ned1 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AIS. The focal length is a bit awkward because you have to wide open, but the background becomes nice and creamy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarmstrong Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 Some really great shots here. Eric, I really like the German Shepard shot with the 70-200 and the smooth green background. Seems like there is a lot of support for the 70-200 VR. Nice iris, Matthew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarmstrong Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 It does seem that the prime lenses are generally better at producing smooth bokeh and sharp circles, but with the zooms, a lot of it depends on distance from the subject. Any thoughts out there about both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Lewis1664881697 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 85mm F1.4 AF I haven't seen anything come close to this lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhut-nguyen Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 400 f/5.6L - f/6.3 @ 1/1000 sec with great distance between the bg and the subject this lens can produce very nice bokeh<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_anderson Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 This photo was taken with the 70-300VRII lens and I like the bokeh. But it does seem that many photographers obsess over it. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/gunfighter48/ZooButterfly0375.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_anderson Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Sorry about the image tag. Hers's the url. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/gunfighter48/ZooButterfly0375.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstarks Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 My Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 (4/3rds mount) it's super effective wide open and at 200mm. She's closely followed by the 35mm f/3.5 macro and the 40-150 f/3.5-4.5. With the latter and the EX-25 extension tube it gets even better. Jesse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolly1 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I know this is the Nikon forum but the OP didn't ask which Nikon lens so I'm sticking my hand in the air for my f-mount Tamron SP90 2.8 DII. Milky smooth bg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstarks Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Ooops sorry folks I didn't see this was a questions for Nikon shooters. How do you delete a post? Jesse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wj_lee Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Although you can't get shallow dof of 1.4, 45mm 2.8p renders background beautifully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 4 come to mind: 50 f2 (current Leica Summicron); 90 f2.8 (Tamron); and 85 f1.8 & 135 f2 (Canon EF). Sorry, I just realized this a Nikon Forum thread - I'm not looking to start a war. Maybe Photo.net shouldn't catagorize without additional info on "most active" threads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_worth Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Here's a recent example of Sigma 30 bokeh under very difficult conditions...<BR> <CENTER><A HREF="http://www.animationarchive.org/pics/skipcanters-big.jpg" TARGET="clear"><IMG SRC="http://www.animationarchive.org/pics/skipcanters.jpg" WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="320" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BORDER="0" ALT="Skip"></A><BR> <A HREF="http://www.animationarchive.org/pics/skipcanters-jumbo.jpg">100% / 850 K / D200 / 1.4 / 30th / ISO 900</A></CENTER> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_evans Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I would vote for the 135 f/2 DC followed closely by the 70-200 f/2/8 VR. --Rich<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarmstrong Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 I know I put this up in the Nikon forum, but as far as I'm concerned...go for it...tell us about your favorite for bokeh and why. I'd really love to hear some of the technical details from the pro photo geeks out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_evans Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Sorry - wrong photo, but the 300 is pretty good also ;-) --Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_evans Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 OK - its late - lets try this again............<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guenther_fuernsteiner3 Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Leica 19 mm 2.8. On my digital Leica it acts as a 38 mm 2.8. Why? Give it a try. Guenther Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiayao_zhao Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 I feel the 28mm also has beautiful bokeh<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ty_mickan Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 70-200 is my current favourite (apart from my Carl Zeiss 180mm f4) but that is only because I don't have a 200 f2 :)<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwphoto Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 A 105 Nikon Micro (before VR) on a D700 for portraits. Also wonderful for plant & rattlesnake close-ups.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rarmstrong Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share Posted October 26, 2008 It seems that there is a wide variation of lens favorites. But, one thing for sure...ask photographers to share their work and the response is good...thanks! There are some great shots here. But I'm waiting to hear some specific technical advice about how you produce the most desirable result with the lens you like the best. Is it distance from your subject, is it specifically aperture, is it number or shape of leaves in the diaphragm or a combination of all? How, specifically, do you achieve your best results for the bokeh that you find the most appealing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_lowrey Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 I like this shot, but I'll leave it to others to make up their own mind. I tried to use the lighting here (all natural) to retain the three dimensionality of the statue and used the widest setting available from the lens. Maybe I was just lucky. I used a Konica-Minolta slide scanner which seems to bring out the best in the slide. There was nothing special about the lens as far as I could tell. f1.8 yielded the bokeh.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_lowrey Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Another example using a 50mm lens.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick j dempsey Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Bokeh is not just a matter of softness.... sometimes "distracting" or "harsh" bokeh is preferable to the "soft" bokeh that is often sought after. Harsh bokeh can add a quality to a background that looks like an abstrast painting. (I personally love this is flower photographs, where blades of grass behind a flower can create a complex pattern of green triangles) Another kind of bokeh that's interesting is the "swirling" bokeh you may have seen with older Zeiss optics, which is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous for portraits, creating a "halo" effect around the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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