manual lens – Alwin Kok

Tilt-shift lenses have always been a niche tool, designed for very specific kinds of photography, the kind most photographers never touch because, well, they used to cost a small fortune.

But times have changed. With the rise of Chinese lens makers, we’re now seeing more affordable alternatives entering the market. These lenses bring once-exclusive creative tools into the hands of curious photographers who’ve always wanted to try tilt or shift lenses without breaking the bank.

Fuji X-E5 with AstrHori 18mm f5.6 Shift Lens

Before proceeding further, I would like to express my gratitude to the team at AstrHori for providing me with this lens for review. Rest assured that the opinion is my own.

Intro

When it comes to shift lenses, options are still rare. As far as I know, only AstrHori and Laowa (Venus Optics)currently make them.

Fuji X-M5 with AstrHori 18mm f5.6 Shift Lens

Now, it’s worth noting the difference between tilt and shift:

Tilt lenses allow you to play with the plane of focus, creating dreamy miniature effects or selective focus shots.

Shift lenses, on the other hand, are all about correcting perspective distortion, like the converging lines you see in architectural photos, while keeping your camera level. They’re also great for stitching large, high-resolution panoramas from overlapping shots.

Design and Build Quality

The AstrHori 18mm f/5.6 feels solid and well-built, with a full-metal construction. You’ll immediately notice the zigzag line around the body — that’s the part where the shifting happens.

Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/600″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/25″ . ISO 3200 . *Nostalgic* Negative
Right: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/450″ . 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative

The lens can also rotate, with a satisfying click at each stop. This makes it easy to align your shift direction, whether you’re shooting in landscape or portrait orientation.

Left: Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/210″ . ISO 320 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Shift mode
Right: Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 160 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Normal mode

At 170 grams, it’s about twice the weight of the Fujifilm XF23mm f2.8 (which is 90g), but still feels light and well-balanced in hand.

Image Quality

This lens has a fixed aperture of f5.6, meaning there’s no way to change it , similar to the Viltrox 28mm f4.5. While that may sound limiting, it simplifies the shooting experience and keeps the design compact.

Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/480″ . ISO 320 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/640″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Normal mode
Right: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/500″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Shift mode

For the image quality, I will break down the image performance into two parts: normal and shift shooting.

Normal shooting mode

Image quality is surprisingly good, sharp enough with well-preserved contrast. Chromatic aberration is minimal, and vignetting is very well controlled, almost nonexistent.

Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/180″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/200″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Shift mode
Right: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Normal mode

Shift shooting mode

The AstrHori 18mm allows for a ±6mm shift range. Whether or not that’s a standard figure, it’s enough to make a noticeable difference. The perspective correction is clear and effective, with no visible loss in image quality.

Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/1500″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Since this lens does not come with a lens hood, we have to be mindful of the potential flare introduced into the photos.

Focusing

The focus throw spans about 170°, which gives you a good amount of precision for manual focusing. It’s smooth and consistent, exactly what you want for a lens like this.

Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 2500 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/7″ . ISO 3200 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Shift mode
Right: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/10″ . ISO 3200 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Normal mode

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

With a minimum focus distance of 30cm, it’s not meant for close-up work. But that’s expected; this is a shift lens designed primarily for architecture and perspective correction, not macro photography.

Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/125″ . ISO 320 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Price Point

At just USD 119, this lens is an absolute steal. It’s inexpensive enough to buy out of curiosity, experiment with, and maybe even surprise yourself with the results. For the price of a nice dinner, you can add a creative tool to your camera bag that might come in handy one day.

Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/1100″ . ISO 320 . *Classic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . *Nostalgic* Negative
Right: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 800 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Others

One thing to watch out for: be mindful of where your fingers rest when shifting the lens. The metal edges can be a little sharp, not enough to hurt, but enough to give you a surprise if you’re not paying attention. Hopefully, AstrHori smooths that out in the next version.

The shift function works best when shooting upward or downward angles, like from the ground floor looking up at a building. If you’re shooting straight ahead, shifting mainly changes your framing rather than fixing distortion.

Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/42″ . ISO 3200 . *Nostalgic* Negative
Right: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Who is this for?

While the primary audience is architectural photographers, the 28mm (full-frame equivalent) field of view and f5.6 aperture also make it a fun lens for street photography. And again, at USD 119, it’s an easy lens to buy as a gift, or just to satisfy your curiosity.

Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/600″ . ISO 160 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/900″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Normal mode
Right Fuji X-E5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/180″ . ISO 125 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Shift mode

Conclusion

Niche products like this are rare because most manufacturers won’t take the risk. So props to AstrHori for daring to do something different. The 18mm f5.6 Shift Lens is available in multiple mounts (E, L, and Z), opening up creative possibilities for photographers across systems.

Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/5″ . ISO 320 . *Nostalgic* Negative

Left: Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/3800″ . ISO 320 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Shift mode
Right: Fuji X-M5 . AstrHori 18mm f5.6 @ 18mm . f5.6 . 1/3800″ . ISO 320 . *Nostalgic* Negative – Normal mode

It’s compact, affordable, and genuinely fun to use, proof that innovation doesn’t always have to come with a high price tag. Here’s hoping AstrHori keeps pushing boundaries with more unique releases, while continuing to refine their lineup of everyday lenses like the AstrHori 27mm f2.8.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.
5. If you are interested in this lens and also wish to support me, this is the affilinate link to purchase.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

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Reviews

TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 Tilt – Tilting My Point Of View 2

May 9, 2025May 4, 2025 Alwin Kok

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two years since I last got my hands on a tilt lens. Back then, as I packed it away after testing, I remember thinking, ‘This might actually be the last time I see a new tilt lens come out.’ It felt like that chapter was quietly closing, and I wasn’t sure if anyone would try something new with this quirky, beautiful niche again.

Intro

A tilt lens isn’t quite the same as a tilt-shift lens, but they are definitely in the same quirky, niche family. When TTArtisan dropped the 50mm f1.4 Tilt back in 2023, it caught me by surprise—in the best way. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was just a one-off experiment or if they were quietly working on something new to follow it up. Part of me hoped it wasn’t the end of the road for creative tilt lenses.

Left: TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 Tilt
Right: TTArtisan 50mm f1.4 Tilt

Design and Build Quality

If you are familiar with its sibling, this TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 Tilt has the same design language and sturdy metal construction build quality. You will still get to see 2 extra knobs (one silver and one black) which you don’t see it on a typical lens. These two knobs are the main key roles for the tilt function.

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/8000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/25000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

The black knob is to control the tilt mechanism with a tilt angle of ± 8°. It’s where is the tilt effect comes in.

The silver knob is the rotation lock knob which allows the rotation mechanism to rotate the lens 360° with 15° rotation per step. This helps to orient to which focus plane where the tilt effect will be.

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/17000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/1100″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Typically how I use them is that I will adjusted the black knob first, then I used the silver knob to adjust to the my desired focus plane. All this is with the focus peaking, to visualize and easily notice where my plane of focus is.

At 341 grams, I have feel the weight on my hand. It comes with a sizable 52mm filter size which is smaller than it’s sibling.

The aperture ring is clickless which means I have look at the aperture value when I am changing. This is something I missed the most as I am quite rely on the click when change aperture value.

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/25000″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Image Quality

At f1.4, image quality feels quite soft—there’s a noticeable lack of contrast and sharpness in both normal and tilt modes. In tilt mode especially, the extreme shallow depth of field makes the shots pretty much unusable, at least in my opinion.

Considering where lens design is these days, the amount of vignetting and chromatic aberration wide open feels like a bit of a throwback—and not in a good way. It’s the kind of look that might work for a specific aesthetic, but definitely not something I’d rely on for consistent results.

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/8000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

That said, once you stop it down to around f2.8, things begin to turn around. The contrast improves, sharpness gets noticeably better, and the overall rendering feels more dependable. Even tilt mode starts to feel a bit more manageable at smaller apertures, though it still requires a lot of care to get the most out of it.

One thing I really did enjoy, though, was the way it renders sunstars. Compared to many other manual lenses I’ve used, the sunrays feel a bit more refined and clean right at the source of light. They do taper off and lose some of that definition toward the tail end, but overall, it’s a nice touch—especially if you’re someone who enjoys shooting into the light.

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f16 . 1/140″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/1500″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

The focus throw from minimum focus distance to infinity is about 160°, which gives you plenty of room for precise focusing. I have to say, the focus ring feels great in use—it has just the right amount of resistance, making it both smooth and reassuring to operate.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/9000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

One thing to note: the front element does extend outward when focusing at the minimum distance and retracts as you move toward infinity. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s something to be aware of, especially when working up close.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/4000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, like many manual lenses I’ve tested, the infinity mark isn’t perfectly accurate. Whether you’re shooting normally or using tilt mode, focusing all the way to the infinity stop usually results in slightly soft or missed focus. To get a truly sharp image at infinity, you’ll need to dial it back just a bit before the marking.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

It’s MFD is 35cm which makes it similar to most 35mm APS-C lenses offered. Unfortunately or fortunately, the image quality isn’t any better or worse at wide-open. At least the characteristics remains the same.

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/2500″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

It is priced at 169 USD. If you are comparing with the same “manual 35mm f1.4” category, we have the TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 at 73 USD and the Artralab 35mm f1.4 at 419 USD. On the other hand, 7Artisans just launched the autofocus 35mm f1.4 at the same 169 USD.

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/8000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/2400″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Is the TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 Tilt considered expensive? That really depends on the individual. If you want certain shots that only this lens can achieve, I think you will get them eventually.

Others

This lens comes with various mounts such as E-mount, Z-mount, RF-mount, M43-mount, and of course the X-mount. If you are from the Z-mount and RF-mount, this lens is awesome, given that there isn’t any similar kind of lens available in the market.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/90″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Like other manual lenses, this lens can also experience a shift in white balance as you change the aperture values. However, this can be resolved in post if you are taking in raw format.

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f4 . 1/1500″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f5.6 . 1/1250″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Who is this for?

This lens can cover a handful of genres, which I will not list. The creativity of this lens is up for the photographers of interest to explore.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

It is a niche lens, and there are not a lot of choices in the market. In terms of versatility, this 50mm focal length (in full frame equivalent) is a better focal length and easier to adapt to those photographers who are attempting to use it in both the normal mode and the tilt mode. I am glad that TTArtisan isn’t slowing down and they are trying to explore more lens options for all kind of photographers to choose and I hope they don’t stop it here.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Classic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f2.8 . 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Classic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 35mm Tilt f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4 . 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Classic Negative*

This is definitely a niche lens, and there aren’t many options like it out there. That said, the 50mm focal length (full-frame equivalent) makes it one of the more versatile choices as it is a better focal length and easier to work with for photographers who want to use both the normal and tilt functions. I really appreciate that TTArtisan is continuing to push into this space, exploring creative lens designs for more choices for the photographers. I just hope they keep going and don’t stop here.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

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Reviews

Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 – A Lens to Shine II

March 5, 2025March 2, 2025 Alwin Kok

We all know that 50mm is a very popular focal length among manufacturers, and many Chinese manufacturers are doing the same focal length with a slight difference in aperture value. To name a few that I have shared before: TTArtisan 50mm f0.95, Artralab 50mm f1.2, AstrHori 50mm f1.4 tilt, and even their released not all ago Brightin Star 50mm f1.4.

Intro

While I thought Brightin Star was focusing on producing more autofocus lenses, they decided to release this manual lens. So I guess there is still demand for manual lenses in the market.

Before I proceed further, I appreciate the kind people in Brightin Star for their continuous support for sending me this lens for a sharing session opportunity. Having said that, Brightin Star has no influence on my opinion.

Design and Build Quality

At first glance, the bold, bright yellow brand immediately grabs attention—a clever way to stand out in a crowd. Upon closer look, you’ll notice the lens body is made of metal with a matte finish, giving it a sleek, modern look that helps it stand apart from the rest.

Like all manual lenses, it features an aperture ring, and it’s clickable. I’ve had a great experience with this ring, as it provides a light and smooth tactile feedback when you adjust it to different aperture settings.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/11,000″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/125″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Weighing in at 443 grams, the lens feels surprisingly dense. You can definitely sense its weight, especially when paired with a smaller camera like the X-M5, where the unbalanced heft becomes more noticeable. And, by the way, it has a 62mm filter size.

Image Quality

Like the Brightin Star 35mm f0.95, the image quality is soft and lacks contrast when shot wide open but slightly usable. Some photographers may appreciate this look, but it’s not quite to my taste. I find that stopping down to f2 or higher gives me better contrast and sharper results that is within my acceptance. Additionally, for the best optical performance, it’s ideal to center your subject, as the corners tend to be much softer.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/140″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f4. 1/600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

When it comes to background or foreground blur, I am not particularly fond of the rendering. It feels a bit busy to some (but very busy in my own opinion) and can be quite distractive from the main subject. One notable issue is barrel distortion, which becomes quite apparent when shooting wide open. If you’re particular about distortion, this could be a concern for you.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2.8. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

On the plus side, I didn’t notice any chromatic aberration in the shots I took. Vignetting is present at wide open, though it’s relatively mild.

As for the sun stars, the lines are visible but not as well-defined as I would have liked.

*Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f16. 1/125″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

The focus ring is smooth, but I can feel slightly damp when I rotate. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable experience.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for the focus range between MFD to infinity, the focus throw is approximately 90°. The focus throw is similar to Brightin Star 35mm f0.95, giving a fair amount of “traveling” for precise focusing.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

50cm minimum focus distance is decent, fair, and also similar to many other lenses of the same focal length. However, the softness and lack of contrast have elevated, even more obvious for wide-open shots.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

The introductory price is 199 USD, and then it will be priced at 219 USD thereafter. I have no idea how long this introductory price will last. But if you really like this lens, I think you can act quickly.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/1000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

However, this is a very competitive price point. Because Meike 55mm f1.4 is selling very similarly at this price point, and Brightin Star 50mm f1.4 is trading at 239 USD. Both are autofocus lenses, and they have a pretty good IQ.

Others

One standout feature of this lens is its built-in lens hood, a unique touch I haven’t encountered before. Typically, manual lens manufacturers rarely include a lens hood with the lens itself, but Brightin Star goes a step further by not only providing one, but also integrating it directly into the lens body. However, there is a small downside: the hood feels a bit flimsy. Hopefully, Brightin Star will refine this innovative design in future lenses.

Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 with lens hood extended.

Like the 35mm f0.95, this lens doesn’t have an f5.6 option. Instead, it jumps from f/4 to f/8, skipping two full stops of light. However, this may not be a significant issue if you’re looking for a brighter lens.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/10500″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/3500″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

There’s one more distinctive feature that I haven’t fully tested yet: it’s the first time a Chinese manufacturer has added luminous paint to the numbers on the scale marks of APS-C lenses, making it possible for photographers to see the numbers in low-light conditions.

Who is this for?

If you are looking to experience manual handling experience, this 75mm (equivalent to 35mm format), is a nice-looking manual portrait lens for someone who is looking for one. When it comes to genres, it is suitable for most typical ones like street, documentation, product shots, etc.

*Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/5000″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

I had a very positive impression of the Brightin Star 35mm f0.95, the 50mm f0.95 is no exceptional.

*Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/2000″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-M5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/2400″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f4. 1/80″ . ISO 1600 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

The Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 is a decent lens, but given its price, I might find it hard to recommend, especially for those looking for a portrait lens. There are several solid alternatives in a similar price range that offer autofocus. Unless you’re specifically attracted to its design, the unique lens hood, or you love its sibling, it may not be the best choice. On the bright side, the handling experience is quite enjoyable.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 @ 50mm . f0.95. 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

I’m hopeful that Brightin Star will continue to innovate and improve, and I’m particularly looking forward to seeing more autofocus lenses from them in the future.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Capture One.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 – The Widest Nostalgic Lens Yet

December 23, 2024December 20, 2024 Alwin Kok

It seems like 2024 has been a busy year for ArtraLab, with several lens releases, and the ArtraLab NONIKKOR 11mm f1.8 is the latest addition to their lineup. Announced in November 2024, the 11mm f1.8 is not only their newest lens but also the widest they’ve released so far. Like their previous models, this lens draws inspiration from the iconic 1980s Nikkor lens design.

Before I proceed further, I would like to thank the good guys from ArtraLab for sending me this lens for review. Having said that, ArtraLab has no influence on this review and the opinion is purely my personal view.

Design and Build Quality

Like I mentioned earlier, this lens is greatly inspired by the classic vintage aesthetic Nikkor lenses. That said, it comes with colorful aperture values and colorful markers.

Visually, the lens looks small and compact. In fact, I can feel how dense and heavy the weight of this metal build lens is when I hold it on my hand. 350 grams worth of glasses.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/25″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

The aperture ring gives gentle click feedback similar to the ArtraLab 24mm f1.7 and ArtraLab 50mm f1.2. I love it. As for the manual focus ring, the rotation is smooth without any grip or feedback. Is it a bad thing? I think it is up to individual preference. For me, I do prefer some feedback as it gives me some level of sense when I do focus peaking.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/6400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f8. 1/1800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

The front element of the lens is protruded, so it comes with a built-in lens hood to protect it.

Image Quality

Wide-open shots result in a pleasant, soft, glowing flare from the light sources (similar to the results from obtaining a cine-blooming filter or the black-mist filter). This also results in a softer contrast. This is also consistent with the rest of the ArtraLab lenses I have tested thus far.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/750″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

In terms of image quality, it is acceptable but not the best. It has good sharpness and contrast when wide open at the center. You can observe distortion at the corners and a slight drop in image quality. Vignetting is pretty strong here. Fear not, the image quality does improve when you step down by at least 2 stops. Surprisingly, this lens has a very good chromatic aberration.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for the background blur, I think it is acceptable. The separation between the focused and non-focused subjects is good enough. The bokeh render is just fine but not the most beautiful one among the ArtraLab lenses. Do not forget that an ultrawide lens is capable of receiving flares, and a circular one, too.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f8. 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

For sun star lovers, this lens is just fine.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f22. 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

The focus throw, from end to end, is about 170°of rotation. For reference, the Meike 12mm f2 is about 110°. In my opinion, it gives a fair amount of travel distance, which gives me a more precise focus for shooting.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/125″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*

For focus breathing, it has a very minimum focus breathing, which is hard to notice. if you wish to use this lens for videography purposes, I think you will like it.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/15″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, it is just a minor detail. The lens does extend out 1mm ish at MFD.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

At 16.5mm (in 35mm format) focal length, it is equipped with 18cm MFD. It has pretty good MFD compared to the others, like TTArtisan 10mm f2 (MFD at 25cm). If the photographers ever need such a close MFD for creative shots, you will know which one to look out for. Luckily, the image quality remains the same and not anything else off.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

It is now selling at 386 USD on the ArtraLab website. Is it expensive as compared to the other third-party manufacturers? Yes, it is but if you are looking for a nostalgic ultrawide lens, there isn’t much choice out there just yet.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f2.8. 1/180″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f2.8. 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

For photographers who want to include a filter for this lens, it is possible to do so. The metal lens cap comes with a special element. We can remove the front piece of the lens cap by unscrewing it and then we have a filter thread of 62mm. Very similar concept from TTArtisan 7.5mm f2.8.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f8. 1/2000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, there is a change in white balance when you shoot at the same spot with different aperture values. Please don’t be alarmed by this, there are many manual lens manufacturers that have this behavior.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f4. 1/2800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f8. 1/3000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Lastly, this lens omits f5.6, resulting in a jump of two full stops from f4 to f8.

Who is this for?

This lens isn’t for everyone. To be honest, if you’re looking for a similar focal length, there are plenty of more affordable options out there compared to what ArtraLab offers. However, ArtraLab does have a clear advantage: its distinctive, nostalgic lens design.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/125″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

That being said, this lens is perfect for those who don’t mind spending a bit more for aesthetics. After all, a beautifully designed lens can motivate us to take it out and shoot more often.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f8. 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

The ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 features solid build quality and decent image performance, though it might not be the most affordable option. Nevertheless, it will certainly appeal to those who value craftsmanship and aesthetics in their equipment.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f1.8. 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 @ 11mm . f4. 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

I’ve focused quite a bit on the lens design rather than its image quality. To be clear, the image quality isn’t bad—it’s definitely usable, in my opinion. It’s just that the lens design really stands out to me, and I can’t help but highlight that.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 – Notty Nocty

November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 Alwin Kok

ArtraLab Nocty-Nonikkor 50mm f1.2 is a pretty new lens to the market. It was announced in early October 2024. While some may view it as a bold imitation for photographers looking for a Nikon Noct-like experience at a more affordable price, I see it as an opportunity for photographers a chance to experience a taste of that legendary optical character using other systems to mount a beautifully designed lens on their cameras.

Besides the Fuji X-mount, it is available in Sony E-mount and Nikon Z-mount.

Design and Build Quality

Like the ArtraLab 24mm f1.7 and 35mm f1.4, the first look at this vintage aesthetic lens shows that the design is strongly inspired by classic Nikkor lenses. Similar design elements include colorful aperture values (for your information, they are painted by hand) and the manual focus ring design, which remains with the “blocky rectangular and stripe-like pattern.”

Left: ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 with lens hood
Right: ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 without lens hood

Speaking of the aperture ring, it is still clicky and it is an enjoyable experience.

At 560 grams, this lens is heavy by all means and it is probably the heaviest manual lens I have tested thus far. As for lens handling, it might not be the most comfortable for small hands. However, it comes with a pretty small filter size, only 52mm. And, it shares the same filter size as the 23mm and 35mm as well. This is a surprise for me.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f2. 1/400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative* . 6-Point stars filter
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Image Quality

When it comes to image quality, I have mixed feelings about this lens. During the day, wide-open shots tend to be soft, lacking in contrast and sharpness. The sharpest part of the image is at the center. I’m not saying this is inherently good or bad, as some photographers actually prefer these characteristics. However, I don’t personally fall into that camp.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f2.8 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/90″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you prefer sharp images, the image quality improves as you increase the aperture value. In my opinion, the results from f2.8 are more usable.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative* . Black Mist 1/2 filter
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative* . 6-Point Stars filter

However, this lens performs quite well at night. The image quality at f1.2 is more usable than that in the day. To my surprise, vignetting is pretty mild and isn’t that obvious in most situations. Chromatic aberration is also controlled quite well. One good surprise is how well the background blur renders. Somehow I feel that it gives a good moody rendering and not those hard and harsh background blur.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f5.6. 1/4400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

As for the sun star, it is okay. Nothing impressive or to shout about. The lines are fine, but not well-defined.

Focusing

The focus throw is likely longer than what I’ve experienced, with about 200° of rotation from end to end. While it feels a bit “extended or far,” the benefit is a more precise and controlled focus. This is something I appreciate, though I also find it a bit “tiring” after prolonged use.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

Nevertheless, I love the dampness of the manual focus ring. It just weighs nice to rotate.

As for lens breathing, it is pretty significant between MFD and infinity. For videographers who wish to use this lens for videography purposes, please take note.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f4. 1/250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f2. 1/600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

The 35cm MFD was a pleasant surprise for me—much shorter than I expected for lenses of this focal length. It allows the photographer to get closer to the subject for more intimate shots. However, it’s worth noting that the image softness is even more pronounced when shooting wide-open.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/2200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Oh yes, the lens protrudes at its maximum length when it is at MFD.

ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 at infinity (left) and at MFD (right)

Price Point

At 545 USD, it is priced cheaper than the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.2 (629 USD). (And even cheaper if you buy from B&H – 398 USD). But it is more expensive than most third-party autofocus lenses like Sirui Sniper 56mm f1.2 (279 USD) and Meike 55mm f1.4 (200 USD).

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative* . Black Mist 1/2 filter

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative* . Black Mist 1/2 filter
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

This lens comes with an unusual metal lens hood. There is a small silver screw-like knob that requires loosening and tightening after you have positioned it to your desired position. The rear lens cap is a nice gesture to the Fuji X logo.

ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 lens hood with silver screw-like knob

ArtraLab also sent me two filters to try out: a Black Mist 1/2 and a 6-Point Stars filter. Both are magnetic, which eliminates the need for the usual screwing and unscrewing method—just attach or remove them easily with a simple snap. Another great feature is that, since the lenses share a common 52mm filter thread, I can use these filters across multiple lenses.

Left: ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 with Black Mist 1/2 filter
Right: ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 with 6-Point Stars filter

Who is this for?

This lens is designed for those who appreciate vintage and nostalgic aesthetics. Plain and simple.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative* . Black Mist 1/2 filter

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/500″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative* . 6-Point Stars filter
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative* . Black Mist 1/2 filter

The 75mm focal length (in 35mm equivalent) is versatile, making it suitable for a range of genres, including portrait, street, product photography, and more.

Conclusion

This lens has a nostalgic charm, and I really appreciate its look, design, and build quality. it gives a very distinctive look, unlike others in this modern generation of lenses.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/500″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative . 6-Point Stars filter*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f2. 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

However, it doesn’t quite perform as well as I had hoped. When it comes to image quality, I have mixed feelings. While I’m not fond of the softness in wide-open shots during the day, this lens truly excels in low light and indoor settings.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f2. 1/140″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 @ 50mm . f1.2. 1/5400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

If you’re after a lens with personality and aren’t solely focused on technical perfection, the NOCTY-NONIKKOR 50mm F1.2 is definitely worth considering.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

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If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 (Silver Edition) – New Color, New Charm

November 21, 2024November 20, 2024 Alwin Kok

Every now and then, some manufacturers want to extend the longevity of their product line-up to maintain its popularity. The usual way is to release a new color. For example, TTArtisan 27mm f2.8. They released the black version in 2022, then the yellow edition in 2023, and now the silver version in 2024. Another good example is Ricoh GR3. It has a few editions, and the recently announced HDF edition gives a little hardware change to boost the photographers’ choices.

Intro

Brightin Star has just launched a new silver version of its popular 35mm f0.95. If you hesitated to buy it before due to the black color, this silver option adds a fresh appeal, making it a great choice for you now.

Image Quality, Build Quality & Design

The image quality remains the same and if you are curious about it, you can click on link from the previous paragraph to understand more about this lens. As for built quality, it is no difference from the black color variant.

The silver color gives a totally different vibe to the original black color. The striking yellow bold brand logo has become subtle. This may be a good thing for someone wants to lay low yet wants a different color to differentiate this lens with the other he/she owns. Apart from that, the aperture numberings and markings are now in black with focusing distance numberings in red.

Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 Black & Silver Edition

Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 Black & Silver Edition (rear)

Price Point

It is now 169.99 USD, slightly cheaper than when I reviewed it. Do you think it is a good time to get it?

Others

What’s fascinating about this lens is the lens cap. Both front and rear.

The front lens cap now comes with a minimalistic font indicating it’s a “35mm f0.95” lens and followed by the brand itself. Again, all wordings are in black.

The rear lens cap comes with a frosted plastic material. I think this is the first time I am seeing something that is so interesting. Of course, the name “Brightin Star” can be seen on the rear lens cap.

Conclusion

This lens is an ingenious design from Brightin Star’s design team. They did not simply “color change” the lens and then sell it to potential photographers. I can see that they put effort and thought into this edition of the lens.

This lens is a cleverly crafted creation by Brightin Star’s design team. They put in more than just a “color change” and clearly invested time and effort into this particular version of the lens.

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 800 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 400. Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f2. 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f0.95. 1/320″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

*Fuji X-T5 . Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 @ 35mm . f8. 1/1000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 – A Nod to Nostalgic Again

May 7, 2024May 6, 2024 Alwin Kok

ArtraLab isn’t stopped at just releasing their 24mm f1.7 in Septemeber 2023. Just exacting one month later, they released another new lens in October 2023; the ArtaLab NONIKKOR-MC 35mm F1.4.

Intro

This is the second lens I have tested from the company. Besides the X-mount, this lens comes with E-mount, Z-mount, and L-mount. A little interesting fact about this lens is that it is a full-frame lens. Does this mean that the optical quality of the APS-C sensor should be better than those lenses designed specifically for APS-C?

Design and Build Quality

If I am correct, this lens comes with two designs. Basically, the difference between the two is the change of the focus ring. The first one has very identical design language to their 24mm f1.7 variant, which seems like just an upsize of it. The second one (the one I am reviewing), has a bit more distinguished design language. The focus ring is more of a “blocky rectangular tile-like” shape design.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/4700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Nonetheless, this lens is also heavily inspired by the 80’s Nikon lens design language. The 285-gram lens has the same good metal-built quality. Still has the attractive colorful aperture values that I love and it also comes with the same pleasant clicky aperture ring.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/2700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

This lens comes with a 52mm filter size, which also shares the same filter size as the ArtraLab 24mm f1.7. Nice.

In case one wonders, the lens is designed in Hong Kong and assembled in China.

Image Quality

I previously shared my positive thoughts on the ArtraLab 24mm f1.7, but unfortunately, my experience was not the same this time around. Firstly, the chromatic aberration coupled with softness was quite disturbing when using the lens at a wide open. It reminded me of the image quality issues that were prevalent 4-5 years ago.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/1900″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Although sharpness isn’t there at wide open, contrast isn’t that bad. The contrast is fair enough in my opinion. Image quality does improve from f2.8. For some reason, The glowing/blooming effect found in the ArtraLab 24mm f1.7 can be found with this lens but I feel it isn’t as strong as the one with 24mm. I thought it would be nice to share the same characteristic charm.

Anyway, to be fair, the optic of this lens is designed to be the same as the one found in the 80s. So I think this is why it behaves this way.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/30″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/1100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/950″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Vignetting is there but it is not that obvious. The sun star, surprisingly, is nice and the lines are well-defined.

Sunstar is pretty surprisingly good in my opinion. The lines are well-defined but it does come with ghosting as well.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f16. 1/220″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f16. 1/150″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

The focus ring is smooth and gentle but slightly heavier to rotate with my pinky finger (I managed to do it with the ArtraLab 24mm f1.7).

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/80″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/4800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/1100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

The rotation is approximately 180° from end to end. Personally, I prefer “long travel distance” as this will allow me to have better precision in manual focusing on the subject. This also greatly improves in nailing the shots at a higher success rate.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

35cm MFD is pretty standard nowadays for this focal length. Nothing spectacular but the soft image is expected at f1.4.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/5400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f2. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/1250″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Price Point

The price point is 527 USD. Is it expensive?

Here is a small table for some price sense,

TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 – 73 USD
7artisans Photoelectric 35mm f1.2 – 139 USD
Rokinon 35mm f1.2 – 379 USD
XF35mm f1.4 R – 599 USD
Voigtlander 35mm f/2 macro – 599 USD

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/8000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/7500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/10500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

For the price point, I can top up a bit more to have the legendary XF35mm f1.4. But if you are someone who really loves the 80’s Nikon design, the price is not important.

Others

Sadly, it does not come with any lens hood like most other manual lenses. I wish ArtraLab was willing to provide a metal lens hood to compliment the lens. Giving the photographer his/her choice. Also, weather resistance is not covered as well.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f5.6. 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f4. 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Speaking of lens breathing, this lens has pretty minimum lens breathing. I believe this benefits for videographers. Oh yes, the lens protrudes a little at the MFD, which is pretty normal for most of the manual lenses I have tested.

Left: Artralab 35mm f1.4 at MFD
Right: Artlab 35mm f1.4 at infinity

Who is this for?

This lens is definitely aimed at photographers who love retrospective lenses, this one should not be missed if you are accepting in the image quality. As for Genres, it can do the usual ones, especially street, and portraits.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/1400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f2. 1/110″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Conclusion

I love the nostalgic lens design but not the image quality. Given the price point, I cannot accept to have this optical glass quality. But I am not stopping photographers who loves the 80s nostalgic charm from getting it.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f1.4. 1/450″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 @ 35mm . f2. 1/2400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Nonetheless, if I am to decide to have a lens from ArtraLab, the 27mm f1.7 will be my preferred one.

Left: ArtraLab 35mm f1.4
Right: ArtraLab 24mm f1.7

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

ArtraLab 24mm f1.7 – A Nod to Nostalgic

April 26, 2024 Alwin Kok

Artralab Nonikkor-MC 24MM F1.7 is probably one of the best-looking retro-designed lenses in recent years and pairs very well with the Fujifilm range of retro-designed cameras. It was announced sometime in September 2023 and gained much traction from manual lens lovers and enthusiasts. So how does it live up to?

Intro

I was only aware of this company when they teased the internet about this lens last year. I had never heard about the company before, so I googled a bit about them. Here is some high-level information about the company: ArtraLab (Art Random Adventure), a Hong Kong-based company, was founded in 2018 by a group of passionate photographers, architects, fashion designers, and product designers.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f4. 1/5800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/10,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/3800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Oh yes, this lens comes with an E-mount and Z-mount.

Design and Build Quality

At first look, I am attracted by the colorful print of the aperture and manual focus rings. The lens design takes a lot of inspiration from the 1980s Nikon lens designs. I love it.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/1600″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/1800″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f2.8. 1/550″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

When I hold the 210-gram lens, I can feel that the aluminum-constructed lens is very well-built and I did not feel any loose parts. Oh yes, it is made in China if someone ever wonders. I love the colorful aperture values on the aperture ring. Rotating the aperture ring is one of my most pleasing experiences because I love that satisfying clicky feedback. The focus is another pleasure to use (more on this later).

This compact lens comes with a small filter size of 52mm and comes with a typical plastic pinch-to-unlock lens cap.

Image Quality

The image quality coming out from this 36mm (in full frame equivalent) is pretty decent at wide-open but has a kind of characteristic softness. This softness is not totally soft and not to the extent that I am not acceptable. In fact, I like the charm of this softness.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f2. 1/3500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 2500 . Nostalgic Negative*

Oh yes, it is not clinically sharp if you pixel-peep but it has good contrast and it is still acceptable for my day-to-day use.

Also, I get to see the glowing/blooming effect (very similar to the CineBloom filter from Moment) at wide-open but this effect will wear off from f2.8 onwards.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/10,500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Chromatic aberration is surprisingly in decent control as I did not observe any during my shoot. As for vignetting, it does have them at wide-open but not as heavy as I have expected.

Sun star is pretty pleasing in my opinion. The lines are fine but not clinically sharp. Also, ghosting can be observed as well.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f16. 1/210″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f16. 1/105″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Focusing

The sensitivity of this manual focus ring is probably one of my favorite ones to use. It rotates effortlessly like a breeze and I can even use my pinky finger to glide clockwise and anti-clockwise without any problem.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/38,000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative*

The rotation is approximately 180° from Minimum Focus Distance to Infinity. While it may seem “far” or “long travel distance”, in my opinion, this gives a very good amount of travel distance to have better precision on the focusing.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

The MFD 23cm is nothing to shout about as it has the same MFD as most 23mm focal length lenses have.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/160″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

But having said that, unlike some manual lenses that suffer from image quality breakdown, the image quality is well-maintained at wide-open at MFD. At least, the sharpness isn’t any softer.

Price Point

At 386 USD, it is very close to the autofocus lens price points. For example Viltrox 23mm f1.4 at 299 USD, Sirui 23mm f1.2 at 330 USD and spend a bit more for XF23mm f2 at 449 USD. As for manual lenses, we have TTArtisan 23mm f1.4 is 99 USD, and 7Artisan 24mm f1.4 is 109 USD.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f2. 1/100″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

After sharing the price point, if you really like this lens, I guess the price is not a concern here.

Others

Like most manual lenses, it does not come with weather sealing or resistance, and the lens barrel will protrude a little when you are at the MFD. Also, it does not come with a lens hood which I feel is a little disappointing, given the premium that the photographer has spent.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/240″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/4400″ . ISO 125 . Acros*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 160. Nostalgic Negative*

This lens does have very minimal lens breathing, so videographers should be less worried if they want to use this lens for their videography work.

Lastly, do take note of the change of white balance when you change the apertures. This is very common for most of the manual lenses that I have tested thus far.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f4. 1/5400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f5.6. 1/2000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Who is this for?

Unless you love the retrospective design of this lens, I won’t encourage anyone to get this lens at this price or at least I feel that paying a little more to get an autofocus lens is more worth it.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/120″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Having said that, there are quite several genres that can be covered with this focal length such as landscape/cityscape, street, environmental portrait, documentary, editorial, etc. It is a very versatile focal length

Conclusion

As my title suggests, this lens is all about being nostalgic and I am sure it gives a lot of reliving memories for all the 80s Nikon photographers. In my opinion, the company did well in launching this lens and I am glad that they did it. This gives 1 more option for the photographers to choose from.

*Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/80″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . ArtraLab 27mm f1.7 @ 24mm . f1.7. 1/3200″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, as this lens is very close to 23mm, it is a very versatile focal length for me. For image quality, it has that charming blooming at wide-open. Rotating the manual ring is really a pleasure for me. Smooth and giving me a sense of satisfaction.

I like everything about the lens except for the price. Maybe someone finds it worth the value but I shall wait for a better deal.

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

If you like my content and you want to show some support and keep this blog alive, you can buy me a coffee here.

Reviews

TTArtisan 10mm f2 – The First Ultrawide Lens From TTArtisan

April 1, 2024April 8, 2024 Alwin Kok

There are several manual ultrawide lenses in the market, 1 autofocus one from Viltrox and Samyang, and Fujifilm has 3 ultrawide in their lens lineup. Having said that, Fujifilm photographers do not lack any ultrawide lens options, and then TTArtisan added another lens to this category. But can it stand out from the others?

Intro

TTArtisan has been around in the market for quite some time. If you are a fan of TTArtisan, you will realize that TTArtisan has not tapped into the world of ultrawide focal length. The widest focal length they have for the APS-C world is TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 (excludes the TTArtisan 7.5mm f2 fisheye lens). With this 10mm (15mm in full-frame equivalent), they are now officially on this bandwagon.

This is the second lens of the same focal length I have tested. The first one is Meike 10mm f2. But I will not compare them in detail here. More on this later.

Before I proceed with the review, I would like to thank TTArtisan for sending this lens over and giving me ample amount of time to test this lens. Having said that, TTArtisan has no influence over my opinion. They read the review on the same day as all the readers.

Design and Build Quality

At first glance, it looks pretty compact for a f2 ultrawide lens. It also comes with TTArtisan manual lens design language. That’s to say, it is very recognizable. It weighs 332 grams and the weight is within my expectations for a manual, fully well-built metal-constructed lens. But I do agree that it seems to be heavy but I feel fine on hand.

*Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 10mm f2 @ 10mm . f8 . 1/4″ . ISO 200 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 10mm f2 @ 10mm . f2 . 1/125″ . ISO 1000 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . TTArtisan 10mm f2 @ 10mm . f2 . 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

As usual, it comes with a clicky aperture ring, which is very similar to most TTArtisan manual lenses. But it comes with a narrow aperture ring which is a little tricky for me to rotate with my big fingers.

Meike 12mm f2 – Balance & Compact

January 5, 2024January 10, 2024 Alwin Kok

One fine day, Meike contacted me to ask if I was interested in reviewing this lens. Of course I do and I told them I was going on a trip in a week. And 2 days before my flight, it arrived at my doorstep.

Intro

I have reviewed the Meike 10mm f2 just less than 6 months ago. My verdict on that lens is that it has very usable wide-open image quality but the size and weight are the 2 drawbacks I have. Meike 12mm f2 addressed the 2 drawbacks but does it have the same usable wide-open image quality?

Let’s step back a little. This lens was announced in June 2022 and that makes this lens a year and a half years old now. Is this a real concern? Probably. Because this lens was made available before the release of the X-H2 and X-T5. The most common thing about these 2 cameras is that they house the X-Trans CMOS sensor 5 HR 40 megapixels sensor. (I am not worried too much about the X-Trans 4 sensor 26 megapixels sensor and I am pretty sure they just work fine with this lens.) So another question to me is, can the lens able to resolve the new sensor?

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/4400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f8. 1/80″ . ISO 1250 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f4. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Just for info, it comes with an E-mount and M43 mount too.

Before I begin, thank you Meike for contacting me and sending this lens over. I appreciate their tremendous support in making this review a reality.

Design and Build Quality

The Meike 12mm f2 has the same metal built quality as other Meike manual lenses I have tested thus far. But what strikes me is how compact the lens is and it is great to hold in hands. Although it is only 227 grams, I can feel the well-balanced weight of the lens, especially when I mounted it on the X-T5.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/3500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/1500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/680″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

This lens shares many similarities with most of its siblings except for the Meike 10mm f2. The aperture ring is de-click which can be easily rotated by accident. Rotating the aperture ring is smooth with very little or gentle friction against your rotation direction. I think this might benefit the videographers.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f16. 1/80″ . ISO 250 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f16. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f16. 1/80 . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Both the aperture ring and the manual focus ring are smooth and also give different levels of friction feedback.

It comes with a 62mm filter thread. Pretty acceptable filter size for its size.

Image Quality

This lens gives an 18mm (in full frame equivalent) field of view which is indeed considerably wide. I could say the image quality at wide-open is similar to the Meike 10mm f2, and the results are very usable. Contrast and sharpness are good at the center and not so much at the corners.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 160 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/5″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/170″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

The chromatic aberration (CA) is considerably well-controlled but I do observe some mild CA if I blow up the shot. As for vignetting, it is broadly there. In my opinion, it seems to be heavier than the Meike 10mm f2 but it can get better when you step down the aperture value to f5.6.

The sun-star result is pretty sharp, but not that tad sharp. Please be aware that the flare can be introduced if you are trying to get the sun-star shots and direct facing any light-emitting object in your framing.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/20″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/20″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 640 . Nostalgic Negative*

Barrel distortion seems to be pretty well-controlled. At least I did not notice any curve around the edge of the corners but typical ultrawide distortion is there. So try not to put any human at the corners when you are shooting at your waist level.

Focusing

The manual focus ring has a different level of rotation friction as compared to the aperture ring. It gives a more dampening feedback, and I like it. As for the focus throw, it depends on the photographers’ preferences, some prefer to have a shorter focus throw while some do otherwise.

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/3000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2.8. 1/340″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Well, the focus throw of this lens is approximately 110°. It takes me a while to rotate from one end to the other. Depending on how we see it, this might benefit the videographers and help the photographers nail the shot precisely.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

This lens is capable of shooting as close as 20cm, which is pretty far for an ultrawide lens. You will get quite a lot of details apart from your subject. Nevertheless, it is a lens meant to be for landscape or other similar genres.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/1400″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

But the image quality seems not to be at its best. At wide-open, you will get to see not-so-good sharp results at the corners. Vignetting seems to be slightly stronger as well.

Price Point

It was priced at 189 USD and now it is running a discount to 159.99 USD on Meike’s website. This is quite a good price point. For a note: Meike 10mm f2 is selling at 349.99 USD. There are not much of manual ultrawide lenses in the market. TTArtisan 17mm f1.4 is the only one that I am aware of (at this point of writing) and it is selling at 118 USD. For about a 40 USD difference, I think it is worth getting the Meike 12mm simply because it gives a 5mm wider field of view.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/1700″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/280″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Others

Surprisingly, this lens comes with metal petal lens hood. This definitely gives a good gesture as not many manual lens manufacturers provides one. The look of the lens hood seems to be pretty fragile but when you hold it, you will know it is actually quite well made.

Like most manual lenses, the actual “infinity” is not at the end of the manual focus ring. It is somewhere where the “infinity” symbol is. One of the readers also informed me that it can be manually calibrated. I did not try it but I think it is possible.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/4000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negativ*e

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/80″ . ISO 500 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Also, this lens has this phenomenon that color temperature changes between cool to warm) according to the aperture value set. If you are shooting in raw, not too much of a concern but if you are shooting purely in jpeg, maybe this is something you should take note of.

Who is this for?

This lens literally says it is meant for landscape, cityscape, astrography, and architecture genres but this is not limited to any other genres that I do not mention over here. The creativity with this lens is yours.

I can’t say much for professional photographers but I also not saying this lens is not suitable for professional photographers to commission their works. But this lens is very suitable for budget-oriented photographers looking for a decent alternative to Fujifilm’s ultrawide lens offering.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f5.6. 1/300″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/30″ . ISO 400 . Nostalgic Negative*
*Right: Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f5.6. 1/80″ . ISO 320 . Nostalgic Negative*

One small detail here. You might notice that the f2 is pretty much the farthest away from the other aperture values. I am not sure why is that so. Maybe it can benefit us somehow? If you know, please share it with me.

Conclusion

There is only one manufacturer ever made such a fast and compact lens beside Meike and that is Rokinon 12mm f2 and it has been in the market for years. I believe some manufacturers will catch up some days if this focal length and aperture value makes a hit.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f4. 1/640″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Left: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/5000″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*
Right: *Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f2. 1/2500″ . ISO 125 . Nostalgic Negative*

Although not the best, this lens optic does resolve fairly with the new X-Trans 5 HR sensor. At least I did not observe extreme softness in the image quality like I do in other lenses. Sharpness and contrast are there when I nail the shot totally.

This lens is very good for beginners or photographers who hardly use such an ultrawide lens. Firstly, it is not expensive to own one. Secondly, it is compact and easily kept in the bag or inside the dry cabinet.

*Fuji X-T5 . Meike 12mm f2 @ 12mm . f5.6. 1/75″ . ISO 3200 . Nostalgic Negative*

In my opinion, it is very clear-cut for me to choose this lens over the Meike 10mm f2. Both have very comparable great image quality but the 12mm f2 wins on the size and the cost. (I know I have repeated many times but this lens is this worthy.)

I do not mind sacrificing a 2mm (3mm full frame equivalent) lesser field of view and size does matter, especially when bringing it on a holiday trip overseas. I would rather bring a smaller alternative lens to lighten my shoulder (yes, 227 grams versus 550 grams and every gram counts in order not to injure my shoulder).

Thank you for reading.

If you like my works, please follow me on either one of the 2 Instagram accounts:

https://www.instagram.com/alwinkok_

https://www.instagram.com/alwin.portraits

If you have a Facebook account, feel free to join Fujifanboys FB group.

Tag: manual lens

AstrHori 18mm f5.6 Shift Lens – Shift Happens

TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 Tilt – Tilting My Point Of View 2

Brightin Star 50mm f0.95 – A Lens to Shine II

ArtraLab 11mm f1.8 – The Widest Nostalgic Lens Yet

ArtraLab 50mm f1.2 – Notty Nocty

Brightin Star 35mm f0.95 (Silver Edition) – New Color, New Charm

ArtraLab 35mm f1.4 – A Nod to Nostalgic Again

ArtraLab 24mm f1.7 – A Nod to Nostalgic

TTArtisan 10mm f2 – The First Ultrawide Lens From TTArtisan

Meike 12mm f2 – Balance & Compact