For Immediate Release
Oscar
Award Winning Cooke S4 Lenses State-of-the-Art Lenses Garnered 1999 Oscar for Scientific & Technical Achievement |
CHICAGO, IL, June 8, 2000 — Schumacher Camera announced today that they are the first rental shop in the Chicagoland area to carry the award winning Cooke S4 Lenses. Cooke's design team received a 1999 Oscar for Scientific & Technical Achievement for this state-of-the-art lens system.
The culmination of what could easily be a "movie script story", Cooke, originally founded in 1893 in England, was an industry leader in the 1960s and 70s. Production slowed considerably when then-owner, Rank Organization PLC began to focus on its other core companies. This changed dramatically when Les Zellan came into the picture, eventually bringing the company back from the brink.
Zellan became Cooke's U.S. distributor in the early 1980s, then went on to buy the company in July, 1998. As recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal (3/23/00), he "fell in love with the company's lenses and lore" and realized that the lenses "held tremendous promise".
Unique State-of-the-Art Design
The optics of the Cooke S4 lenses have been designed for maximum performance
at full aperture with tight control of flare, distortion and spherical aberration.
Cinematographer Oliver Stapleton (A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Cider
House Rules), quoted in the June, 2000 issue of American Cinematographer,
said "The S4s have sharpness without excessive contrast, and their
color characteristics are neutral, well-matched and smooth. The focusing
is superb."
Cinematographer Roger Deakins, who used the S4s in The Hurricane, said in the 3/23 Wall Street Journal article, "They're clear and sharp and seem to read a bit more in the shadows."
In addition to garnering industry raves for their optical superiority, the S4 lenses have been hailed as "a breakthrough", according to the Journal article, for their ergonomics. While traditional lenses rotate at a constant speed on interlocking threads, the Cooke lenses feature a unique mechanical design whereby the lenses rotate on an elliptical track, or cam system. Since the S4 lenses basically self adjust, the user is not restricted to the traditional multi-thread limits. The result is that the cinematographer has absolute control in focusing.
Wide Range of Applications
Featuring a deceptively light weight to size ratio, the Cooke S4 primes
are designed for all shooting applications, including hand-held and Steadicam,
offering comfortable balance ratio with the latest compact cameras.
Minimal Downtime and Fast Turnaround
An added feature and one of the key criteria which Carole Schumacher, president
of Schumacher Camera, looks at when purchasing new equipment, is the reliability
of the Cooke S4 lenses. The series has been designed to meet a market requirement
for fully reliable performance and minimal downtime. The cam movement design
of the S4 primes means that the wear and tear normally associated with multi-thread
lenses has been eliminated, or as Zellan says, "the optical perfomance
stays true." Maintenance time is also considerably reduced since the
optics are housed in a sealed unit to keep dirt and moisture out.
"In one hour, we should be able to strip down, lubricate and reassemble
a Cooke S4 as compared to a full day with other systems," said Schumacher.
"This translates into an incredibly short downtime and fast turnaround
for our customers. Needless to say, we are very excited to be the first
rental house in the area to carry this system. We've been anxiously awaiting
this acquisition."
Cooke S4 Used on Hit Films and Episodics
Winning rave reviews from leading cinematographers across the country, the
lenses have been used on such recent films as: The Cider House Rules,
Angela's Ashes, The Beach, Erin Brockovitch, The Hurricane, Topsy-Turvy,
Mansfield Park, and The End of the Affair. Most recently (and
locally), the lenses were used on the Warner Brothers pilot, The Fugitive,
which was shot in Chicago with camera equipment supplied by Schumacher.
Schumacher Camera specializes in 35mm and 16mm motion picture cameras,
lenses, accessories and support. The Chicago-based motion picture camera
rental shop is known for providing meticulously maintained custom camera
packages.
Schumacher equipment is used primarily by clients shooting commercials,
episodics, corporate, independent features and music videos. The company
also provides training, consulting and educational seminars for the production
community.
For product or rental information, contact:
Schumacher Camera
meticulously maintained custom camera packages.
1147 W. Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60622
Phone 312.243.3400
Fax 312.243.8999
© 2000 Schumacher Camera, All Rights Reserved.
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