Some lenses shout for attention. Brightin Star’s 28mm f/2.8 pancake barely registers on your camera at all — and now it does its disappearing act in a striking new liquid silver finish that pairs beautifully with classic Leica M bodies.
Originally launched in black back in 2023, this full-frame manual-focus pancake for the Leica M-mount was already one of the flattest primes you could bolt onto a rangefinder. The physics haven’t changed with the new coat of paint: the barrel protrudes just 9.9mm from the mount and the whole thing tips the scales at a featherweight 125g. Slip it on and your Leica stays genuinely pocketable — no bulge, no drama.
Under that slim exterior sits a surprisingly serious optical formula. Brightin Star packs in 6 elements, including 3 high-refraction lenses and 1 extra-low dispersion element to keep chromatic aberration and softness in check. The aperture ring runs from f/2.8 to f/16, and focus is handled the old-fashioned way — manual, with proper rangefinder coupling, so you can nail focus through the viewfinder rather than guessing.
The 28mm perspective is a natural fit for street shooting, environmental portraits and travel work: wide enough to take in a scene, tight enough to avoid the exaggerated distortion of a true wide-angle. On a body designed for deliberate, considered photography, a compact manual prime like this makes a lot of sense.
The liquid silver version was officially announced on August 17–18, 2026, having been shown off at NAB 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Orders are open now through Brightin Star’s official online store.
Pricing is where things get tempting. There’s an introductory price of US$318.99 running until August 27, 2026, after which it climbs to the regular US$358.99. UK buyers can grab it for £236.99.
- Mount: Leica M
- Focal length: 28mm
- Aperture: f/2.8–f/16, with aperture ring
- Optics: 6 elements (3 high-refraction, 1 ED)
- Focus: manual, rangefinder-coupled
- Thickness: 9.9mm protrusion
- Weight: 125g
It won’t autofocus for you, and it won’t do the thinking either — but as a stylish, ultra-slim companion for a rangefinder body, this silver pancake makes a compelling case for slowing down and shooting with intent.
