Many third-party lens makers have been fighting to make new lenses that work well with first-party cameras. The biggest challenge has been the autofocus, which many Chinese companies are trying to change. If you are someone who is looking to buy a new wide-angle lens, then the Brightin Star’s first-ever full frame autofocus lens that can do it all. Have a look at what it offers.
Brightin Star has announced 12mm f2.8, a new flagship lens with autofocus capabilities. The lens is available for Sony E and Nikon Z mounts, making the two mounts quite important when it comes to using new lenses. Here’s a look at the specs so far:
- Angle of View: 122.5°
- Minimum Focus Distance: 0.3m / 0.98ft
- Optical Construction: 15 elements in 11 groups (HRI, ED Hoya, and ASPH elements)
- Coating: Super IMC multi-layer anti-reflective coating
- Aperture Blades: 7
- Focus Type: Autofocus (STM motor) with AF/MF switch
- Controls: Customizable FN button
- Weather Sealing: Rear dust and moisture resistance
- Hood: Integrated petal hood
- Diameter: Approx. 70mm
- Height: Approx. 96.6mm
- Weight: Approx. 499g
- Mounts: Sony E, Nikon Z
- Introductory Price: $609.99
- Regular Price: $659.9
The lens is designed using various elements, including special glass and so on, making the lens important for many photographers. The Super IMC coating, as well as nano-scale multi-layer anti-reflective coating, you also get suppressed flare and ghosting. The lens promises near-zero distortion and edge-to-edge sharpness across the full 122.5° field of view, and with the petal hood, you get additional protection against stray light.
Brightin Star uses STM motor, which is supposed to help deliver fast, precise, near-silent autofocus performance. The latter is the part video needs. There is also the AF/MF switch, and the customizable FN button further helps with shooting.
The lens is pretty amazing for various reasons. Landscape photographers can capture the details well, while astrophotographers get massive coverage with full frame cameras. Architecture, interior, and street photographers are some photography genres that can further help to document your surroundings.
The other 12mm lenses that come close include Laowa’s 12mm, Samyang 12mm, and Zeiss Touit 12mm f2.8 in the third-party segment. There is also Sony’s own 12-24mm f2.8, which costs about $3148. Nikon’s widest lens is the 14-30mm, which limits many photographers. In that regard, both Sony and Nikon users get the best results at just $660. Having reviewed the 11mm, the Brightin Star and our experience has been good:
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the Brightin Star 11mm as a walk-around lens even though the distorted fisheye look is not necessarily the first thing you think about as an everyday carry option. Still, the 11mm F2.8 can add tons of character to a simple walk to the supermarket.
Keeping this in mind, the Brightin Star 12mm f2.8 is a pretty great option for anyone on a budget. The company notes the construction has “rear sealing for dust and moisture resistance,” which we have to test for. But if the lens is indeed weather sealed, we have a winner. Until then, keep an eye out for more.