[Leica] RE: soft focus vs out -of- focus in an ultimate sharpness world

["BIRKEY, DUANE" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>]

Trying to take a slightly out of focus image presents several problems: 
 

1)  If you are taking pictures in a studio at f/8, you have to deal 
with depth of field.  Stopping the lens down makes for an awfully dim 
image and hard to judge the end result. 
2) If you are taking fotos of a couple and you don't want the faces in 
the same plane, where do you focus?.    OK, You ask, when don't you 
want the faces in the same plane?  When you have two really different 
size faces, you normally try to put the big face back a bit so it seems 
smaller.   
3) OK, what  if you shoot with the Noctilux wide open?    Normally you 
focus on the eyes, right?   Well imagine a foto where the end of the 
nose is really sharp and the eyes are slightly soft.  Or a shot where 
the ears or sideburns are really sharp and the eyes are slightly out of 
focus.   It just looks funny, try it sometime with someone who has a 
big nose or big ears.  
4) An out of focus image looks out of focus, nothing is sharp.  The 
main reason to use a Softar or blacknet type filter is that it retains 
a sense of sharpness but softens imperfections.  Catchlights and 
Jewelry usually retain the somewhat sharp look.

I'm not a big fan or user of really mushy soft focus or Vaseline 
smeared edge filters.  I use a Tiffen Soft/FX 1 or black Softnet 1 for 
most people as the image doesn't shout  "he's using that filter because 
I've got so many wrinkles to hide".    I use a Zeiss Softar II when I 
need more diffusion.  I think so many photographers have overused the 
really mushy soft-focus image in the past that those are the types of 
mental images people think of when they hear you want to use a soft 
focus filter. 

The Zeiss Softar and Tiffen Soft/FX use a series of uniformly spaced 
small dimples on an otherwise clear piece of glass.  This is how they 
accomplish a softer image that retains sharpness and a rather unique 
look I might add.  Most people are thrilled with the results and those 
who don't usually are so self conscience, they suspect everyone will be 
talking about how many wrinkles the filter covered up (my, is her face 
showing age.....) or their eyesight isn't too good.  They also tend to 
be the people who think they still look like their college senior 
portrait, ha ha.   A lot of cheaper, round soft focus filters have no 
truly clear areas except for the center spot models which have a clear 
spot in the exact center.  And that's not exactly where you want it to 
be composition-wise. 

Hope that helps

Duane Birkey
HCJB World Radio
Quito Ecuador 


Roger wrote:

><<<<but I often wondered what the difference would be between the 
various
>softening devices compared to purposefully defocusing the 
>lens a bit?>>>

Ted wrote: 

> Roger, I never thought of doing it that way, but I guess it would 
have
>worked. My fear would be they might know the difference and ask, "hey 
this
>picture is out of focus?" :)