Every once in a while a Chinese lens manufacturer drops something that really tickles the community, and this Brightin Star 28mm f2.8 pancake (made with Funleader) definitely did that for me. It’s a manual focus full-frame M-mount lens, but you can adapt it to pretty much any mirrorless body. I tested it in the real world on my Panasonic S5IIX with an M-to-L adapter, and also on my Leica M2 with Ilford HP5 Plus (rated at 800). Since I’ve been shooting 28mm almost exclusively for about a year (X100V + WCL), I know exactly what I want from this focal length—small, simple, and ready for the street. The build is honestly really nice: all metal and glass, polished black paint over brass, super dense for how thin it is. But the ultra-low profile comes with compromises: the focus “tab” is tiny and close to the body, the stepless aperture ring sits around the front element, and it’s basically impossible to use a hood or easily find filters. Optically, I’d call it adequate—sharp enough in the center, but it falls off fast toward the edges, flares pretty badly depending on sun angle, and there’s noticeable barrel distortion (fixable, but you’ll crop a bit). It’s not for everyone, but if you want a fun, compact manual 28 for street days where you don’t want to take it too seriously, this thing makes a lot of sense.