This multi-mount, compact metal lens controls bokeh bubbles with a slider – but that’s not the only unusual feature

The Brightin Star MF 50mm f/2.0 Tri-Sight is a multi-mount, compact metal lens that gives photographers the ability to control bokeh with a slider. By adjusting this slider, users can choose from three distinct bokeh styles. The Prime setting provides sharp subjects and well-defined, circular bokeh, while the "Foams" mode creates a defined edge to the bokeh balls, often referred to as "onion ring bokeh." Conversely, the Smooth setting produces softer, larger bokeh, similar to using a diffusion filter.

The Tri-Sight lens incorporates three bokeh settings through the movement of lens groups back and forth, which corrects spherical aberration and shapes the bokeh. However, the lens also includes additional customization options. It comes with a set of drop-in discs that shape the bokeh in various shapes, such as a triangle, star, butterfly, and four-leaf clover.

These bokeh-focused features are integrated into the metal lens barrel, which includes a retractable hood and an optional lever for the focus ring, as well as a de-clicked aperture ring.

The Brightin Star MF 50mm f/2.0 Tri-Sight is available in four different mounts, each with full-frame coverage: Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF, and L-Mount. Although the size varies slightly by mount, Brighton Star describes the lens as compact, with a length ranging from 7 cm to 7.4 cm depending on the mount. After being first teased as a prototype earlier in the year, the lens has now been officially announced, with pre-orders opening up and retailers beginning to list them. The lens is priced at $399 / £302 (approximately AU$572 / CA$566).