My name is Bastian and I am your expert here when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, super fast portrait lenses (ranging from a 50mm f/0.95 to a 200mm f/1.8) and I also have reviewed way too many 35mm lenses.
Don't ask me anything about macro or wildlife shooting though.
This Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 and the 7Artisans 9mm 5.6 had been announced almost at the same time, so I already expected these lenses to be more or less identical. Interestingly only this Brightin Star lens features a 34 mm rear filter thread though, so I decided to have a closer look at this Brightin Star lens as well.
The optical and most of the mechanical construction of this Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 lens is identical to the 7Artisans 9mm 5.6, so I will reuse many parts of its review here.
Sample Images
Sony A7III | Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 | f/16 | ND1000 rear filterSony A7III | Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 | f/8.0Sony A7III | Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 | f/5.6Sony A7III | Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 | f/5.6Sony A7III | Brightin Star 9mm 5.6 | f/8.0
The Syoptic 50mm 1.1 was one of the big surprises for me in 2022, as it was a very capable, fast 50mm lens with surprisingly appealing bokeh rendering and a very affordable price tag.
Unfortunately there were also some issues: almost unreachable filter thread, loose focus rings in the first production run and allegedly some issues with product support.
Now the “official” and improved version of this lens is available branded as Mr. Ding Studio 50mm 1.1 Noxlux. Let’s have a look together. This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10. Update 11/23: Information on the updated Mark II version added
This lens is in many aspects identical to the Syoptic 50mm 1.1, so I will reuse a few sections of my review of that lens.
The Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton is a lens, which I always found to hit a sweet spot: a very fast lens that is also sharp with very nice bokeh in a compact package at a still somewhat reasonable price.
This is why I did not expect Cosina to release this more complex Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton so shortly after.
Going by price and technology (grinding aspherical, floating elements) this is Cosina’s flagship fullframe lens, so let’s find out what it is capable of in this review. This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.
Sample Images
Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | f/1.0Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | f/1.0Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | f/1.0Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | f/1.0Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | f/1.0Leica M10 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | f/1.0
Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux | Zhong Yi 50mm 0.95 M | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.0 Nokton | MS-Optics 50mm 1.0 ISM | Mr. Ding 50mm 1.1 | Voigtländer VM 50mm 1.2 Nokton
The M-mount seems to be more popular than ever, thanks to plenty of manufacturers – old and new – from Europe, Japan and China designing and releasing countless of new lenses every year for this bayonet.
Super fast 50mm lenses are especially popular here, so many manufacturers designed one as their “flagship” lens.
Thanks to a reader and very cooperative companies I managed to get 6 of these lenses on my table at the same time, so let’s see what each of them is good at – to help you figure out which one might work best for your needs. Last Update March 2025: Transmission section updated
For one decade (2008-2018) the Leica 50mm 0.95 Noctilux-M Asph was Leica’s most expensive M-mount lens and it is still the fastest lens in their line up to this day.
Now in 2023 there are many f/0.95 lenses from China available for your mirrorless camera of choice, but in 2008 – when most people were using (D)SLRs – this was a unique offering and something you could only find in the M-system.
But is this lens (still) worth the asking price? Let’s try to find out. This lens will be reviewed on the 42mp Sony A7rII and the 24mp Leica M10.
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon F/Z New article every week
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