Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]When you are out photographing, whether an intentional trip or you just happened to be out and have your camera, you happen upon something to photograph. A tree, a plant, a person, a portrait, a group, a landscape, a piece of wood, a flower, kids. You size-up the situation, choose the appropriate lens, set the f/stop to give the DOF you need, appropriate shutter speed, and shoot. Perhaps bracket. Whatever... you just take the photographs. You get home, process or have the film processed. Put the slides in the projector or put the film in the enlarger or scanner and show the slides or make the prints. Again, whatever... Then you look at the photographs and exclaim WOW, look at that keen Bokeh. Or you don't. The point is that while doing everything up to the point of actually looking at the finished result, Bokeh was not something you were thinking about. Perhaps secondarily or subconsciously. You were thinking of what lens, what exposure, what DOF, etc. Most folks don't carry a 35/1.4 non-ASPH as well as a 35/1.4 ASPH so they can, on the spot, choose between perceived smooth Bokeh and not so smooth Bokeh. It just isn't usually in the equation when setting-up for making a photograph. And unless you are photographing wide open (or close to it) Bokeh isn't a factor anyway. There is no real choice with a 50mm or 75mm lens since they are all non-ASPH. Do you carry two 90's? An old 90 Summicron and a new 90 APO/ASPH just so you can choose? Bokeh city quickly turns into backache city! Some lenses exhibit a nice looking blurred background (Bokeh) when used wide open. The 35/1.4 non-ASPH, 50/1.4, 75/1.4, 85/1.4 and others. And some don't. But is that why you choose to use a lens in a particular situation? Perhaps. But I suspect it is usually not thought of during photographing. Only afterward when Bokeh happens to exhibit itself. Or not. So in my estimation, the subject of Bokeh is academic. Something that is obviously there, with certain lenses, but generally not the predominate factor when taking a photograph. You use what you have with you. And unless you are photographing wide open-ish, it is moot. Jim