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RE: [OM] ADITL2

Subject: RE: [OM] ADITL2
From: Olaf Greve <Ogreve@xxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 12:21:25 +0100
Hi,

> I would vote Bokeh because I never worked deliberately with that idea.
> A short description of what Bokeh is would help.

In my own words: Bokeh basically comes down to the way the out of focus
parts of a picture are rendered. This is just a one-line description though,
and probably it's not complete/accurate. Typically a "good bokeh" lens would
nicely isolate the subject from the background by rendering the subject tack
sharp and the background very smoothly blurred, whereas a "bad bokeh" lens
would have a very disturbing background with odd distracting shapes, often
taking the shape of the diafragm. Either way, from what I've understood the
amount of blades of the diafragm is one of the factors that determines the
shape of the out of focus objects...

A while ago a URL was posted on which an article appeared describing some
further factors which apparently determine whether a lens has good or bad
bokeh, so just doing a diafragm blade count will most likely not be
sufficient.

Unfortunaly I have not kept the messages belonging to the bokeh threads that
went around on the list a few months ago, but there were some lenses that
came out as having good bokeh, and at least one that has (reputedly) bad
bokeh.

Bad:
---
-50/3.5 Macro (check: http://student.ucr.edu/~siddim01/BADBOKEHBELLS.JPG )

Good:
----
-180/2 (check Giles' great shot of a bride at: 
http://www.taiga.ca/~gallery/subpages/stewart/bride.html for an excellent
example) 
-100/2 (check: http://members.xoom.com/olaf_greve/ojg_holl11.html ) 
-135/2.8
-Probably all the really expensive Zuiko telephoto lenses (180/2.8, 250/2,
350/2.8 - not certain though)???

> Or do we just make images with out of focus backgrounds?

That would be your typical "bokeh" shot :)

> Would some of us be at a disadvantage if we did not have those lenses
> which produce the best bokeh?

Maybe, but some shots on the ADITL2 page clearly show that even with some
50mm lenses you can obtain good bokeh, I noticed that there were two shots
taken with the 50/1.4 which have nice bokeh, a coincidence? Also, the
Monarch shot taken with the 50/1.8 + close-up lenses has lovely bokeh.

I have to admit though that that expensive sucker that I bought recently
(i.e. the 100/2) is certainly delivering value for money, and it's probably
the best "good bokeh" lens I have; I think the 135/2.8 would be my second
best "good bokeh" lens...

> As for self portraits, most of us have or will post a photo of ourselves
> on a web site of our work at some time.

Hmmm, so far I've deliberately refrained from doing so, but who knows, maybe
I'll get a good shot of myself _someday_ and even put it up in my gallery
(NOT) :)))

> So unless we have some way of applying unique or interesting techniques it
> would not be a great theme.  IMHO.

Exactly, photographically spoken it will probably not be the most
interesting theme, but maybe if we all use our creative minds we can come up
with some good ideas for making the compositions interesting.

> Also it would not be ADITL unless it was taken on THE day with all
> submissions doing what they did on THE day.

Yes, but isn't that the whole idea behind ADITL?

> Actually, the more I think of it I feel that ADITL should be done every
> six months and a themed gallery submission on other occasions.

Yikes! Then we would have to wait 5 more months till the next one, whereas I
was hoping we could already get on the next mission in one month from now...

> YMMV

In this case it certainly does :)

Cheers!
Olafo

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