Return to Answer

• http://www.rickdenney.com/bokeh_test.htm for a very thorough test of a number of different lenses and lens designs. If you want to see an example of classically "good" bokeh, his Sonnar examples are worth checking out.

• Mike Johnson has an interesting essay about the entry of the term "boken" into English. He also links a list of ratings of various lenses [PDF] (unfortunately with only two examples). To emphasise the subjective and variable nature of things, the same Sonnar design Denney praises gets a 5/10 from Johnson (who I think is using a later Contax SLR version).

• http://www.rickdenney.com/bokeh_test.htm for a very thorough test of a number of different lenses and lens designs. If you want to see an example of classically "good" bokeh, his Sonnar examples are worth checking out.

• http://jtra.cz/stuff/essays/bokeh/ is another good article with practical details and examples.

• Mike Johnson has an interesting essay about the entry of the term "boken" into English. He also links a list of ratings of various lenses [PDF] (unfortunately with only two examples). To emphasise the subjective and variable nature of things, the same Sonnar design Denney praises gets a 5/10 from Johnson (who I think is using a later Contax SLR version).

Examples: See http://www.rickdenney.com/bokeh_test.htm for a very thorough test of a number of different lenses and lens designs. If you want to see an example of classically "good" bokeh, his Sonnar examples are worth checking out.

Examples and links:

• http://www.rickdenney.com/bokeh_test.htm for a very thorough test of a number of different lenses and lens designs. If you want to see an example of classically "good" bokeh, his Sonnar examples are worth checking out.

• Mike Johnson has an interesting essay about the entry of the term "boken" into English. He also links a list of ratings of various lenses [PDF] (unfortunately with only two examples). To emphasise the subjective and variable nature of things, the same Sonnar design Denney praises gets a 5/10 from Johnson (who I think is using a later Contax SLR version).

On the one hand, it's quite well-understood in that cause and effect are fairly well known. On the other hand, what makes one type "good" or "bad" is (as with so many things) extremely subjective and sensitive to context.

Color: Chromatic aberrations will colour the disk; lateral chromatic aberrations will create the familiar magenta/green fringing, and longitudinal chromatic aberration will cause a slight colour cast over the entire area of the disk, which will be a different colour in front of the plane of focus than behind.

On the one hand, it's quite well-understood in that cause and effect are fairly well known. On the other hand, what makes one type "good" or "bad" is (as with so many things) extremely subjective and sensitive to context. The general consensus is that good bokeh renders a smooth background without artifacts, but like so many other things, it's possible to make a good picture with "bad" bokeh; it might even be a good picture because of 'bad' bokeh, like the examples with shaped apertures.

Color: Chromatic aberrations will colour the disk; lateral chromatic aberrations will create the familiar magenta/green fringing, and longitudinal chromatic aberration will cause a slight colour cast over the entire area of the disk, which will be a different colour in front of the plane of focus than behind.

Examples: See http://www.rickdenney.com/bokeh_test.htm for a very thorough test of a number of different lenses and lens designs. If you want to see an example of classically "good" bokeh, his Sonnar examples are worth checking out.