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A new budget-friendly macro lens has been released by Brightin Star: the 60mm f/2.8 2X Macro APS-C Manual Focus Prime Lens. It is a completely manual prime lens that is optimized for APS-C mirrorless cameras and offers a 2:1 magnification ratio, so objects appear twice life-size when shot. It is perfect for close-up shots of insects, jewelry, flowers, products, and anything else that is small enough to fit within that range.
The f/2.8 aperture is quite large and can go as low as f/22. It should be useful in low light and can provide a smooth bokeh effect as well as make objects stand out even when they are quite close to the camera. It also employs a multi-layer nano coating known as IMC that reduces ghosting and flaring and helps maintain high-contrast colors even when shooting in harsh light.
Looking at the MTF and at the regular 30lp/mm resolution line (blue), it offers very good performance overall, and the contrast (red) shows that it has decent contrast throughout the frame. As long as the MTF matches real-world performance, this should be an excellent bang-for-the-buck lens.
The optical design seems clean, and it's surprising that it only has one special lement, which is a high refractive element near the front (green).
It is a manual focus lens with a smooth 160-degree focus rotation that reportedly is quite easy to adjust and is therefore also useful for video work. One advantage of manual focus primes is that they tend to spend more time on the “finish” of the focus.
When used with an APS-C mirrorless camera, the 60mm focal length is equivalent to 96mm with Canon cameras. It is a relatively compact lens that measures 73 x 112mm and weighs 698g. It is made of all metal and is very budget-friendly at $209.99 (originally $229.99).
If you think that this may not be a lens that you are interested in for $209.99, it's a decent lens to experiment with without investing a significant amount of money. It is also available for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, and Micro Four Thirds.
Just keep in mind that it is a manual-focus lens and is not weather-sealed or autofocus-enabled, and it doesn't provide aperture readings in the camera either, which is why they can do it for the RF-S mount.
It is now available through Brightin Star’s website and most likely soon via B&H as well.
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