Brightin Star AF 50mm F1.4 Review

   The Brightin Star AF 50mm F1.4 was released June 1st 2024.  I got my hands on it via a review invitation from Brightin Star 9 days later and was very eager to take it out to test.  My first test involved seeing the colors it produces shooting botanical.  How do the colors pop?  how is the bokeh?  Can this lens shoot subjects like flowers and street photography? and what results do you get?  Here are the images I really liked.  The results were very good for that test.  I loved the colors and bokeh i got from the lens.  I then took the lens out to Plaza at The Border shopping mall and The City of Coronado here in southern San Diego to get some street photographs and I also wanted to see how it performs while recording talking head videos for those creators looking for their next APS-C lens.  I used this lens on my Sony A7CII full frame camera, but was able to use it thanks to APS-C S35 mode option on the cameras settings which allows you to use APS-C lenses.

Technical Specifications:

• APS-C Sony E Lens.
• Focal Length: 50mm.
• Focusing Type: Auto Focus.
• Focal Range: 0.5 – Infinity .
• Aperture: F/1.4 – F/16 Manual Focus.
• Lens Construction: Metal.
• Lens Structure: 12 elements in 8 groups.
• Filter Thread Size: 58mm.
• Year Built:  June 1st, 2024.

Build Quality:

•  The outer casing is made of thick metal.  This lens has a nice weight to it.  Compared to the Sony 50mm F1.8, there is no comparison.  You actually feel like there is something in your hand.  This lens is not heavy, but its not light either at 449 grams.  I never noticed the weight while I was carrying it for my street shots.

Price for the Money:

• This lens is currently listed at a release price of $249 for 3 mounts (E,X,Z). Fuji and Nikon are not available as of the time of me posting this blog post as they are sold out.  

User Experience:

• This is an APS-C lens.  The Sony A7CII does have APS-C S39 mode so I am able to use it with my camera.  Its a bit different for video as it will show vigenetting on the corners on full frame but if you are an APS-C Sony shooter you will have no problems with it.  I really did like it for video and have added my recording for the lens below.  Its very sharp and the AF followed my eye throughout the recording never losing focus on my face.  For those considering a 50mm APS-C lens for their video content creation, this could be a good option, just make sure 50mm is a good size for your face type.  For street photography, i loved this lens.  It was very sharp, fast and got my focus points in as soon as I pointed the camera to my subject with minimal wait time for focus.  I never would have considered an APS-C lens for my camera until i got a hold of this lens.  It passed all my tests for all 3 shooting sessions i used it for.  It was a pleasure to use.