Brightin Star / Pergear 60mm 2x Macro Lens Review - Cheapest 2:1 Macro Lens! 

Something I forgot to mention in the video is also that the focusing ring is inverted compared to what is common, took some getting used to!

@@MicaelWidell great review thank you ! Fabrication issues remind of the clones of the Laowa 15mm 1:1: much cheaper and not made as well. My copy's aperture markings are not aligned with the lens axis, meaning the mount has not been assembled properly. But other than that the IQ seems to be as good. Rumours were that either the design was reverse-engineered from Laowa or that the factory making the lenses for Laowa produced extra on their own. Who knows ?

@@rivieramacro5240 would be super interesting to hear the truth about how these copies come about :)

@@MicaelWidell I doubt we'll ever know :-)

I would also consider the Meike 85mm, check my video about it. It is a bit weird but at least the aperture scale is correct on that one :)

@@MicaelWidell thank u , ill check that one out too ! :)

Never saw it discounted, where could u find a discount on that lens ? Was it a store sale or online ?

@@gamgoom85 last year, Adorama I believe.

@@mixeddrinks8100 thanks alot man for ur help , i will try to keep checking them for any price drop

Please if you are not using at the moment can you sell that for me as used

Yes but now I compared this lens to other ones with the same focal length…

Yeah it is darker even at longer focusing distances. But it is obvious it isn't about the magnification as I compared it to the Laowa at exactly the same magnification

The reason is I had the Brightin Star and pergear lenses only for Fuji X mount, and my Laowa 60mm is for Sony FE. So it was not possible to compare them on the same camera unfortunately.

@@MicaelWidell ah ok thats logical. Thx for the clarification 👍

I did not try it on full frame. But my friend Mathieu Stern did and he said it works well on full frame with minimal vignetting. Not sure if that was only for macro or also infinity. Check his video.

"Main difference of course is the Brightin Star is a Marco lens and Pergear is a Macro lens" 😂

@@MicaelWidell Hmm, you take fool of me?, Perhaps you don't understand.? Ok.

I talk about it in the beginning of the video

Yes, apply 6 cm of extension tubes and you should get to 3x magnification

On many cameras you have to enable the setting “shoot without lens” to be able to use manual lenses

The magnification is always the same, no matter the camera body or sensor size. But you are right in the fact that 2:1 magnification on MFT equals 4:1 magnification on full frame, when it comes to how big the insect appears in the photo. I know this is a bit counterintuitive, but this is how the term magnification is defined. Would be good with a word for how big the insect appears in the photo, as that is what we are mostly interested in. But I don't know what that word is, if it exists.

@@MicaelWidell - thank you for answering. I already added this lens on my wish list and currently deciding between the aps-c version or the mft. I'll go with the mft version.

Not sure. But I think they had to stop making it because it was a copy of the Laowa

They don't make them anymore, they still sell them though (on eBay). Got a copy early this year. Honestly for a Laowa knock-off, it is incredible for the price. I tried the Laowa as well, the image quality is indistinguishable. And unlike the Pergear/Brightstar, its aperture blades form a perfectly round circle and the aperture label is correct :P. Best thing about it is that It costs me 140 USD (including shipping) to Vietnam

@@VietAnhNguyen-jp1tg yes for the price it was a steal (and apparently the design was too LOL)

@@johnkanzler6646 Yes, couple it with a good m4/3 camera (and flash) and you have a 4x macro set that weight less than 1.5kg and cost less. It is like magic. I have a Nikon F mount version to adapt on my G85. Now, I can even use a focal reducer with it, or use a special tilt/shift (Nikon-m4/3) adapter to cheat for that extra bit of depth of field. And yes, I think they all have the same design, but the built quality of the knock-offs is quite questionable. I have not seen any issue yet on my copy, but I have heard many people complain about the oil spreading and the aperture blades cut into the glass (this apparently is a problem with the Laowa as well)

OMG it does!!!

lol didn't notice that :) that together with the aperture ring scale shows how much care and effort is put into these lenses

@@MicaelWidell Yes, I think the main focus with this lens was to get it as cheap as possible. I mean for beginners a budget 2:1 macro lens is great, but I will definitely stick with my Laowa 100mm lens - I absolutely love it ❤️.

Laowa 60mm has been my favorite on full frame for the last 2-3 years! On APS-C the Laowa 65mm is my favorite.

@@MicaelWidell I actually have that lens solely because of your videos. I do like it and it’s my only macro at the moment. I gave up my Sony 90 and kept the 60mm.

doesn't matter if they are f or t stops - they still are very very wrong :)

No this is completely manual

Yes of course I take that into account. However the effective aperture should be the same between the Laowa and Pergear/Brightin lens at the same aperture and magnification, and it clearly is not.

@@MicaelWidell yes, you are right