# Blurry bokeh?



## Starry Night (Sep 27, 2010)

.


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## o hey tyler (Sep 27, 2010)

It would be helpful if we knew your settings/equipment.


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## tirediron (Sep 27, 2010)

Not to be rude, but it's your understanding of terminology. "Bokeh" is a term that refers to the out of focus elements of an image. There is nothing wrong with the bokeh in your photo. In the image you've linked (Linking is the correct way to use someone else's image) that isn't real bokeh; those coloured shapes are a separate part of the image, probably either brought in in post, or coloured shapes placed on a black background.

In short, your results are normal. Bokeh is the result of focal length, selected aperture, apereture blade design and a few other factors.

Edited for PPS*

(*Phat Phinger Syndrome)


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 27, 2010)

tirediron, how can you say that is not real bokeh?

The quality of bokeh depends on the lens and the light source. The bokeh in the linked image is common for bokeh derived from xmas lights. The bokeh in the posted images is pretty common for areas of light shining through leaves.

See this thread: http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...14-post-your-christmas-bokeh-lights-pics.html


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 27, 2010)

I would wager that the clarity of the bokeh relates to the size and intensity of the light source.


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## Robin Usagani (Sep 27, 2010)

You are comparing it with night photo though.  Of course it is crispier since you have a light source in the middle of black space.  Just saying...


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## tirediron (Sep 27, 2010)

Bitter Jeweler said:


> tirediron, how can you say that is not real bokeh?


 
You're right, I can't say it definitively, and on closer inspection, I think I may have been in error on my first post.  That may well be Christmas lights (I blame my crappy work monitor)!


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## Bitter Jeweler (Sep 27, 2010)

ah, ok. I was gonna say, you are usually spot on, and i was surprised by that. :lmao:


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## LarryD (Sep 27, 2010)

Since bokeh is a function of Depth-of-field (and different lenses handle it differently), and crispness is a function of focus; it sounds like you simply want your "bokeh" to be slightly more in focus... Easily accomplished by closing the aperture in increments..

Without knowing your settings and equipment, I would say that you can bracket bokeh in much the same way that you bracket any other shot..  

Take several shots at different f-stops, adjusting your shutter (or ISO) to maintain the same exposure..  This will give you a look at your lenses capability to produce a pleasing-to-the-eye bokeh for you..  

Once you know the characteristics of your lens in  certain conditions, you can reproduce your results more consistently.


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## BWarren89 (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi!

I'm the photographer of the colored bokeh in question, it is in fact a result of lights from our Christmas tree!

Thought I'd help clear that up.

As far as how I achieve hard edged bokeh, it depends largely on the light source, and what lens I Am using.  Usually light that breaks through shrubbery and trees is closer together, more opaque, and has a softer feel.  On the other hand, more compressed light sources usually result in brighter, more defined bokeh.

My 70-200 lens gives me the most distinct bokeh, but as you can see in the photo, it also gives quite a bit of distortion to the "pure" round shape of bokeh.


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## Aayria (Sep 28, 2010)

New title:

"Help! My bokeh is boken!"


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## o hey tyler (Sep 28, 2010)

Bokeh is Brokeh?


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## Derrel (Sep 28, 2010)

BWarren89 said:


> Hi!
> 
> I'm the photographer of the colored bokeh in question, it is in fact a result of lights from our Christmas tree!
> 
> ...



The distortion of the pure,round shape of the Christmas light bokeh is fairly common. It is often caused by mechanical vignetting of the lens, but can also be caused by the mirror box of the camera. In the case of the Canon 70-200/2.8 L-IS lens, the vignetting seems to me to be from the lens...it has what is called "mechanical vignetting". The mechanical vignetting clips off some of the light rays, and renders football-shaped OOF highlights at the edges of the frame. This football-shaped OOF pattern is often referred to as "cat's eye" bokeh.

Here is a short from the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L-IS lens on the Canon 5D--notice the clipped, cat's eye or football-shaped bokeh circles?






here is a shot, done in front of the SAME mini-Christmas light backdrop, but using the Nikon 200mm f/2 lens on a Nikon D2x camera. No mechanical vignetting with this body/lens combo.


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## Geaux (Sep 28, 2010)

^ that last picture is MONEY.  Love that


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## MrLogic (Sep 28, 2010)

Derrel said:


> BWarren89 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi!
> ...




http://www.zeiss.de/C125679B0029303C/EmbedTitelIntern/PI_0141-2010_2-dl/$File/PI_0141-2010_2-dl.jpg


^ Just curious, but how would you "rate" the bokeh of the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 based on that shot? It doesn't appear to be as "harmonious" as Zeiss claims it is.


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## Derrel (Sep 28, 2010)

I would rate is as "ewwwww." Lots of chromatic aberration visible as green fringes around out of focus highlights....the out of focus areas in the foreground look awful...


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## MrLogic (Sep 29, 2010)

Derrel said:


> I would rate is as "ewwwww." Lots of chromatic aberration visible as green fringes around out of focus highlights....the out of focus areas in the foreground look awful...



Thanks. I wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't for the press release of the 35 f/1.4:



"A woman is sitting at the bar of a dimly-lit cafe. Lost in thoughts, she doesnt notice the glass of wine the bartender places before her. From a distance, a photographer tries to capture her mood. He brings her face, which is leaning toward her phone, into focus. Everything around her becomes a blur, and the lights in the background coalesce into a wild dance of diffuse shapes.

This shot will only work with a fast lens with short focal length and harmonious bokeh. Carl Zeiss introduces a new lens for just such images: the Distagon T* 1,4/35.

By introducing the Distagon T* 1,4/35, Carl Zeiss is complementing the Planar T*1,4/50 and T*1,4/85 lenses with a wide-angle lens that shares the same high speed. Crisp, sharp images work every time, whether at dusk or in the weak lighting conditions of a café, and without the need for a tripod. With its 35-mm, the Distagon T* 1,4/35 matches the classic and versatile standard focal lengths when used on cameras with APS-C sensor formats. 

Due to the special bokeh effects in both the foreground and background areas, the Distagon T*1,4/35 opens up new creative possibilities, giving photographers more options to play with focus. Thanks to its large focus ring, photographers can also create highly accurate, sharp pictures, even at maximum aperture opening. In addition, the optical construction of the lens guarantees high image quality across the entire image range. Furthermore, with one step less than the full aperture opening, the light fall-off toward the edges is just one f-stop.

With the ZEISS T*s anti-reflective coating, its sophisticated stray light reduction and the excellent flare control the new Distagon also takes pictures of bright light sources without artifacts. The Distagon T*1,4/35s extremely long-lasting and robust all-metal precision mechanics, for which Carl Zeiss is known, make this lens perfect for use on-the-go and for photo reports.

The Distagon T* 1,4/35 will be available in first quarter of 2011 at a recommended retail price of 1385.71 (excluding VAT)*."


:er:

Carl Zeiss Press Release: Distagon T* 1,4/35


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