Product Category >

Cooke Mini S4/i

1 / 10

Cooke Mini S4/i 18mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 21mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 25mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 32mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 40mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 50mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 65mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 75mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 100mm T2.8
Cooke Mini S4/i 135mm T2.8

Matching Items

Cooke Mini S4/i

Prime - Spherical - Super 35

product details

The Cooke Mini S4/i Primes are a compact, more affordable counterpart to Cooke’s flagship S4/i series, designed to bring the legendary “Cooke Look” to productions working with tighter budgets, smaller crews, or lighter rigs. By streamlining the S4/i design into a smaller and more accessible package with the same resolution, optical quality and reliability as S4/i Primes, Cooke created a lens set that has become a favorite for independent features, television dramas, commercials, and productions where mobility and affordability are as important as image quality. A core Mini S4/i set includes 18mm, 25mm, 32mm, 50mm,75mm and 100mm models. Available for rental or sub-rental at Cine Visuals.

Focal Length
T-Stop
Type
Format
Front Diameter
Lens Mount
Metadata
Iris Blades
Image Circle

Era / Generation
Contrast & Tonal Character
Sharpness & Resolution
Focus Fall‑Off / Transition
Iris & Bokeh Quality
Flare & Highlight Behavior
Handling & Ergonomics
Build & Modifications
Cinematic Heritage & Credits

*Refer to Technical Specifications table. Not the same for all focal lengths.

Matching Items

Technical Specs Table

T-Stop

Type

Format

Front Diameter

Lens Mount

Metadata

Close Focus (ft)

Close Focus (m)

Weight (lbs)

Weight (kg)

Length (in)

Length (mm)

Iris Blades

Image Circle

Front Filter

Rear Filter

Horizontal Angle of View (Full Frame)

Horizontal Angle of View (S35)

Focus Rotation

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

110 mm

10"

0.25 m

2.90 lbs

1.30 kg

4.60"

118.00 mm

33.54 mm

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

10"

0.25 m

3.40 lbs

1.60 kg

4.30"

110.00 mm

33.54 mm

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

10"

0.25 m

3.00 lbs

1.40 kg

4.10"

105.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

12"

0.30 m

3.50 lbs

1.60 kg

4.30"

110.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

16"

0.41 m

3.70 lbs

1.70 kg

4.30"

110.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

20"

0.51 m

3.30 lbs

1.50 kg

5.40"

137.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

2'3"

0.69 m

3.50 lbs

1.60 kg

5.30"

135.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

2'6"

0.76 m

3.50 lbs

1.60 kg

5.30"

135.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

0.91 m

3.50 lbs

1.60 kg

5.40"

137.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

T2.8

Spherical

Super 35

87 mm

3'3"

0.99 m

4.00 lbs

1.80 kg

6.20"

158.00 mm

33.54 mm

Screw-in Filter: M82 × 0.75

–

300°

Cooke Mini S4/i

Image Fidelity & Focus

The Minis preserve the essential Cooke Look: warm tones, smooth contrast, and natural focus roll-off. They are slightly softer wide open compared to the S4s, lending them a more intimate character. The T2.8 speed was a compromise to reduce size and cost without sacrificing optical performance. Contrast is moderate, with slightly lifted blacks and gentle highlight roll-off that prevent images from feeling harsh. Image fidelity is consistent across the set for seamless intercutting. Focus falloff on the Mini S4/i lenses is smooth, graceful, and dimensional. Subjects appear to emerge from their background with a three-dimensional quality.

Handling & Adaptability

Designed to be lighter and more compact, and weighing between 3 and 4 pounds each, the Minis are ideal for handheld, gimbal, or documentary-style shooting. They retain Cooke’s /i metadata technology. Their smaller size also makes them attractive for documentary and independent productions where agility is crucial. The focus throw is long and precise, though slightly shorter than the full S4/i lenses, reflecting their more compact housing. Mechanically, they are robust and reliable, with standard 0.8 pitch gearing for focus and iris, consistent front diameters (87mm across most of the set), and smooth focus throws.

Flare & Bokeh

Flare is delicate, restrained and cinematic, while chromatic aberrations are well managed. Thanks to Cooke’s coatings, these lenses avoid heavy veiling glare or distracting internal reflections, although subtle warm flares can be coaxed from bright sources. Bokeh is soft, rounded, and consistent across focal lengths, but sometimes busier. Highlights are rendered with a subtle glow rather than harsh outlining, which helps create a painterly, impressionistic quality in backgrounds.

Image Circle

The Mini S4/i lenses were designed for Super 35 coverage, perfectly suited for the dominant film and digital formats of their time. They cover the Super 35 frame with clean illumination and minimal distortion. They were not intended for full-frame or large-format sensors, but within their design range, they provide excellent coverage with no vignetting or edge falloff.

Cinematic Heritage

Introduced in the late 2000s, the Mini S4/i series emerged during a transitional period when digital cinema was gaining momentum and independent filmmakers were seeking high-quality cine glass that could deliver professional performance without the size, weight, and cost of top-tier primes. Cooke developed the Mini S4/i series to expand access to their optics, targeting indie filmmakers, documentary crews, and smaller production companies.