Brightin Star, an emerging optical brand from China, has officially released the ‘MF 14mm f/2.8’, a budget-friendly manual ultra-wide-angle prime lens designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, including the Nikon Z-mount.
The newly introduced 14mm f/2.8 lens is an affordable piece of optical gear specifically engineered for landscape, architectural, and interior photography, as well as astrophotographers aiming to capture the Milky Way and starry nights. Its key features and specifications include:
- Vast, Distortion-Free Field of View: While providing a sweeping $116^\circ$ angle of view, it suppresses the barrel distortion typical of ultra-wide lenses to "near-zero," maintaining a natural sense of space for architectural and interior shots.
- High-Performance Optical Design: Featuring 13 elements in 9 groups, the configuration includes 2 aspherical (ASPH) lenses, 5 high-refractive lenses, and 3 extra-low dispersion (ED) lenses. This ensures excellent resolution from the center to the edges, minimizing chromatic and coma aberrations to render stars as sharp, clear points without distortion.
- Star Nano IMC Coating: Equipped with proprietary multi-layer coating technology, it significantly reduces flare and ghosting artifacts that often occur during night photography or in backlit conditions.
- Sunstars and Close-up Capabilities: Adopting a 10-blade aperture design, it creates beautiful 10-pointed sunstar effects when stopped down. With a minimum focusing distance of 20cm, users can capture unique close-up shots with dramatic perspective.
- Unique Filter Hood System: To overcome the challenge of mounting front filters on large-diameter ultra-wide lenses, it comes standard with an 82mm square/round filter holder adapter that doubles as a lens hood.
The official launch price of the Brightin Star MF 14mm f/2.8 is $279.99 (approximately mid-to-high 300,000 KRW). During the launch promotion running until June 27, it can be purchased for $239.99. In addition to the Nikon Z-mount, it is also available for Sony E, Canon RF, and Leica L-mounts.
📝 Editor's Note
"This is a breath of fresh air for Z-mount users who have always wanted an ultra-wide-angle lens but hesitated due to the steep prices of native lenses. While the manual focus (MF) might seem like a hurdle, the deep depth of field inherent to this focal length means it won't cause much inconvenience for landscape or astrophotography. Given the brand's clear emphasis on distortion control and coma suppression, this lens shapes up to be an excellent, budget-friendly entry point for beginner photographers looking to capture the Milky Way this summer."
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