Bokeh is dead - Long live SOFA!

[Pherdinand]

We all use the word Bokeh from time to time. We all think we know what it means, but in fact i personally only have a vague definition for it, not to speak about the original Japanese meaning. So why force such an ugly word into our thesaurus?

Ruben Blaedel invented a much better one: SOFA. Let me quote him:
"I have renamed Bokeh to SOFA - A sofa should be soft and comfortable and Soft Off-Focus Areas or Silky Off Focus Areas gives more meaning to me than Bokeh "

So answer this poll please, based on your true feelings for the Bokeh and this new acronym, SOFA.

 

[Pherdinand]

Hmm. Why does this thread not show up between the 'active today' ones???

 

[Nikon Bob]

I went with who cares. Most of the public would not comment on that particular quality of a photo so does it really matter if it is generally not noticeable to most people? It is a good subject for "experts' to argue over as it is a subjective opinion that is expressed.

Bob

 

[Pherdinand]

Hmm. While i agree that most of the public won't comment on it, it does not mean that it has zero contribution to the general oppinion about an image. Most people don't realize neither care about why they like or dislike an image; this includes simpler things like "blown out highlights" too.
Of course, the whole poll is a bit sarcastic, not very serious from my part. I find it laughable when photographers have serious fights about the value of bokeh oops i mean SOFA in images. It's okay to discuss it but it should be somewhat subjective.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Yeah. it is laughable to have to have serious fights over BOKEH/SOFA, but it is common. You can drive yourself nuts (and everyone else) striving for perfection or settle for good enough and just enjoy. There are more topics with graver consequences out there that justify getting your nicks in a knot over.

Bob

 

[RUBENatHOME]

now we are getting somewere

 

[Solinar]

I voted for Bokeh, as it is an established term. Silky smooth out of focus areas has a nice ring to it, but I want to name my next dog, "Bokeh", just so I get stay practice with "good Bokeh", "Baddd Bokeh."

 

[GeneW]

When I saw the term 'bokeh' a few years back, I assumed, given the weakness of spelling on the Internet in general, that someone has mistyped 'bouquet' and that others were following suit. I liked the idea of a len's 'bouquet' -- like a fine wine. I was rather disappointed to discover 'bokeh' was a real word, albeit Japanese

Maybe we should start telling people that it is generally pronounced as in the French 'bouquet'

Gene

 

[thmk]

I voted SOFA... sounds smoother than Bokeh.

 

[laptoprob]

SOFA! Something new, something to renew talking or thinking about. Not as abstract as B****. The problem is the Photog world knows the other word...

Rob.

 

[Kin Lau]

You have to move this _out_ of "Something completely different", otherwise it'll never show on the front screen.

As Jorge explained, the "Something completely different" forum is for non-photographic discussions, so the threads here don't show up on the Most Recent list.

 

[jlw]

So, if we adopt the new acronym, lenses with particularly excellent out-of-focus rendition might become known as SOFA kings? As in, "I'd really like to buy that new Summilux, but it's SOFA king expensive"...?

 

[jan normandale]

Hi Pherdinand


My dad used to say 'soft focus' for his pix. I voted option 3 the only reason being "don't". I love being a rebel about small stuff. joke

Re ; the bokeh/sofa discussion , in the words of Sam Goldwyn of MGM, 'include me out'

Jan

 

[Krasnaya_Zvezda]

So, if we adopt the new acronym, lenses with particularly excellent out-of-focus rendition might become known as SOFA kings? As in, "I'd really like to buy that new Summilux, but it's SOFA king expensive"...?

I applaud your rapier wit, sir.

 

[Pherdinand]

You have to move this _out_ of "Something completely different", otherwise it'll never show on the front screen.

As Jorge explained, the "Something completely different" forum is for non-photographic discussions, so the threads here don't show up on the Most Recent list.

Thanks Kin. I somehow missed that explanation of Jorge. Done now.

 

[RML]

Bouquet is also a nice word... and has an ever better ring to it than SOFA (which, to be fair, now starts to sound like a venereal desease ). Plus, "bouquet" would cover the topic pretty neatly.

So, another poll to decide whether SOFA's gonna become "bouquet"?
And perhaps in a couple fo weeks time we can have a poll to change "bouquet" into "(b)okay"?

 

[Socke]

Bokeh is only important to people who need an argurment for their use of Leica glas instead of every other manufacturers glass.

The "lesson in bokeh" over at PN comes to mind which is IMHO more a lesson in not to use Canon E-TTL and why one should read the EOS flash guide

 

[berci]

Down with BOKEH, it does not make sense unlike SOFA, which does. #:-]
The coolness factor of BOKEH is 0.
SOFA's coolness factor is at lest 1.

 

[Pherdinand]

i never used a Leica glass... is that why my bokeh sucks?

You know what's really stupid? A few days ago i tried to check the SOFA of my own eye. No joke. It was in the evening after an intensive lubrication of my throat with focusing fluid so that could have been the trigger, but you know in the evening the pupil is wide open and it's easy to focus in front of the object and then you can just check. I have to say my eyelenses' SOFA is not very pleasant, but i can't describe what's the problem with it. Might also be a personal thing.

 

[Stu :)]

Bokeh is just not Leica glass, Zeiss as well. And Black & White Photography has started including it in it's lens tests, example being the last copy I saw with CV's new 35mm/1.2 on test.

I like the term Bokeh, sounds like a proper camera term.
SOFA Just sounds, well... for lack of decent words; girly.

Stu

PS. I voted for the third option.