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Thread: Bokeh ???

  1. #1
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    Question Bokeh ???

    Hi,

    Please excuse my ignorance , when reading reviews for lenses I keep seeing the expresion BOKEH being used.
    Can someone please enlighten me as to what this means. I have not come accross it before.

    Many thanks

    Chris

  2. #2
    has-been... another view's Avatar
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    Basically it refers to what the out of focus highlights look like. If you're working in low light, you'll probably be using a wide aperture - which means a small depth of field. Sometimes lights or reflections in the background can make hard-edged circles that look unnatural (as in bad bokeh) or smooth edged highlights (good bokeh).

  3. #3
    don't tase me, bro! Asylum Steve's Avatar
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    I thought it was a city in Florida... :-))

    Seriously, AV did a good job of explaining this lens term...

    Now that you know what it is, I wouldn't get too hung up over on it. Any major brand of camera will have a very good line of lenses, with perfectly acceptable bokeh.

    If you're set on off-brands or budget lenses, perhaps it would be worth comparing test results. In that sense, you get what you pay for.

    I was a pro for twenty years before I ever even heard the term... ;)

    Quote Originally Posted by chriskett
    Hi,

    Please excuse my ignorance , when reading reviews for lenses I keep seeing the expresion BOKEH being used.
    Can someone please enlighten me as to what this means. I have not come accross it before.

    Many thanks

    Chris
    "Riding along on a carousel...tryin' to catch up to you..."

    -Steve
    Studio & Lighting - Photography As Art Forum Moderator

    Running the Photo Asylum, Asylum Steve's blogged brain pipes...
    www.stevenpaulhlavac.com
    www.photoasylum.com

  4. #4
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    I resemble that remark...

    Quote Originally Posted by Asylum Steve
    Seriously, AV did a good job of explaining this lens term...

    Now that you know what it is, I wouldn't get too hung up over on it. Any major brand of camera will have a very good line of lenses, with perfectly acceptable bokeh.

    If you're set on off-brands or budget lenses, perhaps it would be worth comparing test results. In that sense, you get what you pay for.

    I was a pro for twenty years before I ever even heard the term... ;)
    "I thought it was a city in Florida... :-))"... You mean it really isn't?


    Can anyone provide us with photo examples of "good" and "bad" bokeh? That way we'd really get it! ;) Thanks!

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  6. #6
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    Thanks!

    Thanks Lemming, I found the third link to be especially helpful... (loved those comparisons!) although I'm sure it will be a very long time before I can distinguish between good and bad bokeh! All the "little things" I learn about photography continue to amaze me....

  7. #7
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    Sooooo...

    I'd like to take a stab at guessing that this is "bad" bokeh?

    FS 200
    SS 125
    F/2.8
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Bokeh ???-img017.jpg  

  8. #8
    has-been... another view's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kkraczek
    I'd like to take a stab at guessing that this is "bad" bokeh?

    FS 200
    SS 125
    F/2.8
    Hmm... Yeah, kind of. Not that fairly harsh bokeh destroys an image - it's just one of those little characteristics of lenses to be aware of. Not sure what "FS 200" means, but I know my Nikon 80-200 f2.8 (two-touch, non-AFS version) is fairly harsh - looks alot like this wide open.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by another view
    Hmm... Yeah, kind of. Not that fairly harsh bokeh destroys an image - it's just one of those little characteristics of lenses to be aware of. Not sure what "FS 200" means, but I know my Nikon 80-200 f2.8 (two-touch, non-AFS version) is fairly harsh - looks alot like this wide open.

    Oops, sorry... FS is film speed. The lens I was using is a Canon 50mm 1.8 Mark I. Thanks for the help!

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