Quick take: Brightin Star's first autofocus lens, the 50mm F1.4 for Fujifilm X-mount, costs just under $240 and is arguably better than Fuji's own 50mm-ish primes for most people. Autofocus is close to Fuji's linear-motor lenses, images look great straight out of camera, and I couldn't find any fringing. The only real miss is weather sealing.
Brightin Star's First Autofocus Lens
Brightin Star is one of the many new lens companies that have popped up in the last couple of years. I'd already reviewed their 35mm F0.95, which shows what a cheap ultra-fast manual prime can do. The 50mm F1.4 is their first autofocus lens, and it was priced just under $240 in the US when I filmed.
I go in with no expectations for budget lenses. This one surprised me.
First Impressions and Build
The only thing I really don't like is that it isn't weather sealed, and you can't expect that at this price. Some people will wish it had a real aperture ring. Instead it has a sort of fake ring, which is an odd design choice, but I'm not going to ding it for that. On the X-T5 and X-H2S, using the command dials for aperture is second nature.
It feels like a lens three times its price. The manual focus ring has good resistance, which matters even more for video. It's small and light, so it pairs well with the X-T5 and small bodies like the X-M5. It also has a built-in USB-C port for firmware updates, so you don't need a separate dock if it ever needs an update for a new camera.
Image Quality
I took it to Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey, to scout locations. Everything you see in the video is unedited, shot in Reala Ace, my new favorite film simulation, with no modifications.
Sharpness: wide open, sharpness is more than adequate across the frame in real-world use, with good color. Stop down and both sharpness and contrast improve. It isn't tack sharp wide open, so pixel peepers may object, but most of us soften portraits with mist filters or in post anyway.
Fringing: on an overcast day full of bright highlights I fully expected purple fringing. I couldn't find any, even pixel peeping on my laptop.
Color: as a chronic editor who never cared about straight-out-of-camera images, I really liked how these JPEGs turned out without touching them.
People Photos
On the other side of the falls I ran into a family in costume with musical instruments. The mom was making a music video for her son's birthday. They let me take a few photos. With the crop factor, this is a 75mm full-frame equivalent, perfect for portraits.
My all-time favorite portrait lens is the Fujifilm 50mm F1, but this lens's size and better autofocus might make me reach for it when I want to pack light or keep a low profile, as long as I'm not heading into bad weather. For fully manual, even faster glass, see my Brightin Star 50mm F0.95 review.
Video Autofocus Test
It uses an STM motor. That isn't as new as the linear motors on premium lenses, but STM is still in use. Canon just put one in their RF 28-70mm F2.8, and they used it on their EF glass for years. In my testing it's a step faster than the DC motor in the Fujifilm 50mm F1 and comparable to the Fuji 50mm F2, with shallower depth of field.
My settings were AF speed +2 and tracking sensitivity +3. With a five-stop variable ND, tracking looked good, and for portraits or a fancier talking head it's more than enough. I wouldn't call it a sports lens. I think a lot of the credit for how well it focuses goes to Fujifilm finally getting their autofocus algorithm right in recent firmware on their latest cameras.
Weather Sealing
There's no sealing between the lens and the body and none internally. It's not a rainy-day lens. It handled the mist around the waterfall fine, but I wouldn't push it beyond that.
Should You Buy It Over Fuji's Lenses?
At this price you'll have a hard time finding a better lens. I'd recommend it over Fuji's 56mm F1.2, unless you get the weather-sealed Mark II and expect to get caught in the rain. Its autofocus beats most of Fuji's lenses, everything except the linear-motor ones, and it's nearly on par with those.
If you can, buy direct from Brightin Star. It saves you about $30 compared to Amazon.
Final Thoughts
Other than weather sealing, there's nothing I'd change. There's no heinous flaring or fringing and no weird quirks. For a first autofocus lens, Brightin Star knocked it out of the park, and it shows how good these new lens makers have gotten in just a few years.
Let me know in the comments if you're going to pick one up.
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