Question on rangfinder bokeh

[sweat100]

Hi, after looking at the images from the thread. I got some questions on bokeh. It seems that forumers post RF shots with the emphasis of just bokeh. With the knowledge I know thus far, bokeh seems to a function of focal length, aperture and focusing distance.
Lens design also affects bokeh but assuming it is a lens of same optical design, bokeh should not matter with different lens makers.
Does RF lenses really produce better bokeh? I read that RF is more about quietness, discreteness rather than bokeh per se.

 

[ozawa]

i think what pple are talking about is the bokeh of old lenses (supposed to be more pleasant) . Ofcourse SLR lenses also can have wonderful bokeh....

 

[sweat100]

Ic... ok no wonder the bokeh fantasy here.

 

[dankwan]

Ic... ok no wonder the bokeh fantasy here.

my 2cts for whatever its worth,

I read a good review recently from steven huff on the obsession with brokeh which pretty much says that at f5.6 every lens can be sharp, its how it performs below that that really sets them apart and differentiates their character. It defines whether the way the lens renders OOF (out of Focus) "well or not" as per general consensus and if the shot is pleasing aesthetically. Brokeh in a sense is like art ie it is a matter of taste really and is part of the artistic overall composition of the shot rather than just focusing on technical accuracy or composition per se. It may be a modern lens or an older one, all lenses produce brokeh.

In the case of this forum, the enthusiasts mostly shoot RF which is pretty much old skool tools with old skool lenses and the fun I guess is in discovering how these lenses render OOF. Configuration of the lenses also add to the character of the lens, for example, older summitars, elmars and summars, make swirly brokeh, the sonnars sometimes make brush like strokes and planars again different.

Similarly, there are tons of groups in Flickr that only want to look at brokeh. I guess to each his own and there is beauty in all parts of a well taken shot.

One of the best brokeh artists I have seen is also a fellow CSer nick Daikoku, he is really, really good in putting together alternative shots using OOF as his main medium. You can find him on Flickr as Brokeh Master and I think he does it with both modern and vintage lenses.

There is another thread in kopitiam that also has a lot of followers under brokeh-licious and almost are all modern DSLR lenses.

 

[sweat100]

This is a nice insight. Thanks! I will go and read the article. What prompted me to ask this question is because I seen books and sites on street photography and also read that henri cartier-bresson uses primarily f8 most of the time, nothing much was brought up to mention about bokeh. Now your post has shed some light in this aspect.

 

[dankwan]

This is a nice insight. Thanks! I will go and read the article. What prompted me to ask this question is because I seen books and sites on street photography and also read that henri cartier-bresson uses primarily f8 most of the time, nothing much was brought up to mention about bokeh. Now your post has shed some light in this aspect.

You're welcome.

"F8 and be there" is the motto of street photographers, I am not one of that genre so definitely no expert, basically from what I know, they set f8 and are there for the shot, in essence the style of photography is capturing "moments" which I guess HCB did. Street lighting is a mixed bag between shadow, diffuse and strong so F8 is a happy medium. "Sunny 16" also works but mostly for direct sunlight and it basically is more a guide. I have used sunny 16 in my walkabouts, and I find the contrast is just too high and details get lost.

Hence F8 works seems to work pretty well for zone/hyper focusing on the street and I suppose, exposes well for shadows as well as the other lighting conditions. It helps that film also has an inherent exposure latitude so the highlights wont get blown out and the shadows not just way black.

OOF is relatively new and brokeh is derived from a japanese word for blur, so I guess its fairly new skool. BTW he used primarily the Sonnar which has fairly rapid falloff from a very sharp point, considered soft by many but has a great old skool character. Sonnar OOF is considered fairly smooth so I guess his pics have that glowing feel to them and why sonnars to this day remain highly popular.

There are a couple of street shooting masters in this forum as well, I particularly like the work of Eamesboy, Alucard (for his street potraits),Royale with cheese, chiif, nordleadx and others (forgive me guys if I didnt mention your names), they are real practitioners.

Nuff said, too preachy already....cheers

 

[Royale With Cheese]

There are a couple of street shooting masters in this forum as well, I particularly like the work of Eamesboy, Alucard (for his street potraits),Royale with cheese, chiif, nordleadx and others (forgive me guys if I didnt mention your names), they are real practitioners.

I not master la, newbie only!

Eamesboy, Nordleadx, dtohs --> the real gurus :thumbsup:

Especially Nordleadx & Eamesboy, I learn alot from them :thumbsup: They taught me what I need to know!