The best bokeh lenses

[ben730]

Hopefully not a silly question, but have you looked into trying a Petzval?

http://shop.lomography.com/lenses/art-lenses/petzval-nikon-mount-brass

There ya go! (Says the guy who plays with a clean guitar sound 90+% of the time. But who's also a fuzz pedal addict.)

A lens I'd recommend is the Pentax 645 format 120/4 macro. Wide open it gives OOF areas a bit of Petzval-style swirl while being sharper in IF areas. Dunno if the appropriate adapter exists, though…

I also second Brian's fondness for Zeiss & early Nikkor Sonnars. The 50/1.5 in particular has a unique and IMO pleasing OOF look, kinda as though the pics have been gently brushed with very fine sandpaper.

-Dave-

Thanks for these recommendations. I will check them out. How sharp is the Petzval?
(Asks the guy with the distorted Les Paul)

[MoreOrLess]

And where are the Nikkor Bokeh Specialist DC 105mm and 135mm f/2 portrait lenses? Old designs but still available.

Also the splendid new Nikkor 58mm f/1.4 is missing.

Just went though the test rather quickly and none of those lenses are even included on it.

[BernardLanguillier]

Thanks for these recommendations. I will check them out. How sharp is the Petzval?

Not very.

Cheers,
Bernard

[ben730]

Not very.

Cheers,
Bernard

Thanks, it's a pity but this is a clear answer.

[BrianVS]

Thanks Brian, unfortunately without colours......

The reason why I'm looking for an extreme fuzzy bokeh, is because I'm tired of the standard portrait look (55-180mm,  F1.2-4)
with a "super smooth" background/bokeh.

These "standard" shots are so easy to take....My clients want this, normally, but I want to take also an other proposal...
...and when I show them both, they agree with the nervous bokeh...

I really like the 5 Star bokeh of the Hasselblad-Zeiss lenses, it's not smooth.....it's like Rock'n'Roll.

I don't like smooth bokeh and I don't like smooth guitar sound. That's boring! I like the distorted sound of Jimi Hendrix.

I'm really very interested to see some really weird bokeh.... especially for Nikon lenses.......

Thanks,
Ben

If you ever plan on shooting for the X-Files, I will lend you this lens.

55/1.2 Frankenlens, made from the front section of a Nikkor-O 55/1.2 with the rear section of a 50/1.5 SUmmarit.

Bad Acid Bokeh.

grass2_f12 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Wide-Open. Extremely over-corrected for spherical aberration and high field-curvature. I've made a couple of novelty lenses for people. Mostly fun projects from parts-bin lenses, some of them RF coupled. Like a Sonnar/Planar hybrid. "The Astigmar"...

For a Nikon lens that you can buy- The 5.8cm F1.4 lens of the early 1960s has swirly Bokeh, and is overcorrected for spherical aberration. It is very similar to the Leica Summarit 5cm F1.5. Very different from any other Nikon lens, and is not very expensive.

[Krug]

A number of the lenses mentioned have very interesting bokeh and the choice between them, of course, must depend largely on personal preferences .... I have and enjoy several of them but frequently my own personal choice is an old Zeiss 75 1.5 Biotar - beautifully soft but sharp where I want it - it cured me of my 75 Summilux lust !

[Telecaster]

…frequently my own personal choice is an old Zeiss 75 1.5 Biotar - beautifully soft but sharp where I want it - it cured me of my 75 Summilux lust!

Yeah, that's another lens with an interesting look. I like the 58/2 Biotar as well…this reminds me to give it a spin with the A7r2.

-Dave-

[BrianVS]

Hey man,
this is the lens to photograph nudes not trees.
Best,
Johannes

I can loan the lens out for that too!

Or you can buy it from my Wife after she Shoots me for shooting nudes...She would use a 105 Howitzer.

[Cartman]

And where are the Nikkor Bokeh Specialist DC 105mm and 135mm f/2 portrait lenses? Old designs but still available.

Also the splendid new Nikkor 58mm f/1.4 is missing.

Certainly few of us have owned or examined the bokeh of all the lenses on the list.  But I do own the #6 ranked lens, and a couple of copies of the 135 DC and -- given my own tastes and eye -- the 135 DC wins the bokeh crown between the two every time.

Moreover, without closely examining the methodology, there are still many photographers who don't understand bokeh as the nature of OOF areas, rather than simply OOF parts of an image.  Thus, if random people were evaluating images when voting I wonder how many gave the nod simply to the images that had areas most out of focus, rather than to those that were most visually appealing due to the nature of the lens?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Moreover, without closely examining the methodology, there are still many photographers who don't understand bokeh as the nature of OOF areas, rather than simply OOF parts of an image.  Thus, if random people were evaluating images when voting I wonder how many gave the nod simply to the images that had areas most out of focus, rather than to those that were most visually appealing due to the nature of the lens?

Hi,

I agree, bokeh is the 'quality' of the defocus, not the amount. It's usually also different between front and rear defocused areas, and front bokeh is less frequently discussed.

Cheers,
Bart

[Hulyss]

Stanley Kubrick used to love the 180 f2.8. I do love it too

[Rob C]

Stanley Kubrick used to love the 180 f2.8. I do love it too

Yes, but which one?

Rob C

[Rob C]

I had a 200mm Nikkor for many years and it was that bit better for effects than a 180mm - but not much.

Here's an example wide open on HP3:


Rob C

[NancyP]

For those who wonder how all this "defocus control" works:
http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/7044/how-do-soft-focus-or-defocus-control-rings-work  (the short version)
http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/images1/135mm-dc/patent-5841590.pdf?vid=USPAT5841590  (Nikon's actual patent document)

It's pretty ingenious.

I was hoping that there would be a cheap AIS-era version to play with, but no luck. AIS lenses work splendidly via adapter on Canon. I enjoy using my dad's old classic AIS 105mm f/2.5, which has lovely rendering. It's also a nice focal length for general use. Yep, it might be more "practical" to get the Canon AF EF 85mm f/1.8 or EF 100 f/2, similarly sized lenses - but I do like the old manual focus Nikkor a lot, and have fun shooting with it, which is the point for an amateur.

 Petzvals have that off-axis "swirly bokeh" that some people like in portraiture, to give that "old-time" LF look.

[araucaria]

Yes, but which one?

Rob C

Probably the all time classic, the sonnar 180 2.8
Super cheap, produced in the millions in east germany.

[Dshelly]

The Canon 135L gets my vote.

[Hulyss]

Yes, but which one?
Rob C

A modified Nikon Nikkor 180mm f/2.8. My copy is the latest.

[Ancient Tiger]

A modified Nikon Nikkor 180mm f/2.8. My copy is the latest.

What sort of modification? Thanks.

[Hulyss]

As far as I know it is a mount modification to be able to fix it on a camera. I do not know if he did optical modification on this one.

[Ancient Tiger]

As far as I know it is a mount modification to be able to fix it on a camera. I do not know if he did optical modification on this one.

What camera? I have both a D810 and a SD1M. The nikon kills the sigma in so many ways BUT there is just something about the look of the Merrill files that when you nail a shot (and they are hard to nail) it makes you fall in love with the foveon sensor.