What is it that makes bokeh objectively more pleasing from one lens to the next?

[misterjones]

I'm asking this with my Yongnuo 50mm prime lens in mind. I've read reviews that seem to state that the bokeh produced by this lens is not as "pleasing" or "satisfying" as that from better 50mm lenses. I took these pics in my apartment as a test: The first, focusing on the headphones on the console as well as a pic of one of my cats in the foreground and it all looks pretty good to me. So what would make it "better"?

 

[NS: Nikon Shooter]

What is it that makes bokeh objectively more pleasing from one lens to the next?

A lens — just like your own eye — should see a sharp area where the
focus is set and everything else outside, before or after that point, will
be affected by a bokeh directly proportionally to its distance from the
focus point. This is true and applies to all optical system (alive or inert)
and in any conditions.

Better bokeh… really?
A few things will influence the quality of bokeh in any circumstances:
1, as previously explained, the relative distance to the focus point,
2, the aperture of the lens —> the wider = the more effect,
3, the number of blades building up the aperture,
4, focal length —> the longer = the more effect,
5, distance between the subject and its environment.

Conclusion
Given two or more lenses of the SAME focal length capturing from the
same distance a subject in a constant setup, only the effect of the aper-
ture and the number of aperture blades can make any differences.

 

[NS: Nikon Shooter]

-

ADDENDUM

The most pleasurable effect of bokeh is the separation of
any given subject from its environment. Without it, a scene
with too many recognisable objects in the background will
only bring confusion through clutter distracting from the
main point of interest.

 

[mrca]

Bokeh is considered by some to mean the shape of out of focus highlights in the background. Catseye, angular shapes can be harsh while round soft and gentle which is what you are often seeking in an out of focus background. I recently saw a photo taken with the $2000 nikon 105 lens and it was so busy and disturbing it literally made me nauseous. Try taking a photo of say a string of lights or a light source in the background and see the shape that is rendered. As a portraitist, I use round modifiers on my studio lights, usually octaboxes so the catch light in the eye is round, not having sharp edged corners if I am going for a soft look say for a woman or baby. I want every element to contribute to the feel of the image. On a more dramatic male shot with darker blacks, harder edged shadows, I might consider a rectangular soft box as my main... but probably not.

 

[misterjones]

Bokeh is considered by some to mean the shape of out of focus highlights in the background. Catseye, angular shapes can be harsh while round soft and gentle which is what you are often seeking in an out of focus background. I recently saw a photo taken with the $2000 nikon 105 lens and it was so busy and disturbing it literally made me nauseous. Try taking a photo of say a string of lights or a light source in the background and see the shape that is rendered. As a portraitist, I use round modifiers on my studio lights, usually octaboxes so the catch light in the eye is round, not having sharp edged corners if I am going for a soft look say for a woman or baby. I want every element to contribute to the feel of the image. On a more dramatic male shot with darker blacks, harder edged shadows, I might consider a rectangular soft box as my main... but probably not.

Ok, so then I'll play around with this lens a bit more with some lights in the background to see what I get out of it.

 

[Sharpshooterr]

The differences are in the lenses. The number and shape of the blades in the iris and in the quality of the glass. Expensive lenses often have a high number of rounded blades creating a very round iris opening, resulting in very round spectacular highlights. High quality glass gives a very creamy background OOF blur. When you combine those attributes the results are a high quality Bokeh.
Imagine an open can of paint and dropping drops of different color paints into it. The colors will meld easily from one color to the other in a creamy blur, that a good lens. Then imagine the same can of paint and dropping pieces of different color straws into it, The colors just land one on top of the other, just jagged distinct colors, with no melding, that's a cheap lens.
SS

 

[Ysarex]

I'm asking this with my Yongnuo 50mm prime lens in mind. I've read reviews that seem to state that the bokeh produced by this lens is not as "pleasing" or "satisfying" as that from better 50mm lenses.

The word bokeh has unfortunately been misunderstood so much that the original meaning or the word has been replaced by widespread misunderstanding.
Bokeh is not the out of focus regions of a photo -- portions of the scene outside the limits of DOF, but rather it is the visible character of the out of focus regions as rendered by each unique lens. Bokeh is not limited to the out of focus highlights created by reflections and light sources -- it is more apparent in those highlights and so evaluations of bokeh often focus on the highlights but it applies to the rendering of the entire out of focus region in a photo.

Here's a good article: Kiev Cameras

 

[TreeofLifeStairs]

The word bokeh has unfortunately been misunderstood so much that the original meaning or the word has been replaced by widespread misunderstanding.
Bokeh is not the out of focus regions of a photo -- portions of the scene outside the limits of DOF, but rather it is the visible character of the out of focus regions as rendered by each unique lens. Bokeh is not limited to the out of focus highlights created by reflections and light sources -- it is more apparent in those highlights and so evaluations of bokeh often focus on the highlights but it applies to the rendering of the entire out of focus region in a photo.

Here's a good article: Kiev Cameras

What an interesting article.

 

[RAZKY]

I'm asking this with my Yongnuo 50mm prime lens in mind. I've read reviews that seem to state that the bokeh produced by this lens is not as "pleasing" or "satisfying" as that from better 50mm lenses. I took these pics in my apartment as a test: The first, focusing on the headphones on the console as well as a pic of one of my cats in the foreground and it all looks pretty good to me. So what would make it "better"?


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I consider bokeh to be roughly about 1% objective, 99% subjective.

 

[RacePhoto]

"If smooth rendering is important, get a longer lens and back up." I liked that part.

 

[misterjones]

The word bokeh has unfortunately been misunderstood so much that the original meaning or the word has been replaced by widespread misunderstanding.
Bokeh is not the out of focus regions of a photo -- portions of the scene outside the limits of DOF, but rather it is the visible character of the out of focus regions as rendered by each unique lens. Bokeh is not limited to the out of focus highlights created by reflections and light sources -- it is more apparent in those highlights and so evaluations of bokeh often focus on the highlights but it applies to the rendering of the entire out of focus region in a photo.

Here's a good article: Kiev Cameras

good article, thanks for posting it.