Brightin Star is the somewhat oddly named brand (I suspect this is a Chinese idiom that gets lost in translation) that has started to produce a variety of budget manual focus lenses for a number of the popular mirrorless camera systems, including Sony, Fuji, Canon M, and m43. The Brightin Star 12mm F2 caught my eye when considering which of their lenses to review for the simple reason that I previously owned the Samyang 12mm F2 for Canon M and loved it. The Brightin Star 12mm F2 follows a similar pattern of a manual-everything wide angle lens with an effective aperture (on full frame) of 18mm – perfect for landscape and interiors. Brightin Star ups the game a bit, though, with a higher grade all-metal construction, 11 rounded aperture blades (the sunstars from the Samyang are somewhat ugly due to a low six blade aperture count), and a lower price. We’ll see if they can also match the excellent sharpness and flare resistance of the Samyang lens in our tests. Stay tuned for more coverage of this nice wide angle option available for under $200.

Images of the Brightin Star 12mm F2

Images taken with the Brightin Star 12mm F2

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Keywords: Brightin Star 12mm, Brightin Star 12mm F2, 12mm, F2, Brightin Star, Samyang, Rokinon, review, Brightin Star Review, Brightin Star 12mm Review, Brightin Star 12mm F2 review, F/2, Sony a6500, ILCE-9, Sony, Fuji, M43, EF-M, Dustin Abbott, Sony a7RIII, Sony A7RIV, Hands On, Video Test, Landscape, Video, Image Quality, Coma, Real World, Comparison, VS, Flare, Resolution, Sample Photos, Sample Videos

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