Is bokeh falling out of favor?

[splitimageview]

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

However they did cheer when he said "Ich bin ein Berliner" and named the square for him.

Well of course who doesn't like donuts?

 

[boojum]

not related to the topic, but if you’re into donuts…

Where the Myth of JFK's 'Jelly Donut' Mistake Came From

The misinterpretation didn't arise until years after his death

www.smithsonianmag.com

Thanks for this. My grandparents were from Berlin and always referred to themselves as Berliners as do all my relatives still there. And there is a little smidge of arrogance attached to "Ich bin ein Berliner" as there is "Je suis Parisien" or "I'm from New York" as the speakers all know deep down in their hearts that they are just a bit better than others, the rest, the hoi poloi. LMAO Just ask one of them. ;o)

And Berliners speak and do things quickly. The joke is that the time it takes a Stuttgarter to say "wurst" the Berliner has it eaten. "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" is sung and is about having left a suitcase in Berlin, so you have to go back. It is popular all over Germany and sung in Bierstubes after a few beers and with happiness.

 

[valdas]

We have analog vs digital, mono vs color, bokeh vs no bokeh, next will be the perennial question, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" The suspense is staggering. ;o)

We were asked to test our new moderator 😉

 

[Harry the K]

"Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin" is sung and is about having left a suitcase in Berlin, so you have to go back. It is popular all over Germany and sung in Bierstubes after a few beers and with happiness.

That was about 50 years ago. Nowadays the song is almost forgotten.

 

[boojum]

That was about 50 years ago. Nowadays the song is almost forgotten.

Velleicht, aber nicht bei mich. ;o) And coming from Berliners I appreciate the feeling of someone leaving a suitcase in the main train station in Berlin so they have to go back. And, yes, I was singing it in the mid '60's. ;o)

 

[Harry the K]

Velleicht, aber nicht bei mich. ;o) And coming from Berliners I appreciate the feeling of someone leaving a suitcase in the main train station in Berlin so they have to go back. And, yes, I was singing it in the mid '60's. ;o)

At least there´s tons of boke on the song meanwhile.

 

[santino]

What about bokakeh? Is it japanese too or just a totally made up word?

 

[Erik van Straten]

I like the bokeh of the Summar.

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2) leica III

Amsterdam, 2021

 

[Timmyjoe]

Thanks for bringing the conversation back to bokeh Erik, nice photo.

I'm a fan of bokeh for subject isolation, and believe some lenses create a pleasing bokeh and some kinda freak me out. Horses for courses.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Freakscene]

I like the bokeh of the Summar.

gelatin silver print (summar 50mm f2) leica III

Amsterdam, 2021

View attachment 4885187

The blur in that one is a bit doubled up for me. You posted a photo years ago of a man in a hat taken with the Cooke Amotal 2 inch which has the most perfect blur I’ve ever seen. It’s not on your Flickr anymore. I echo myself: how to choose the times for split filter printing

 

[Ororaro]

Blurreh is a much nicer word.

 

[Freakscene]

Blurreh is a much nicer word.

Yeah, but that word means how you feel when you’ve soaked up too much darkroom chemistry through your skin and your liver is struggling to metabolise it. Nothing to do with bokeh.

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

From now on why don't we just call it "OOFS" for Out Of Focus S[tuff].

 

[valdas]

I started wondering if this discussion is about the effect or terminology? Personally, I don’t care what we call it (especially since I am not a native English speaker), as long as it’s smooth, buttery, melting etc. (as opposed to some “nervous” versions or too much swirly).But I see the value of OOF as an aesthetic tool.

 

[rfaspen]

I frequently call it OOF. Scandahoovians then mutter "Uff-Da" when the OOF discussion gets going........In my head, I say OOF-Da.....

 

[Erik van Straten]

The blur in that one is a bit doubled up for me. You posted a photo years ago of a man in a hat taken with the Cooke Amotal 2 inch which has the most perfect blur I’ve ever seen. It’s not on your Flickr anymore. I echo myself: how to choose the times for split filter printing

I don't know wich picture you recall here, but indeed the Amotal is at least as wonderful as the Summar.

 

[Erik van Straten]

here's a lot of split grade printing:

Erik van Straten

Explore Erik van Straten’s 995 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[Ororaro]

Yeah, but that word means how you feel when you’ve soaked up too much darkroom chemistry through your skin and your liver is struggling to metabolise it. Nothing to do with bokeh.

Exactly my liver’s reaction to the sight of images containing a big dose of blurreh

 

[Archiver]

When I look at my images and the ones I enjoy the most, many times they are as much about the way the lens renders as the image itself. This leads me to have favourite lenses, like the Zeiss Distagon 35 ZM, the Summicron 50 v5, Zeiss Sonnar C 50 and the Zeiss Biogon 21. All of these have pleasant OOF characteristics, and I enjoy shooting them wide open for this reason.

There's just something great about the way the Distagon 35 renders and turns mundane subjects into something else:

M9 - Relaxing with Cascade by Archiver, on Flickr

Leica M9
Zeiss Distagon 35mm f1.4

Also, I like using selective focus and obstructive foregrounds, and the quality of the bokeh is important for this, too:

M9 - Plumcot Baker by Archiver, on Flickr

Leica M9
Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5
Hong Kong

Pleasant bokeh with a bit of character can make images work better than if the bokeh was bland, harsh or distracting:

M9 - Inspection by Archiver, on Flickr

Leica M9
Leica Summicron-M 50mm f2 v5
Crown Palladium Ballroom / Melbourne