Another APS-C 50mm AF lens has been teased, this time from Brightin Star.
Xingyao Optics' Brightin Star is a Chinese lens manufacturer, that up until now, has developed affordable manual focus lenses with large apertures. The Brightin Star 50mm f/1.4 AF (85mm full frame equivalent) will be an APS-C prime lens with autofocus, available for the Nikon Z, Fujifilm X, and Sony E mounts. But with the large amount of 50mm lenses now on offer for APS-C mirrorless, it will have to offer something unique to be considered the among best Nikon Z lenses, best Sony lenses, and best Fujifilm lenses.
Not much is known about the lens at present, as only a teaser poster has been released. The poster displays the name of the lens along with the mounts that it will be released for. In addition, the poster states that the lens is 'coming soon', which is a tad cryptic but most likely means early 2024.
We are seeing a number of third-party lens manufacturers who have specialized in manual focus lenses, start to develop AF models for mirrorless, especially around the 50mm focal range. Brightin Star joins TTArtisan, Sirui, and soon 7Artisans and Meike in this regard.
It has been announced recently that Sigma and Tamron lenses top the market in lens sales, outselling the camera brands own lenses, so perhaps this is being capitalized on by other third-party lens manufacturers who want their slice of the pie.
Brightin Star may not be a brand known by many, but they offer a selection of unique lenses for APS-C and full-frame, including one of the smallest and most unique lenses I have ever seen. The Brightin Star 28mm f/2.8 Full Frame takes the term pancake lens to the next level - it's only 9.9mm thin!
The current Brightin Star 50mm f/1.4 for APS-C is a manual focus lens that has received good reviews, and many of the features will likely transfer to the AF version. A full metal structure in a small form factor makes the current 50mm f/1.4 both lightweight and robust, a common trait amongst the Brightin Star lineup. Brightin Star lenses seem to have a character to them, the likes of which we don't often see in modern lenses, but instead, harken back to the aesthetic of vintage lenses.
I am intrigued to see how well this lens performs, and how it will stack up against similar lenses. However, another affordable 50mm AF option can only be a good thing! In the meantime, you can check out Brightin Star's current lens lineup on its Amazon store.
If you are interested in finding out more about the cameras that this lens can be used on, see our guides on the best Sony camera, the best Fujifilm camera, and the best Nikon camera.
