Detailed review of the BRIGHTIN STAR AF 50mm 1:1.4 ED APS-C lens (for Sony E, Nikon Z, FujiFilm X)

Navigation

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

In this review I will call the BRIGHTIN STAR AF 50mm 1:1.4 ED lens for short – 'Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF'.

It's important: This review shows the Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF version for Sony mirrorless cameras with a mount Sony e-mount and with firmware version V1.03. At the same time, there are modifications of this lens for mirrorless cameras APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX), APS-C FujiFilm X. However, it is worth noting that at the end of summer 2024 there is a version for sale only for the bayonet mount Sony e-mount, announcements of versions for Nikon Z и fujifilm x are expected soon.

In short

Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is a modern lens with a fixed focal length and high aperture for mirrorless cameras with a “cropped” APS-C sensor (coefficient crop factor about Kf=1.5x).

In terms of its capabilities, Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is a very attractive solution. First of all, Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is intended for creative photography and video shooting. Including Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF can act as an alternative to a portrait lens. Automatic focusing is achieved using a quiet and fast stepper focusing motor. The image quality is at a very high level, with only mediocre performance in backlight being the only drawback.

I worked with the lens for about a month, I shot about ten thousand frames in completely different shooting conditions and used it for different directions of photography. The lens handled all tasks exceptionally well.

It's important: Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is the first autofocus lens from the company Brightin star. The lens was announced December 21, 2023.

Such lenses are most often called 'fifty dollars' due to the focal length of 50 mm. In general, Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is an alternative to the original autofocus lens Sony E 1.8 / 50 OSS (Optical Steady Shot, SEL50F18, E-mount, 2011).

System APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) at the end of summer 2024 remains poorly developed and does not have any similar 50/1.4 class lenses at all, and therefore Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF for APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) is a very interesting and popular solution.

In the case of a system fujifilm x Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is an alternative for FUJINON ASPHERICAL LENS SUPER EBC XF 50mm 1: 2 R WR (2017). Perhaps the Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF will also be looked at by those users for whom the original high-aperture models 50mm 1:1 XF R WR, 56mm 1:1.2 XF R, 56mm 1:1.2 XF R APD, 56mm 1:1.2 XF R WR will turn out to be too expensive.

Price for a brand new Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF low and approximately 280-380 dollars.

It's important: when searching and choosing autofocus optics for Sony E-mount APS-C Use these very useful links:

• All autofocus lenses for Sony E / Sony NEX (original and from third-party manufacturers)
• All Brightin Star Lenses

Alternatives

All similar autofocus lenses (“fifty kopecks” and “about fifty kopecks”) for cropped mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor for mounts X, E, Z, L, Ef-m, RF-S:

1. Sony E 1.8 / 50 OSS [IS]
2. FujiFilm 50mm 1:1 XF R WR [X]
3. FujiFilm 50mm 1:2 XF R WR  [X]
4. FujiFilm 56mm 1:1.2 XF R [X]
5. FujiFilm 56mm 1:1.2 XF R APD [X]
6. FujiFilm 56mm 1:1.2 XF R WR [X]
7. Viltrox 56/1.4 (overview) [X, E, Z, EF-M] (video)
8. Viltrox 56/1.7 (overview) [X, E, Z] (video)
9. Sigma C 56 / 1.4 [X, E, Z, L, EF-M, RF-S]
10. TTArtisan 56 / 1.8 [X, E, Z]
11. Tokina 56 / 1.4 [X, E]
12. Yongnuo 50/1.8 PRO [X, Z]
13. Yongnuo 50/1.8 (overview) [X, E, Z] (video)
14. Yongnuo 50 / 1.8 II [IS]
15. Yongnuo 56/1.4  [E,Z]
16. Meike 55 / 1.4 [X, E, Z]
17. Brightin Star 50/1.4 (overview) [X, E, Z] (video)

Main technical characteristics of BRIGHTIN STAR AF 50mm 1:1.4 ED

Review Instance Name	On the lens barrel: BRIGHTIN STAR 50 1:1.4 AF ED – 0.5M/1.6FT-∞ + Near the front lens: BRIGHTIN STAR Ø58 1:1.4 F=50MM NO.02953 BLK On the box: 50 BRIGHTIN STAR AF 50mm F1.4 High-Speed ​​Lens APS-C Ø58 Bayonet side, engraving: E-mount
Basic properties	APS-C – the lens is designed to work with cameras that have a sensor crop factor around Kf=1.5x AF - automatic focusing ED - low dispersion elements in the optical scheme STM - focusing stepper motor Internal focus Constant manual control of the focus ring Electronic focus ring MERAK Coating – multi-coated optics Protective front lens coating/coating Metal mount USB-port for firmware update E mount BLK(?) Important: lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its practical use
Front Filter Diameter	58 mm, metal thread for filters
Focal length	50 mm, EGF for cameras Sony E APS-C / APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) / APS-C FujiFilm X is 75 mm
Zoom ratio	1 X (this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom)
Designed by	for cropped mirrorless digital cameras. Theoretically, the lens is suitable for all digital mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses and mount SONY E/FE. Versions for bayonet mounts should appear soon APS-C Nikon Z (Nikon DX) и APS-C FujiFilm X
Number of aperture blades	9 rounded petals
Tags	bayonet mount mark hood attachment mark – and + markings indicating the direction of rotation of the focus ring
Diaphragm	from F/1.4 to F/16 without aperture control ring
MDF	0.85 meters, maximum magnification ratio 1:7.7
The weight	421 grams without lids according to my measurements (version under Sony e-mount) 440 grams with two caps and a lens hood according to my measurements
Optical design	12 elements in 8 groups Clickable picture
Lens hood	Bayonet-type lens hood included in delivery
Manufacturer country	MADE IN CHINA (Made in China)
Period	From December 21, 2023
Instructions	not included in the package
Price	About 280-380 dollars. Aliexpress prices

The actual aperture ratio (T-stage) is quite high, and is at the T/1.5 level.

Aperture F / 1.4 four steps wider F/5.6 aperture, which is used in some 'dark' standard lenses. Each step gives a twofold increase in aperture: 1.4 -> 2 -> 2.8 -> 4 -> 5.6. In numerical terms, this means that Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF should be 16 times lighterthan stock lens Sony 16-50mm f / 3.5-5.6 PZ OSS or Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS II, which at 50 mm focal length can use a maximum relative aperture of only 1:5.6. Calculating the difference in relative apertures (count aperture ratio) is done in an elementary way: (5.6*5.6)/(1.4*1.4)=16. The creative potential of such a lens is difficult to overestimate. Amateur photographers often use it as a portrait lens. Many people simply want a fast prime to complement their kit lens.

Assembly

The lens came for review new in its original box.

The package does not include a USB cable for updating the firmware.

Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF has metal mount. The lens mount is also painted black (dark brown), which makes the design of Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF complete and quite pleasant. Typically, such lenses have a metal mount without color. Typically lenses from 7Artisans have this bayonet color, for example, 7Artisans 50 / 0.95.

The focus ring is metal, with veins, not rubberized. There are “-” and “+” markings on the body, which indicate the direction of rotation of the focusing ring (towards the minimum focusing distance [MDF] and maximum [infinity]).

The weight of Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is just over 400 grams. The lens body is made of metal.

All marks and labels on lenses engraved. The assembly is high quality. The lens feels good in your hands. The front lens has a special protective coating, but the overall lens is not weatherproof.

A durable plastic lens hood is included in the package. Bayonet type lens hood, snap-on reliably. The lens hood can be installed in the opposite direction (in transport mode), but in this case, access to the focus ring is partially lost. The hood has a special release button that must be pressed to remove the hood from the lens.

The front and back protective covers are plastic, massive, easy to use, without a logo or brand name.

The diaphragm consists of 9 blades. At values ​​F/1.4-F/4 the hole takes on a fairly round shape. At values ​​F/8-F/16, the aperture opening takes the shape of a regular hexagon. The diaphragm works quickly, does not stick, but creates excessive noise from frequent opening/closing.

It's important: The lens is initialized after the camera goes to sleep and wakes up, and when the camera is turned on. When the lens is detached from the camera, or when the camera is turned off, or when the camera is in 'sleep' mode, the aperture blades are always closed to F/16, and the lens sets a certain focusing distance.

Important: Initialization takes about one and a half seconds, which makes it difficult to quickly turn on the camera and take the first photo.

Focusing

Very important: Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF will only work correctly with modern cameras with a mount Sony E. With older models, certain difficulties may arise. For example, on a camera Sony NEX-F3 Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is not recognized. Also, for example, on a camera Sony a3500 Auto focus works very poorly. Most likely, for Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF to work correctly, you need a camera with phase focus sensors. For example, on the old model Sony NEX-6 the lens works correctly.

The lens has a built-in STM focusing stepper motor. The motor runs very quietly.

On the case no MF / AF focus mode switch... To change the focus mode, use the camera menu.

Auto focus speed average, closer to high. The focusing speed is sufficient for comfortable work in most photo tasks.

The focusing ring is metal, wide, with veins. Electronic focusing ring, rotates a little hard, has no extreme positions. There is virtually no lag in the electronic focusing ring.

During auto focus focus ring remains stationary.

Lens has internal focus, the front and rear lenses remain stationary during focusing. It is possible to use various filters without any problems.

The minimum focusing distance is 50 cm and the maximum magnification ratio is 1: 5.6.

Focus Features:

1. Important: The focusing quality of the Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF highly depends on the camera used.
2. Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF has a strong 'Focus Breathing' effect (changing the viewing angle while focusing). When focusing towards the MDF, the viewing angle decreases.
3. Focus Shift (focus shift, changing focus distance due to iris)
4. Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF does not have a hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop), which allows you to accurately and quickly focus the lens to infinity under any external temperature conditions. To accurately aim at infinity, you cannot simply bring the focusing ring to its extreme position. This is a common problem with lenses with an electronic focus ring.
5. Unknown compatibility with teleconverters.

Firmware Upgrade

The lens is equipped with a port USB TYPE-C 2.0 (a common port that many smartphones and other devices use). When connected to a computer, the lens is recognized as a 'BS-Optics' drive with a capacity of 1.38 MB. The drive carries the file README.txt - a text file with information about the lens and firmware.

To update you should download the firmware file from the official website and copy it to the 'BS-Optics' drive, wait 5 seconds, then make sure that the text file shows the new firmware version. You may need to update information about your drive and/or connected devices.

Image quality

In general, the image quality of the Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is at a good level, but there are several shortcomings.

Sharpness

• in the center of the frame at F/1.4 the lens is good in terms of resolution
• there is a drop in sharpness to the edges of the frame at f / 1.4
• there is a small coma

Distortion

• small pincushion distortion
• the overall level of distortion is at a level typical for such lenses
• the nature of distortion is unified, easily corrected in the editor

Vignetting

• the overall level of vignetting is at a level typical for such lenses
• weak vignetting is observed only at F/1.4
• vignetting almost disappears at f / 2
• vignetting is easily fixable in the editor
• the lens has a large field of coverage on a full frame camera (example on f / 1.4)

Aberration

• there is a small amount of chromatic aberration at open apertures
• Yes small freezing (HA in the blur zone)
• aperture down to f / 4 significantly reduces the amount of HA

Rest

• the aperture opening at F / 1.4-F / 4 is quite round and even, at F / 8-F / 16 it is poorly rounded and is an incorrect nine-headed
• the lens is afraid of backlight, in this case the lens hood does not help much. When working with strong side light, no special problems arise. The lens maintains contrast well with bright light sources in the frame, but there is simply an excessive amount of flare/haloing
• in many scenes, the lens can create a pleasant / neutral bokeh

There is no lens profile for the lens in popular RAW converters, but most likely the profile will appear shortly or you can create it yourself.

Sample Photos

Camera used Sony a3500 (20 MP Sony Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor).

• Original photos from Sony a3500 in RAW format (Sony '.ARW' 12-bit) you can view / download this link (80+ files, Google Drive gallery).
• Original photos from Sony a3500 in JPEG format (converted/edited photographs) you can view / download this link (100+ files, Google Drive gallery).

EGF Such a lens on cameras with an APS-C sensor corresponds to approximately 75 mm, which is close to the classic focal length of 85 mm for portrait photography. And the equivalent aperture in terms of depth of field is approximately F/2.1. As a result, on cameras with an APS-C sensor with Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF, you get something like an 85/2 class lens.

Electronic front curtain shutter Sony a3500 in some photographs the bokeh was greatly spoiled 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.

Prices

Prices for Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF on Aliexpress can be viewed at this link.

My experience

Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is simply wonderful. The possibilities of high-performance modern optics at a reasonable cost.

Most likely, this lens was designed as 50/1.2, but limited to 1:1.4 to ensure high optical performance even at wide open aperture.

I suppose that soon one of the Chinese manufacturers will present its own similar (renamed) lens. This has happened more than once.

I liked Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF more than Viltrox 56 / 1.4.

Video review

Results

Brightin Star 50/1.4 AF is a simple and understandable classic “fifty kopeck”. Optical quality is at a high level, good build quality and nice design make this lens a very attractive solution for amateur photographers. It's a pity that there are compatibility issues with some older cameras Sony E mount, but for the system Nikon Z (Nikon DX) и fujifilm x There are no special compatibility problems observed.

main advantages

1. internal focusing, electronic wide focusing ring
2. quiet and fast stepper focusing motor, tenacious automatic focusing (on cameras of the latest models)
3. good/excellent build quality: metal mount, reliable and comfortable covers, bayonet-type hood, metal thread of the front filter, protective coating/coating of the front lens
4. USB port for firmware upgrade, easy firmware upgrade method
5. nine-petal diaphragm
6. modern complex optical design with special optical elements
7. nice / neutral drawing, which can be used as a good artistic technique during portraiture
8. high resolution across the entire frame field already at F/1.4
9. low level of chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion
10. good value prices and quality

main disadvantages

1. limited selection of cameras with full compatibility. Critical: Lenses are not recognized by some older camera models. Updating the firmware does not change the situation. Most likely, the lens will only work with cameras that have phase focusing sensors (from the Sony NEX series - this NEX-5R, NEX-5T, NEX-6, from the Sony ALPHA line - all except the first models a3000, a3500, a5000). Problems when working with system cameras Nikon Z и fujifilm x not visible
2. there is no manufacturer's name or logo on the back and front covers (they use the usual nameless universal protective covers, similar to those used by other little-known Chinese brands)
3. The focus ring is a little tight (long periods of manual focusing become unpleasant)
4. there is no AF/MF focus mode switch (there is Meike 55 / 1.4)
5. the lens is not protected from poor environmental conditions (although it claims to have a protective coating on the front lens)
6. there is no image stabilizer (there is Sony E 1.8 / 50 OSS)
7. there is no aperture control ring (there is Viltrox 56 / 1.4)
8. slight noise from the aperture mechanism, lens initialization takes a little time, which makes it difficult to quickly turn on the camera and take the first photo
9. quite heavy weight (almost 3 times more, for example, than YONGNUO Ynlens YN50mm F1.8S DA DSM)
10. poor resistance to strong backlight

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.