The subject of today’s review is so unique that I had to make up a new name for it. I called it a “micro-pancake” lens, as it is so small that it makes ordinary pancake lenses seem large. Brightin Star calls it “XSLIM”. The Brightin Star 28mm F2.8 is a really unique lens that certain photographers will probably fall in love with. In other ways it is completely impractical. This is a lens that is only 9.9mm long and is finished in a beautiful black lacquer coating, making it more of an art piece for those who love photography than perhaps a working lens…though it is in many ways a capable lens. Is this little piece of art worth $325 USD? Find out by watching my review below or by reading my text review here.

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Thanks to Brightin Star for sending me a review sample of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the Sony a7RV along with the Sony Alpha 1 that serve as my benchmark cameras for Sony lenses.

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The 28mm Micro (as I’ll call it in this review) is really designed for Leica M-mount rangefinder style cameras, though they sell the lens with various adapters to work on Canon RF, Nikon Z, Sony E, and Fuji X mounts. There’s even a Fuji GFX medium format adapter version, which I don’t understand at all as I don’t find the lens covers the full frame sensor completely in terms of resolving. I just had Brightin Star send me the M-mount version, as I’m using the Techart LM-EA9 auto adapter that allows me to have autofocus (of a sort) on Sony E-mount. Even with the adapter attached the lens barely peeks past the fairly small grip of the Sony a7CR body I shot it on some.

Without the adapter the bare lens is so small that it fits in the palm of my hand with room to spare:

Despite that tiny size the lens can produce legitimately nice images, with nice detail and even fairly decent bokeh:

Enjoy the photos below to get a better sense of the lens and its performance.

Images of the Brightin Star 28mm F2.8 XSLIM

Images taken with the Brightin Star 28mm F2.8 XSLIM

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GEAR USED:

Purchase the Brightin Star 28mm F2.8 @ Amazon or Amazon Canada

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