Weird OOF effects from x100

[sar-photo]

Took some photos at f2 yesterday and just noticed the strange out of focus effects on the gable roofs of the houses in the background - is this normal with the wee Fuji?

I haven't done anything to it except import it into Lightroom.

Cheers
Simon

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Is the shot an in-camera JPEG? If it is, I wouldn't be surprised that what we're seeing is aggressive processing of some sort (shadow/highlight recovery).

 

[Phil_F_NM]

You also could have hit the "harmonic" of the double-line bokeh that the lens makes. That is, if you take a photo of a straight edged object that contrasts from its surroundings and focus on it, you'll get the edges in focus, of course. Once you begin to de-focus the object, it will become fuzzier but the edges tend to have a bit more density in them than the center. Not quite doughnut bokeh but close. In this case, I think the roof gable may have had another parallel line nearby and as you move further away, you may reach a point where the two de-focused lines hit an overlapping area as a function of the edge of the bokeh of both lines to create the thin, sharp pencil line we see here. A kind of moire frequency but without the grid.
Maybe I'm reaching, but I've seen it before in a few of my shots with digital cameras.
Then again, it could just be in-camera jpg processing if that's what was captured instead of a raw.

Phil Forrest

 

[f16sunshine]

You know I have seen very similar from using a Zuiko f2/21mm on my 5Dii.
Fast wide and up close can do some strange things on Digital sensors.
Remember this lens is 23mm.

 

[sar-photo]

It's RAW with no processing - only imported into Lightroom.

Simon

 

[kzphoto]

I've seen a few similar artifacts on my Fuji Natura Black f/1.9. It tends to happen with lights and specular highlights in the backgrounds of my subjects. I'll see if I can't find a sample.

 

[gavinlg]

It's the effect of having a fast wide lens on a crop sensor camera. It's 23mm lens technically not a 35mm lens remember!

 

[sar-photo]

So what's the point in having a fast wide angle lens if it gives horrible looking effects in the background?

 

[semilog]

Most lenses can be induced to give weird bokeh under one condition or another.

 

[steveniphoto]

So what's the point in having a fast wide angle lens if it gives horrible looking effects in the background?

ummmm what? the point of having this lens is to get shots in dark conditions not to satisfy people's bokeh obsession...

this camera screams "street photography" in my opinion. its meant to be stopped down and zone focused and then used at higher apertures if it gets dim and you dont want to bump ISO.

if the quality of the blur bothers you so much, you can sell the x100 and pick up a gf1 with a 25 1.4 panny-summilux.. that has beautiful OOF renderings.

 

[stillshunter]

if the quality of the blur bothers you so much, you can sell the x100 and pick up a gf1 with a 25 1.4 panny-summilux.. that has beautiful OOF renderings.

Agreed 100%.

Far nicer rendition and micro-contrast from the PL25 than my old x100 - you'll not be disappointed...even with the GF1, it represents a great package.

 

[gavinlg]

So what's the point in having a fast wide angle lens if it gives horrible looking effects in the background?

To be honest with you I can't even see what you're talking about in the photo - I actually think it looks good there, unless you're talking about the slight double lining on the roofs in the background, which most lenses will show at a certain aperture and distance..... The x100 has good bokeh most of the time, occasionally it can get a bit funny, but it's probably the only downfall of an otherwise almost perfect lens (especially for the price).

If you want perfect bokeh grab a 5d and 85mm f1.2L or 50mm f1.2L. Nothing in the crop sensored world comes close.

 

[jsrockit]

So what's the point in having a fast wide angle lens if it gives horrible looking effects in the background?

Perhaps worry about content instead of background stuff. Only photo geeks notice bokeh and background blur. I know it is hard for photographers to ignore, but most people (viewers) don't know any better.

 

[willie_901]

At f 2.8 everything could change.