Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/12/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dan Honemann jotted down the following: > Bokeh is tremendously hard to describe, but one of the effects of this in the > Nokton is that (to me) it draws attention to the OOF areas. In the Leica lens, > however, the bokeh is very good. Nearfield areas have that familiar 'glow' > while the distant field has a complex bokeh which I think is probably some > 'ni-sen' variation (ie it renders out-of-focus straight lines as two lines to > a greater or lesser extent). For example, the Nokton will render a point > highlight in the bg as a round white disk with a quite sharp fall off, whereas > the Leica will render it as a disk with a slight halo, like a fuzzy donut. I never could make sense of this. From the above, one could be forgiven if one interpreted it to mean that (a) the Nokton lens has a Gaussian blur style bokeh, and (b) the 50mm Summilux lens has ni-sen bokeh. I seem to remember from Johnny's pictures (and other's) that the exact OPPOSITE is what you find. Of course, complicating the matter further is the 'halo' effect: I had a 50mm f/2.8 Elmait in M-mount which had superb bokeh, but clearly exhibited halos around bright lights. You wouldn't -- however -- have provoked ni-sen bokeh out of that lens if you'd slapped it until it was cross-eyed. M. - -- Martin Howard | iCon iDole iRate Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU | iDeal iDull iMage email: howard.390@osu.edu | iSue iOn iGnorance www: http://mvhoward.i.am/ +---------------------------------------