-100mm-zoom\/","title":{"rendered":"COOKE VAROTAL 18-100mm"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>Cooke Varotal 18-100mm T3<\/strong> (Mark III) is one of the most appreciated, widely used, and iconic classic cinema zooms in film history \u2014 and the most refined version of a lineage that began in <strong>1971<\/strong> with the first zoom designed specifically for professional cinematography: the original Cooke Varotal, designed by <strong>Gordon H. Cook<\/strong>. With a zoom factor of <strong>5.5x<\/strong> and a focal range of <strong>18 to 100mm<\/strong>, it covers in a single lens from wide angle to short telephoto in Super 35 format, with a constant aperture of <strong>T3<\/strong> and the unmistakable <em>Cooke Look\u2122<\/em> \u2014 that unique combination of sharpness without harshness, organic warmth, exceptional skin tones, and a flattering softness that has made Cooke the most iconic lens brand in cinema history. One of the very few lenses that pairs perfectly with the vintage <strong>Cooke Speed Panchro<\/strong> prime lenses \u2014 same colour, same contrast, same soul.<\/p>\n<p>Its image is everything that defines the <em>Cooke Look\u2122<\/em>: sharp but never harsh, warm, organic, and with a classic, unmatched skin tone rendition \u2014 at full aperture T3 the lens delivers exceptional performance with a softness that flatters all subjects, especially faces. At wide focal lengths it has <strong>zero breathing<\/strong>, and at longer focal lengths breathing is extremely minimal. With an extraordinary minimum focus distance of just <strong>70cm (2&#8217;4&#8243;)<\/strong> for a zoom of this range, the Varotal 18-100mm enables extreme close-ups impossible for any other zoom in its class. The characteristic Cooke octagonal iris, a <strong>156mm<\/strong> front diameter, a length of <strong>355mm<\/strong>, <strong>PL<\/strong> mount, and a weight of <strong>5.9 kg<\/strong> complete a historically significant optical instrument in the cinema industry.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: disc;\">\n<li>Type: classic Super 35 cinema zoom lens \u2014 Cooke Varotal 18-100mm T3 Mark III \u2014 manufactured by Cooke Optics, United Kingdom.<\/li>\n<li>Focal range: 18\u2013100mm \u2014 zoom factor: 5.5x.<\/li>\n<li>Sensor coverage: Super 35.<\/li>\n<li>Mount: PL.<\/li>\n<li>Aperture: constant T3 throughout the entire focal range \u2014 no exposure ramping.<\/li>\n<li>Zero breathing at wide focal lengths \u2014 extremely minimal breathing at longer focal lengths.<\/li>\n<li>Minimum focus distance: 70cm \/ 2&#8217;4&#8243; \u2014 exceptional extreme close-ups for a zoom of this range.<\/li>\n<li>Cooke Look\u2122: sharpness without harshness \u2014 organic warmth \u2014 classic, unmatched skin tones \u2014 flattering softness \u2014 exceptional wide-open T3 performance.<\/li>\n<li>Characteristic Cooke octagonal iris \u2014 octagonal bokeh with great visual personality.<\/li>\n<li>Perfectly colour- and contrast-matched with vintage Cooke Speed Panchro prime lenses.<\/li>\n<li>Industry-standard focus and zoom gear positions.<\/li>\n<li>Front diameter: 156mm.<\/li>\n<li>Length: 355mm.<\/li>\n<li>Weight: 5.9 kg.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Perfect for:<\/strong> cinematographers seeking the most classic, iconic, and cinematically rich Super 35 zoom on the market \u2014 constant T3, 5.5x factor from 18mm to 100mm, zero breathing at wide angles, 70cm minimum focus distance, the unmistakable <em>Cooke Look\u2122<\/em>, and perfect compatibility with Cooke Speed Panchros \u2014, for feature films, series, commercials, documentaries, and any Super 35 production where organic warmth, exceptional skin tones, and the historic visual character of Cooke are as important as focal versatility.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":1811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_angie_page":false},"product_brand":[281],"product_cat":[430,413],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1812","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_brand-cooke","product_cat-zooms","product_cat-cameras","first","instock","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":1812,"es":1810},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/1812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=1812"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=1812"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfgrental.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=1812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}