New Bokeh Page

[chendayuan]

I have used Voigtlander 50/2.5, 40/1.4, at some light condition they can give a smooth plasant background, even what people called The king of bokeh 35/2.0 ver4, can give a harsh back ground in strong light condition. you need use them at different lignt condition to really get an idea about their characters. Too many people jump into conclusion, especially these only shoot few frames. The Bokeh's book is kind of personal judagement not scentific, of cause useless to us. You do not need take it seriesly.

 

[jlw]

All these pseudo-scientific reports on MTF graphs or whatever using a sample of one are deceptive too. And as Huck points out, scanned images are unreliable as well, although I have to confess I use them in my own decision-making but I try to see as many examples as possible. Images and user experience with the lens (preferably together) should probably hold more weight than anything else. And after all that you have to remember that user experience is subjective too.

Yeah, I've noticed that as my vision gets worse and worse, ALL my lenses are getting better and better bokeh. Those of you still impaired by unimpaired vision may wish to improve your bokeh by aid of distilled spirits...

 

[Chaser]

For me the lens with the best bokeh is the lens that is positioned between me my subject and a simple background.

 

[PaulDalex]

As I said in another post my personal approach is to make reference to our visual system. Which has a huge DOF and never defocuses. This implies my purpose is to fight to have everything in focus. Granted, the pro that covers an event (e.g. sport fashion) just can't do so and rightfully discusses bokeh. I am not a pro and either I won't take that photo (who cares?) or plan a background redo in PS. I made a statistic on my book on HCB. He has everything in focus. Only a couple exception of ugly pictures (sometimes Homerus sleeps) out of more than one hundred.
At this point I am willing to put it upside down and ask the million dollar question. Pick e.g. the 50's on 35 and fix say F8. Do they really have all the same DOF? (which is by the way a conventional concept). My intuition is that the answer is negative. After all a lens with a superior MTF (or resolvilg power) should degrade more slowly. (OK I have ordered Modern optical engineering to assess this). For example I have the feeling that the summicron is superior in this respect
Regards
Pistach

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Huh? ...
.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

i also get the feeling that most photos were all in focus, as well. isn't this shooting wide open thing a new fashion brought on by af?

Who is af?

 

[sf]

nice. I've seen the site before, but have not seen those sites at the bottom. useful.

Just another place to learn about things I don't need.

 

[yossarian]

"Hello, my name is Fred. And I'm a bokeholic." I'm a "bad" bokeholic. The wilder,
freakier, loopier, and more psychotic it is, the better I like it.

I am, however, kind to animals.

 

[PaulDalex]

BTW, a major motivation to use viewcamera is to have everything in focus. Thus my philosophy is not a peculiar one. I bought mine for a project that will take a lot of time. Then I need to very relaxed days to take my pictures. I am a little intimidated by quickloads. Scare to make a wrong manouver.
Is anyone interested here in viewcameras? I will propose sometimes in the future a thread.
Pistach

 

[Meleica]

My Bokeh Page has been updated with more bokeh examples:

http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/bokeh.htm

Dan