[Leica] Bokeh, for Ted

[Peter Klein]

Ted, here's an example that will show you why good bokeh is better than 
bad bokeh, especially for people like you and me who like to shoot at 
wide apertures in "available darkness." This link shows two crops from 
the same scene, taken with two different lenses at almost the same 
aperture (f/1.4 and f/1.5).
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/temp/NoktonBokeh1_2vs1_5.jpg.html>

The image on the bottom was taken with the 50/1.5 Voigtlander Nokton 
I've been using for years. It's a good lens, but it renders out-of-focus 
highlights with bright edges. This can be very jarring and detract from 
the main subject.  Look at the reflected highlights on the curved metal 
sink pipe.  See how they have a bright edge and a bright dot in the 
center?  You can see much the same thing on the wine bottle at bottom 
center.  Also, look at orange and blue bag of potato chips at lower 
left.  Same thing.

Now look at the top image. This was taken with the new, improved 50/1.2 
Nokton, shot at f/1.4.  Here, in all cases, the out-of-focus circles are 
much more diffused and even.  Much less distracting. Much nicer.  Which 
would you rather have just behind your main subject?

See what I mean?

--Peter