Is this the King of Bokeh?

[Radek Slustik]

Here is an example of last version 50mm summicron, 35mm summicron 4th and the last is 28mm/2,8 M hexanon...

 

[Simon Larbalestier]

Here is an example of last version 50mm summicron, 35mm summicron 4th and the last is 28mm/2,8 M hexanon...

welcome to RFF Radek 🙂 i like the OOF areas of the 28/2.8 in your image.

 

[venchka]

Very nice

Very nice

welcome to RFF Radek 🙂 i like the OOF areas of the 28/2.8 in your image.

So do I! I own that lens. I haven't seen that OOF look in my photographs. I need to take it to the woods! 😀

My Konica 28mm/2.8 M-Hexanon offering. Wide open. Minimum focus. Rather plain compared to the portrait above.

 

[rschneider]

Going all the way back to the beginning of this discussion, as I recall Mike Johnston's 35 Summicron v.4 "King of Bokeh" comment specifically said that he considered the lens to be "The King" at f/5.6. The fine performance around f/5.6 was at the cost of some pronounced spherical aberration at f/2. I think that's what you're looking at.

I happen to like the bokeh of the v.3 Canada Summicron, but I'm just funny that way.

 

[KM-25]

I certainly have a favorite for this week....

Kodak TC400N.

 

[fgianni]

If there is such a thing as the king of bokes it's gotta be the SONY 135 f2.8 STF, unfortunately you'll need a minolta SLR for it. 🙁

See
http://www.dyxum.com/columns/articles/lenses/SAL-135F28/Sony-AF-135-STF-SAL-135F28_review.asp

For a review with samples (drooooool)
Why they don't make one in M mount!

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[dave lackey]

Dang...B&H has a 10.2 megapixel Sony Alpha for under $700 plus the lens at $1100...hmmmm....

That lens produces really good results!🙂 🙂

 

[lic4]

I happen to like the bokeh of the v.3 Canada Summicron, but I'm just funny that way.

I had this lens once--performed almost identically to a Canon 35/2 that I had later. Now I use the ZM 35/2 and like it best.

Anyhow, i also liked the bokeh in the Summicron V. 3 (excuse the poor scan job):

 

[fgianni]

Dang...B&H has a 10.2 megapixel Sony Alpha for under $700 plus the lens at $1100...hmmmm....

That lens produces really good results!🙂 🙂

Not sure about using a dslr with it, the lens is probably not easy to focus even with a full frame SLR and a split image focusing screen.

 

[Mazurka]

If there is such a thing as the king of bokes it's gotta be the SONY 135 f2.8 STF, unfortunately you'll need a minolta SLR for it.

Sorry, but my 105 AF-DC Nikkor is another contender to the throne. It's also more than 2 stops faster and doesn't require a 2nd mortgage 😀
http://www.stacken.kth.se/~maxz/defocuscontrol/

Besides, the DC Nikkor lets you choose between a smooth background or foreground. Can the STF do that?

 

[fgianni]

Sorry, but my 105 AF-DC Nikkor is another contender to the throne. It's also more than 2 stops faster and doesn't require a 2nd mortgage 😀
http://www.stacken.kth.se/~maxz/defocuscontrol/

Besides, the DC Nikkor lets you choose between a smooth background or foreground. Can the STF do that?

Dunno about the 2nd mortgage, you can find the STF for about £700, so the prices are quite similar.

The Nikkor lets you choose between smooth background OR foreground, the STF gives you smooth Background AND Foreground.

That said I agree that the 105 AF-DC Nikkor is a really impressive lens and a very good contender, expecially since the speed advantage is quite significant, at the end of the day it depends on what you want to achieve, if you want smooth OOF both front and back at the same time the Sony looks better, if you want a general purpose portrait lens capable of very smooth bokeh under the right circumstances the Nikkor is a much better choice.

Another big advantage of the Nikkor is the fact that it is an AF lens, so you won't need to replace the focusing screen of your DSLR with a split screen one (with all the implications about metering accuracy)

Of course if you already own a Sony or a Nikon SLR then the choice become quite obvious 😀

 

[Mazurka]

Dunno about the 2nd mortgage, you can find the STF for about £700, so the prices are quite similar.

The Nikkor lets you choose between smooth background OR foreground, the STF gives you smooth Background AND Foreground.

Got my 2nd-hand DC Nikkor under US600. So the price differential was huge. Perhaps that's because the STF blurs both back-and-foreground nicely. 😛

If you put certain Minolta cameras (dunno about the Sony A100) on a tripod, you can use the STF special function (achieved by multiple exposures) to make any lens behave the same way. 135mm can often be too long for portraits, especially with 1.5x crop factor on a digital.

Still it's good to know Sony has kept the lens in the catalogue. It's a masterpiece after all. (No I'm not a fan of Puts'. 😛 )

 

[edodo]

the background was ugly but I love this bokey a lot. For me the bokey represent the mind of the model... (the lens cost was 40€!)