Is this the King of Bokeh?

>>Vince, thank you very much. It is good, but it certainly is Nikon, which for my personal taste is out. Your effort helped me confirm this. I prefer the colour rendition...<<

Glad you are able to make such a firm, open-minded judgment after viewing two photographs.
 
Bokeh! to be honest it's a nice to have for me, in photojournalism, that's what Leica are made for, since almost the beginning, are really far in my priority. Ms body with fast lens like summilux provide me tools to work whit, that Canon or Nikon modern SLR's can't give me. If I have to work at 1/15th or slower at f1.4 with a 400 ISO film (already loaded) on really bad condition, just imagine your worst nightmare here, very low-light condition and discret shooting, Leica are the tools I want to use, I don't think they were made for shooting flowers or stuff like that with these nice bokeh made whit long-telephoto lens and SLR... I really don't care about bokeh when shooting with my MP... It's just my personal thought so...
 
VinceC said:
Glad you are able to make such a firm, open-minded judgment after viewing two photographs.

Well on the other hand I think your lens looks fabulous, after viewing only two photographs 😀
 
My personal favorite Boke-lens took these pix (that's right, I didn't identify the lens).

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You're right, we should be neither discourteous nor condescending.

Each lens has its strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I find the Bokeh on the $25 Soviet Helios 53/1.8 to be a knockout (pictured above). But the lens flares badly and is very low in contrast.
 
This is from the Canon 50/1.5 (like for Brian, this is my bokeh king, maybe together with the 50/1.2):

51007481-L.jpg


How the hell did that happen ? Bokeh only depends on the lens, doesn't it ? 😀

Roland.
 
VinceC said:
>>Vince, thank you very much. It is good, but it certainly is Nikon, which for my personal taste is out. Your effort helped me confirm this. I prefer the colour rendition...<<

Glad you are able to make such a firm, open-minded judgment after viewing two photographs.

The 50 Nikkors (any vintage) are not boke queens. This is a widely known and shared viewpoint. And indeed, your sample just add to it. Doesn't mean it's not a good lens.
 
I think this is just the character of the 35 cron. I've used this lens and liked it. Here is a comparison between the 35 cron and 50 lux, both shot at the same distance at f2.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawj/486602673/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/486602673_358eaa889f_o.jpg" width="550" height="374" alt="50" /></a>
50 lux

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawj/486602669/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/486602669_1415464330_o.jpg" width="550" height="379" alt="35" /></a>
35 cron
 
Stunning photos Vince. As always. I tend to see bokeh as the dreamy swirls that help separate back, foreground and midground. Keeps the image painterly in my mind.

here's a few of mine using the 50/1.0@ 1.0 and 50/1.4 (pre lux) @F2, and 50/1.4 ASPH @1.4. Not displayed in the order of lenses i listed.🙂
 
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clintock said:
That thread does have some pretty examples, I'm thinking this thread is more of a bad bokeh thread, or 'when good lenses go bad' sort of deal.
I've seen a Ferrari being crashed against a retaining wall; no fault of the Ferrari. All about who's behind the proverbial wheel, says I. Arrrr. 😎
 
I agree with the arguments that have been given about the Summarit. It can give either very good or very bad bokeh.

I just like it...


Leica M6 + 50mm Summarit f/1.5 wide open / Agfa Precisa 100 slide film
 
here's the other two:
 
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Honus said:
Beautiful, as usual, Simon. If I had to guess, I would say that #2 in your first post was the 50 Asph.

Thanks Robert no the 2nd and 3rd of first post were the 50 pre ASPH.
I will be curious to see how the 50 ASPH performs in the same lighting when i revisit the location next month.
 
don't forget to test your lenses one- and two-stops closed down. as far as i can tell, all lenses are vulnerable wide open.
 
When I think of how a lens bokeh 'looks', its not just the "out of focus" area but how the transition from the plane of focus to the far and near areas in the photograph look. The term 'smooth look' has been in general use to describe this.

The other thing I value is a 'creamy' general look without [defined but not] sharp edges or swirling patterns that can be a distraction ( unless the bokeh is your main subject ;-)

The aspherical lens designs seem to have a sharper drop off of out of focus area, not a gradual 'smooth' transition, and maybe their high contrast can even add to this feeling so in general they are not my favorite bokeh lenses.

But older designs because of their inherent design flaws seems to add a signature feel that is valued. Add to this that most of the older designs reach their optimal aperture at a few stops down I see the best bokeh not at wide open but as an example with the 35/2 Summicron in the f4-f5.6 range. Distant of subject adds another element as lenses perform differently being close-mid-far focused.

Complex leaf and foliage may not be the best subject to judge bokeh either. And unless you make a lot of outside in the woods photography (and in daylight stopping down would the norm) its not the usual background/forground. So in general more solid elements are a better judge of bokeh. Subject, aperture, distance, film, lens and personal taste all have a say in 'bokeh'.

Some of my favorite bokeh lenses: 35/2 Summicron 1-4 versions, 35/1.4 Summilux pre-ASPH, 50/1.4 Summilux pre-ASPH, 90/2 Summicron pre-ASPH
 
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