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Bokeh or background blur can cost you way too much if you listen to those who treat this like a mystical , magical feature found only with those "rare" and "most sought after used lenses" they are trying to sell you. Fact: Acceptable bokeh can be and is produced with almost with any Canon Lens (even the one you have now). Chasing a lens because of its number of aperture blades touted by Guide Writers who "coincidentally" sell the the lenses the they favorably review, is one of the most common mistakes for overbidding on a used Canon Lens on eBay.
Sellers ads, guides and reviews agonize over six blades, seven blades, eight blades. Some
even take the trouble of photographing the outline of the center opening of aperture blades.
Hey that's something we all rush to take pictures of while on vacation, right? The argument is, the more blades the more rounded the circles of
confusion (called coc, rough translation, a lens on focus overload). Sounds logical, but in practice, more often than not in your photographs you won't see the distinct sides of the aperture, just a blurry "roundish" orb or these circles of confusion (coc), a component in the creation of bokeh that we show you in our pictures below using only the common 5 bladed lens.
For some inexperienced buyers, it appears to be a lot more exciting to have some one selling a lens who says; "with this lens, you will produce the best bokeh and become the envy of ......" Then when you do get their "magic" lens, it doesn't produce the results, you don't know why and you've already left glowing feedback because you believed the sales pitch and you probably blame yourself. No worries. Don't rush out and buy that "Swiss Army" bladed lens just yet. We'll show you creamy background blur with a 5 bladed kit lens. In fact, any Canon Kit lens correctly used, can produce decent bokeh!
For some inexperienced buyers, it appears to be a lot more exciting to have some one selling a lens who says; "with this lens, you will produce the best bokeh and become the envy of ......" Then when you do get their "magic" lens, it doesn't produce the results, you don't know why and you've already left glowing feedback because you believed the sales pitch and you probably blame yourself. No worries. Don't rush out and buy that "Swiss Army" bladed lens just yet. We'll show you creamy background blur with a 5 bladed kit lens. In fact, any Canon Kit lens correctly used, can produce decent bokeh!
We'll show you bokeh in this guide produced by a 5 bladed lens set at near mid aperture, of a subject taken 46 inches from the lens. You decide whether the blur is appealing. We'll explain how to use the lens you already have to maximize bokeh. You may be pleasantly surprised at results. We hope you are and that you saved money in the bargain.
The factors affecting the creation of bokeh in the examples of the pictures you see below that were taken on 8-23-08 are as follows:
1. Closeness to the subject (be as close as possible right to the closest focusing capability of your lens).....
1. Closeness to the subject (be as close as possible right to the closest focusing capability of your lens).....
2. The composition of the background behind the subject...best to shoot at a relatively neutral background like foliage rather than having a bright sky behind your subject.
3. The intensity of light behind the subject, the less the better....On this day, a normal 3PM cloudless August Afternoon with variable 15-20 MPH winds, requiring a faster shutter speed, more closed aperture and a faster ISO setting of 200, all of which are counter to producing optimum bokeh. For best results, a wide open aperture and an ISO of 100 is best, but sometimes conditions just won't cooperate.
4. Our Aperture opening, another violation due to wind...Instead of wide open at 1.8, how about 7.1? "Impossible", they say? Not so, keep reading
5. Resolution and enlargement....this was one of the keys to success. I shot using high resolution (the higher the better), the "Fine/L" setting on the XTi. I suggest, that you shoot at the highest resolution to match the number of pictures you'll be taking in relation to your memory . If you find yourself running out of memory, buy more and keep the resolution high!
7. Number of aperture blades....horrors....5. The more you have, the incrementally better perhaps, but not the order of magnitude shouted at us by the aperture blade disciples.
3. The intensity of light behind the subject, the less the better....On this day, a normal 3PM cloudless August Afternoon with variable 15-20 MPH winds, requiring a faster shutter speed, more closed aperture and a faster ISO setting of 200, all of which are counter to producing optimum bokeh. For best results, a wide open aperture and an ISO of 100 is best, but sometimes conditions just won't cooperate.
4. Our Aperture opening, another violation due to wind...Instead of wide open at 1.8, how about 7.1? "Impossible", they say? Not so, keep reading
5. Resolution and enlargement....this was one of the keys to success. I shot using high resolution (the higher the better), the "Fine/L" setting on the XTi. I suggest, that you shoot at the highest resolution to match the number of pictures you'll be taking in relation to your memory . If you find yourself running out of memory, buy more and keep the resolution high!
7. Number of aperture blades....horrors....5. The more you have, the incrementally better perhaps, but not the order of magnitude shouted at us by the aperture blade disciples.
The lens? The ultra sharp, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 MKI, one of the original kit lenses with the EOS 650 Film Camera. You can also duplicate the bokeh produced shown below with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the Canon XTi body, but I chose the 50 MKI as I was evaluating it against another lens.
Take a look at the next few pictures. Under each, you will find an eBay Picture Manager Link that will enlarge each so you can really see the components and the real evolution of bokeh picture by picture and only with a 5 bladed lens. eBay won't let us directly link to their own picture manager (which baffles many of us) , so you'll have to paste the links into your Browser' URL Box.You'll see "clearly" the step by step evolution of bokeh in a single picture.
Take a look at the next few pictures. Under each, you will find an eBay Picture Manager Link that will enlarge each so you can really see the components and the real evolution of bokeh picture by picture and only with a 5 bladed lens. eBay won't let us directly link to their own picture manager (which baffles many of us) , so you'll have to paste the links into your Browser' URL Box.You'll see "clearly" the step by step evolution of bokeh in a single picture.
To enlarge this picture, paste the link below in your browser's URL box
http://i21.ebayimg.com/02/i/001/07/6a/00c4_10.JPG
Figure One (above) This is the original uncropped picture: You'll see the beginning of the formation of groupings of COCs just in front of the tips of the 4 white arrows. In each of the pictures you will see....the evolution of bokeh creation in three separate stages as the pictures are enlarged. Further you will see that the the COCs are NOT showing as distinctly 5 sided (even though they are),
but instead blurred circles, no cleanly defined flat sides or facets showing as "the herd"
predicted! So why do we need to spend money on a lens with 6,7, or 8 aperture
blades if nearly the same can be accomplished with the lens you already own
that may only have 5? Short answer, "you don't" . If you decide on using a lens for professional portraits, Canon has specific fixed focal length lenses like the "85" designed for that task. Those specifically designed lenses in conjunction with 8 or 9 aperture blades then become a relevant factor in producing optimum bokeh.
To enlarge this picture, paste the link below in your browser's URL box
http://i2.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/07/6a/01aa_10.JPG
http://i2.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/07/6a/01aa_10.JPG
Figure Two (above), the first crop., We left out the arrows so you could enjoy the bokeh which is beginning to look like an Impressionist painting.
To enlarge this picture, paste the link below in your browser's URL box
http://i4.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/07/6a/0270_10.JPG
http://i4.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/07/6a/0270_10.JPG
Figure Three (above), the second & final crop with the diminished area of bokeh, but the arrows showing the final COC clusters and how they morphed as part of the blurred background.
I apologize for the sharpness fall off on the left wing of the Monarch. It was not the fault of the 50 MKI, but the dummy taking the picture who ignored the inner voice saying "use a tripod" and who didn't shoot completely perpendicular to the target. But the main reason for this guide is to show the progressive steps in the creation of bokeh in a normal photo with a normal 5 aperture bladed lens which was accomplished.
I hope this guide, which might have been titled, "Bokeh On The Cheap" was informative. If so, the Monarch would appreciate your checking off the "helpful" box just below (and so would I). Thanks ....Steve... Canon_Treasures
Guide created: 08/24/08 (updated 10/22/09)
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