Review Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC

For the provided Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC lens many thanks official representatives Brightin star.

Navigation

1. In short
2. Main Specifications
3. Assembly
4. Focusing
5. Image quality
6. Sample Photos
7. My experience
8. Price
9. Results
10. Video review
11. All Brightin Star Lenses 
12. User Comments
13. Add your review or question on the lens

Please note that the Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC lens is available in different mounts. This review shows the Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC version for mirrorless cameras Sony E with APS-C sensor. At the same time, Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC is also available with mounts Canon EF-M, Canon RF/RF-S, Nikon Z, Fujifilm x и Micro 4 / 3.

It's important: most likely lenses 7Artisans 35 / 0.95, Risepray 35mm 1: 0.95, Kaxinda 35mm 1:95, Yaxall 35mm 1: 0.95 (possibly some others) are simply a rebranding (using a different name) of the Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35MM MC lens. This review is almost identical to the review 7Artisans 35 / 0.95.

In this review I will call the Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35MM MC BLK lens for short Brightin Star 35 / 0.95.

Blog: list of all lenses Brightin star you can see here.

In short

Brightin Star 35/0.95 is a modern manual (manual focusing only) especially fast lens with a fixed focal length for mirrorless cameras with an APS-C/MFT sensor.

Brightin Star 35/0.95 is interesting due to its low price (less than 200 dollars), very high-quality assembly, a large number of aperture blades and a maximum relative aperture of 1: 0.95. At the same time, at F/0.95 the lens is optically quite suitable for use for some photographic tasks.

Among the disadvantages are the standard optical problems inherent in such inexpensive high-aperture optics, first of all, tangible chromatic aberration and poor performance in backlight. There are complaints about the aperture ratio (T-stops) at F/0.95.

Main technical characteristics of Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC BLK:

Review Instance Name	Near the front lens: BRIGHTIN STAR ⌀52MM 1:0.95 F=35MM MC NO.1395 BLK On body: Brightin Star + 35mm Mount side: 'E-Mount'
Basic properties	The lens uses a Sony E mount and is suitable for Sony mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor Manual focus only Metal mount, metal body Compact size MC - multi-coated optics Low dispersive elements in the optical scheme BLK (?)
Front Filter Diameter	35 mm
Focal length	35 mm EGF for cameras Sony E, Nikon Z, Fujifilm x with APS-C sensor is 52.5 mm EGF for cameras Canon EOS M / Canon RF-S is 56 mm EGF for system cameras Micro 4/3 is 70 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	Option from the review for cropped mirrorless Sony cameras. This lens exists with mounts: Sony E Canon EF-M Canon RF/RF-S Fujifilm x Micro 4 / 3 Nikon Z perhaps over time the manufacturer will limit or expand the list of available mounts
Number of aperture blades	12 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark focusing distance scale in meters (M) and feet (FT). Available values ​​in meters: 0.37, 0.42, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2 and infinity mark. Available values ​​in feet: 1.3, 1.4, 2, 3, 6 DOF scale for F / 0.95, 2.8, 4, 8, 11, 16 aperture scale on aperture ring
Diaphragm	from F/0.95 to F/16, controlled using the aperture control ring. There are marks for F/0.95, 1.2 (presumably only a dash), 1.4, 1.8 (presumably only a dash), 2, 2.2 (presumably only a dash), 2.8, 3.2 (presumably only a dash) 4, 8, 16. The ring rotates with clicks on all the main (marked with numbers) and intermediate (marked only with dashes) values.
MDF	0.35 meters, maximum magnification ratio of approximately 1: 7 (measured)
The weight	369 grams (according to the official site) 367 grams (lens only, version for Sony e-mount, measured) 399 grams (lens with two caps, version under Sony e-mount, measured)
Optical design	11 elements in 8 groups. The optical design includes 2 low dispersion elements (shown in red) The optical design is clickable for magnification. Many other lenses use the same scheme, for example, 7Artisans 35 / 0.95, Risepray 35 / 0.95, Kaxinda 35mm 1:95, Yaxall 35mm 1:0.95, etc.
Lens hood	Must be screwed into the front filter thread; marking unknown
Manufacturer country	Made in China (there is no data on the country of manufacture on the lens itself)
Period	Since September 6 2023 year
Price	View on Aliexpress from a trusted seller View on the official website

The creative potential of such a lens is difficult to overestimate. Aperture F/0.95 five steps wider F/5.6 aperture, which is used in some 'dark' standard lenses. Each step gives a twofold increase in aperture: 1 -> 1.4 -> 2 -> 2.8 -> 4 -> 5.6. In numerical terms, this means that Brightin Star 35/0.95 should be 35 times lighterthan stock lens Sony 16-50mm f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS, which at 35 and 50 mm focal lengths uses a maximum relative aperture of only 1:5.6. The calculation of the difference in the relative aperture (count the aperture ratio) is simple: (5.6*5.6)/(0.95*0.95)=35.

Assembly

The lens arrived for review completely new. Overall the lens very well assembled. Brightin Star 35/0.95 has metal mount for bayonet, and the lens case itself is completely made of metal, anodized aluminum is used.

Important: lens mount also painted black (dark brown), which makes the design of Brightin Star 35/0.95 complete and quite pleasant. Typically, such lenses have a metal mount without color.

All marks and inscriptions on the lens engraved (except those near the front face).

The front lens cap is metal, without latches, just fits snugly against the body frame. There is a special fabric seal on the inside of the lid. The cover is fixed tightly. Removing and installing the cover is pleasant.

The weight of the Brightin Star 35/0.95 lens itself is just under 400 grams. In your hands, the lens feels like a solid thing.

The diameter of the filters is only 52 mm. The Brightin Star 35/0.95 itself is quite compact (5 mm shorter than the standard lens Sony E 3.5-5.6 / 18-55 OSS), good for small cameras Sony with APS-C sensor.

The diaphragm consists of 12 (twelve!) petals and forms a round hole at any aperture; in photographs in the blur zone, fairly rounded discs of blur are obtained at any aperture value. The diaphragm can only be controlled manually using a special ring. The aperture ring rotates with clicks and fixed values. This is the main difference from the model 7Artisans 35 / 0.95.

It's important: Unlike other lenses, where the transition between any pairs of aperture numbers has the same step, the step between pairs of numbers of Brightin Star 35/0.95 is always different. It shrinks from F/0.95 to F/16. This makes it difficult to conveniently and quickly set values ​​from F/1.4 to F/16. When going F/1.4 -> 2.0 -> 2.8 -> 4 drop exposure occurs correctly and is approximately 1 step per 1 step. When going from F/2.8 -> F/4 there is a drop exposure is approximately 2 steps (it shouldn’t be that way). When moving from F/4 -> F/8 drop exposure is approximately 1 step (it shouldn’t be that way). When moving from F/8 -> F/16 drop exposure is approximately 1 step (it shouldn’t be that way). Most likely, the markings on the aperture scale are incorrect.

It's important: F/0.95 aperture has light transmission in the area T / 1.3-T / 1.4. High-quality lenses with an aperture ratio of 1:1.2 usually have such light transmission. I came to these conclusions by comparing the readings exposure paired with other particularly fast manual lenses for DSLR and mirrorless cropped cameras. Behavior exposure corresponds to the description in the review 7Artisans 35 / 0.95.

It's important: aperture control ring is located from the front of the lens, behind the focus ring. This arrangement of the aperture ring is quite convenient. On other lenses, such as 7Artisans 35 / 1.2, the aperture control ring is close to the mount and it is not always convenient to rotate.

Focusing

The focus ring is wide enough, metal, ribbed. The ring rotates approximately 120 degrees (about 3/8 of a full turn). The focus ring is poorly stretched from 1 meter to infinity. Focusing is smooth and pleasant, the focus ring can be rotated with one finger.

It's important: after successful focusing, when trying to set the desired aperture value, you can easily touch the focus ring, which rotates very easily, and thereby disrupt accurate focusing.

During focusing, the trunk of the lens runs forward but does not spin... Together with the trunk, the diaphragm control ring also comes out. The rear lens remains stationary during focusing.

On the ring there is a scale with a focusing distance in meters and feet and a DOF scale. The minimum focusing distance is only 37 cm and the maximum magnification ratio is approximately 1: 7 (measured).

Brightin Star 35/0.95 has very strong 'Focus Breathing' effect (changes in the angle of view during focusing). When focusing towards the MDF, the angle of view decreases significantly.

Focus Shift (shift focus, changing the focus distance due to iris) is missing.

Hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) for fast and accurate infinity aiming under all operating temperatures no. The sample from the review has a small infinity flight in the extreme position of the focusing ring.

Focus peaking at F / 0.95 works well, but still it is not easy to get into sharpness perfectly.

Image quality

Brightin Star 35/0.95 is quite good, although it has obvious serious problems. At F/0.95, the lens, although it does not have high optical performance, still surprises with its performance.

Sharpness

1. at F/0.95 the resolution is mediocre, but significantly higher than expected
2. sharpness drop to the edges and corners of the frame is insignificant, even at F / 0.95, which is very rare for inexpensive optics and even with a similar aperture
3. sharpness changes slightly with aperture cover up to f / 1.4, only after f / 2.0 a high resolution is achieved in the center of the frame
4. excellent resolution over the entire field of the frame comes after F / 5.6
5. there is a noticeable coma that disappears only after F/2.8

Distortion

1. there is a small barrel-shaped distortion
2. easily fixable in the editor and almost invisible in the pictures

Vignetting

1. weak vignetting at F / 0.95 (which was very, very surprised)
2. vignetting decreases with focus towards MDF. Most noticeable when focusing on infinity
3. vignetting almost completely disappears at values ​​after F / 2
4. vignetting easily fixable in the editor
5. the lens is close to covering Full Frame

Aberration

1. strong chromatic aberration over the entire field of the frame, while in most cases it is of a red tint
2. strong freezing, which decreases significantly only after closing the aperture to F/2.8-F/4

Rest

1. it's important: there may be a slightly yellowish tint due to not the best clearing (see). This is the second important difference from the 'original' 7Artisans 35 / 0.95
2. at closed apertures in the area of ​​F / 11-F / 16, you can achieve the effect of a 12-ray star
3. from bright light sources you can get a lot of glareand they can be enormous. Significant loss of contrast is possible when shooting in backlight and side light
4. bokeh is pleasant in many cases. Discs of confusion to the edges and corners of the frame turn a little into 'lemon'

Important: At the time of writing this review, there was no Brightin Star 35/0.95 profile for popular RAW converters. You can create a profile yourself or wait for its release.

Sample Photos

All photos in the review are shown without processing. Camera used Sony a3500 (20 MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor). All photos in this review are shown without processing, according to the principles ZEROJPEG.

JPEG source pictures at this link (70+ files, Google Drive gallery). Important: Electronic front curtain shutter Sony a3500 slightly spoiled the bokeh at open apertures and shutter speeds shorter than 1/1000 of a second, the reasons for this problem are described here... The lens is not to blame, purely a shutter feature Sony a3500. Many other cameras, e.g. Sony NEX-6, there is no such feature.

My experience

Brightin Star 35/0.95 – hot cake for 200 dollars.

Now (early 2024) there are only a few similar solutions on the market (35/0,95 class lenses for mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor):

• a series of almost identical twin brothers on an 11/8 optical design: Brightin Star 35/0.95 (from this review), 7Artisans 35 / 0.95, Risepray 35 / 0.95, Kaxinda 35/0.95, Yaxall 35/0.95
• a kind of lens on a 10/7 optical design: MEIKE 35/0.95
• a fairly “simple” lens with a 7/5 optical design: TTArtisan 35 / 0.95
• a more expensive and high-quality lens with a 14/9 optical design: Laowa Argus 33/0.95
• outdated Zhongyi 35/0.95 Mark I (2012) and Zhongyi 35/0.95 Mark II are very difficult to find on sale

In general, for photography, I would recommend an inexpensive autofocus lens for cropped mirrorless cameras - Viltrox 33 / 1.4 AF (available for popular mounts: Canon EF-M, fujifilm x, Nikon Z и Sony E). Sometimes Viltrox 33 / 1.4 AF can be found on sale for about $250, which is not much more expensive than Brightin Star 35/0.95.

Price

Brightin Star 35/0.95 costs at around 200 dollars. The easiest way buy Brightin Star 35/0.95 at Aliexpress.comFor example, here at this link.

Results

Brightin Star 35/0.95 is an interesting creative tool. Has a convenient focal length for working on cameras with an APS-C sensor (EGF about 50 mm), which allows you to use Brightin Star 35/0.95 as a regular prime lens for every day. At F/0.95 the foreground and background are very blurred. There are questions about the real aperture ratio (T-stage).

10 main advantages

1. low price tag (you can find just for $ 199 with free shipping)
2. high aperture (declared aperture ratio 1: 0.95)
3. compact dimensions, very good build quality: the lens body is entirely made of metal
4. low dispersion elements are used in the optical design
5. very smooth focus ring, pleasant to use
6. there is a depth of field scale and focusing distances
7. 12 diaphragm blades that always give a rounded hole
8. The aperture ring rotates with clicks (the main difference from 7Artisans 35 / 0.95)
9. good sharpness in the center of the frame already at F / 0.95
10. good vignetting control

10 main disadvantages

1. most likely the optics and some of the mechanics are completely similar to the older lens 7Artisans 35 / 0.95 (announced three years earlier, in October 2020)
2. light transmission at aperture F/0.95 is at the level of T/1.3-T/1.4
3. no CPU pins to form the correct EXIF (the same inexpensive “similar” Chinese Viltrox 33 / 1.4 AF It also has autofocus with a stepper motor)
4. a threaded (non-bayonet) hood should be used; no hood is included in the scope of delivery
5. The aperture values ​​are marked incorrectly
6. the focus ring has a small pitch
7. heavy weight (about 400 grams)
8. slightly yellowish tint when exposed to light
9. tangible chromatic aberration
10. in backlight and side light, you can easily get a lot of strong glare

Video about Brightin Star 1:0.95 F=35mm MC

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.