Blurry bokeh?

[Starry Night]

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[o hey tyler]

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

 

[tirediron]

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)

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

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

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

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

 

[Robin Usagani]

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...

 

[tirediron]

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)!

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

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

 

[LarryD]

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.

 

[BWarren89]

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.

 

[Aayria]

New title:

"Help! My bokeh is boken!"

 

[o hey tyler]

Bokeh is Brokeh?

 

[Derrel]

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.

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.

 

[Geaux]

^ that last picture is MONEY. Love that

 

[MrLogic]

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.

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?

<snip>

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.

<snip>

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.