What determines "good" bokah?

[irishman]

On the lenses forum, there is a thread that asks people to show their best bokah shots. What exactly does "good" bokah mean? There are definately some good and bad shots in the thread. I thought that it means a good smooth transition between color spectrums, but it appears that most people think that it means just a very shallow depth of field. Anyone know what is really meant by "good" bokah?

[neil_r]

To me it is about the subtle interplay of the out of focus image behind the subject. But as in all things, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are more than likely almost as many definitions of what good bokeh is as there are people on this forum, and very shortly they will all be here telling you and each other why they are the only ones who are correct ;-)

[mandt]

It was explained to me a while ago that it's how the good the blur itself is. Some blur very well, while other lenses have more of a geometrical shape to it.

[Mike]

Bokah? Never heard of it ;)

Bokeh is about the quality of the out of focus blur. Some is quite clunky and rough and better bokeh is considered to be creamy and smoother.

[bacchanal]

Bokeh and backgound blur are two different things imho. When most people think of bokeh they think of the amount or extremity of background blur, which is not necessarily correct.

Technically (imho) bokeh refers to the quality of out of focus highlights. This includes the shape, the uniformity (some lenses produce rings of light instead of even discs), and probably some other things I'm forgetting. The quality and number of aperture blades can affect the shape of the bokeh as will crop factor and where the highlights are located within the frame. If the highlights ar located near the edge of the frame you begin to see cat's eye shaped bokeh.

These sites have some good examples

http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/bokeh.html

http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/technical/bokeh.html

[luigis]

Totally agree!

Bokeh and backgound blur are two different things imho. When most people think of bokeh they think of the amount or extremity of background blur, which is not necessarily correct.

Technically (imho) bokeh refers to the quality of out of focus highlights. This includes the shape, the uniformity (some lenses produce rings of light instead of even discs), and probably some other things I'm forgetting. The quality and number of aperture blades can affect the shape of the bokeh as will crop factor and where the highlights are located within the frame. If the highlights ar located near the edge of the frame you begin to see cat's eye shaped bokeh.

This site has some good examples
http://www.vanwalree.com/optics/bokeh.html

[irishman]

bacchanal---thanks for the web site---good information there!

[Dan-o]

$$$ :)

[Dusty]

$$$ :)

:lol: True