When Cooke advertises their lenses as “hand built in the UK”, they’re not joking. As someone who’s been lucky enough to experience the Cooke factory first-hand, I can confirm that every single lens is hand built by skilled technicians. This video shot by Florin Gabor back in 2013 takes us on a nice tour through the factory and shows a glimpse of each step of the lens manufacturing process. While the video does give you a great idea of how the infamous Cooke lenses come to be, it simply doesn’t do the factory justice. If you ever find yourself in Leicester, UK, pop in for a tour. There’s so much history and nostalgia floating around the Cooke factory, it’s breathtaking. Seeing manufacturing and polishing machines that date back to the early 1900s working in tandem with brand new multi-axis CNC machines is truely a sight to behold and a testament to the pedigree that Cooke Optics possesses. Take a few minutes and enjoy the video >
When you think about it, it’s the crazy combination of science, industry and art. Lenses seem so simple from the outside, but are hiding a lot more then a few pieces of glass!