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
Meyer-Optik Görlitz produced a series of triplet lenses “Trioplan“, based on the Cook Triplet design from 1893, in different focal lengths after WWII. One of those lenses was the 100mm f/2.8 Trioplan, produced from 1956 to sometime at the end of 70s or beginning of 80s, when Meyer-Optik Görlitz was merged with Pentacon in the then East Germany. They stopped producing this lens because Pentacon had better 100mm lenses. It had OK center sharpness though and could produce a so-called soap bubble bokeh in certain situations. This was considered an optical defect then, which is what it is. With the advent of digital cameras, it became very popular though, and the prices went up in the used market, so popular that the company decided, for the first time in history, to revive the lens by a Kickstarter campaign in 2015. It was a successful campaign; the produced lenses were sold out quickly for about €1000 each. In 2023, TTArtisan has come up with a lens very similar to it, both in look and optical design. Let’s have a closer look at it! Update 11/23: the lens is now also available for M-mount for $210 in the official shop
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
We have seen macro lenses with 1:2 magnification, 1:1 magnification, and even with 2:1 magnification. What if you want to have a lens that goes further and has greater magnification? The cool thing about macro at 3x-5x is that you can take any random ordinary everyday object and make it highly interesting.
For a long time the only available lens that had a magnification greater than 1x was the Canon MP-E 65mm, and not only that, it also could go up to 5x magnification. A long time a matter of envy for all non-Canon users, until mirrorless cameras and adapters made it possible to adapt that lens to other brands, but it was the only option and expensive. This is where the Laowa 25mm f2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro comes in handy. A small lens that has a whopping 5X magnification, costs half and does not need any adapters as it comes in almost all popular mounts. Let’s see how good this little wonder is!
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon F/Z New article every week
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.