![]() Real focal length (not effective 35mm focal length longer focal lengths have shallower depths of field and thus more pronounced blur)Ģ. The rules of optics also play a big part. This percentage doesn’t change with the focus distance the difference is the longer the focus distance, the wider the actual, physical range that comes into focus. For a given aperture and focal length, a certain percentage of the focus distance will be in acceptable focus. One important concept to explain up front is depth of field. It’s also why most of the new Nikon f1.4 lens designs have beautiful, non-offensive, smooth bokeh they’re all telecentric designs and optimized for digital sensors. Telecentric lens designs generally have better bokeh than conventional spherical designs this is because you’re less likely to get crossing of rays after and before the nodal point within the lens, causing double images and the like. In general, round diaphragms produce the best bokeh though having said that, the Leica 50/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH has some of the nicest bokeh around, but that has a strange multi-pointed star-shaped diaphragm. The nature of the optical formula and placement and design of the diaphragm, specifically. What factors affect bokeh? Mechanically, the lens design plays a big part. Yet others prefer a uniform wall of gaussian blur foreground-background. There are some who like ‘busy’ bokeh where out of focus areas take on double images, swirls or other patterns some like the pentagons and other shapes on highlights. It’s certainly not quantitative in any way – what constitutes good bokeh and what is bad or ugly bokeh is very much up to the viewer. The closest we can get is ‘the nature/ character of blur’. I believe Mike Johnston was the one who coined/ Anglicised it, though there may be earlier derivations. The term is a derivative of the Japanese word boke, which doesn’t really have a good translation into English. Possibly one of the most misunderstood, yet most bandied-about terms in the world of photography today – right up there with dynamic range, resolution, A-is-noisier-than-B and other such myths. ![]() Plus, things tend to get buried in the depths of time and forgotten…īokeh. This article is one of my first from the archives, brought up, dusted off and refreshed with new images in preparation for the next mini-series on cinematic photography: let’s just say that bokeh matters, and having a little pre-prep can’t hurt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |