Ok let's get this thread started...

Here are a couple of images that I think demonstrate nice bokeh. All hosted on my flickr site (www.flickr.com/photos/woodyjnr)

Image taken on a KM5D and the lens is a Sigma 70mm f2.8 macro wide open.

Image taken on a KM5D and the lens was a Beercan wide open.

Image taken on a KM 5D and the lens used was a Minolta 35-70mm f4 also wide open.

Cheers
Andrew

Nice shots Andrew. The Rooster is the most appealing to me. I need to grab a Beercan myself.

Hi Royston, tanks for your kind words. Please feel free to post any examples you have of great bokeh- lets see what the Alpha system can do.

Andrew

Sorry too tempting to resist playing. All of these are the 50mm Macro, with exception to one that is the 135m STF.

a slice of orange in beer?

My brother in law drinks a beer called "Blue Moon" that he puts sliced orange into, similar to a lime in Corona...

Thanks for sharing these...

Hapster

Yeah a slice of lemon in beer actually. Blue Moon is good beer, I like it a lot actually.

I think I should do something with this shot, it got photo of the day at Steves and continues to get excellent praise (for which I am grateful). Just haven't decided what I'm gonna do with it yet.

I love bokeh, I'm an addict to it.

C

got the Beercan back last fall, and having recently added the Sigma 50 Macro; I find myself sometimes checking the OOF areas first instead of what I was actually aiming at... ;)

Is there a Bokeh Anonymous group starting anywhere? I gotta' get to a meeting...

Hapster

Cool idea for a thread, sort of the inverse of the usual lens discussions.."oh yeah, well my lens is way more blurry than yours :P "

A100 & Big Beercan

A100 & Beercan

A100 & Beercan with HVL56 in the red hurricane lamp at the bottom of the frame. The lights are from the Christmas tree across the room. Not even sure what kind of scary art concept I was going for here...

A700 & Beercan

A700 & Sigma 50mm 2.8 Macro

I'm a bokeh freak. This photo (not a very good photo, but pretty good bokeh) was taken with a sony/zeiss lens. Care to guess which one? *Danger, Will Robinson! It's a trick question*

Hi Daryl,

Good image with nice bokeh. As for the lens, Sony Zeiss 24-70mm? Thanks for sharing.

Andrew

This picture was taken with the above mentioned lens (new model so not even from the beercan range which I also own) on my Alpha 100 @105mm, F8 and 1/125th
Although not a spectacular photo I think this one fits in a list of photos showing Minolta's/Sony's overall image quality, even for a cheap lens.

Cheers
André

Woodyjnr, Nope. From the samples I've seen the Zeiss 24-70 can't do this kind of bokeh. I know my KM 28-75/2.8 can't. I'm not sure I understand why. I am quite sure I don't understand the physics of optics.

This lens was quite a bit less than $1700. Way, way less. (I told you it was a trick question)

*grin* anyone else?

Hi Daryl,

Fair enough, t'was a guess. You said it was a Zeiss, so that narrows it down a bit, unless that's the trick part. It's not anything like the kit lens I take it- I'd be amazed if it was- but you did say trick question.

c'mon give us a clue ;-)

Andrew

#1

Picture taken with Sony Alpha 700 Camera and Konica Minolta Maxxum 28-75mm F/2.8 Zoom Lens at 75mm focal length, F/3.5, and 1/2500 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 200. Exposure Compensation -.7. Metering Mode Center Weighted Average.

#2

Picture taken with Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Camera and Sigma APO 100-300mm F/4 EX DG Telephoto Zoom Lens at 300mm focal length, F/6.3, and 1/1000 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 200. Exposure Compensation -.7. Metering Mode Center Weighted Average.

#3

Picture taken with Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Camera and Sigma APO 100-300mm F/4 EX DG Telephoto Zoom Lens at 300mm focal length, F/4, and 1/2000 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 200. Exposure Compensation -.7. Metering Mode Center Weighted Average.

#4

Picture taken with Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Camera and Konica Minolta Maxxum 28-75mm F/2.8 Zoom Lens at 75mm focal length, F/4, and 1/1250 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 100. Exposure Compensation -.3. Metering Mode Pattern.

#5

Pale Face
Picture taken with Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Camera and Sigma APO 100-300mm F/4 EX DG Telephoto Zoom Lens at 100mm focal length, F/4, and 1/30 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 400. Exposure Compensation -.3. Metering Mode Center Weighted Average.

#6

Reflection of the Eye (1)
Picture taken with Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Camera and Minolta Maxxum 50mm F/1.7 Lens, at F/2.5 and 1/200 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 100. Metering Mode Pattern.

#7

Reflection of the Eye (2)
Picture taken with Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D Camera and Konica Minolta Maxxum 28-75mm F/2.8 Zoom Lens at 75mm focal length, F/4, and 1/250 sec exposure time. ISO speed set at 100. Metering Mode Center Weighted Average.

Wow, Nikola, just wow. I want to make photographs like that when I grow up. I particularly like that beautiful young lady and the purple blooms.

.........................

In answer to my dirty trick question, the lens is indeed Zeiss by Sony. When current it sold for about 400 bucks and came permanently attached to a Cybershot H2. Yes, a POS . . .oops, make that P&S. *grin*

My point, if there is one, has to do with how dangerous it is to isolate characteristics or specifications. We ask our lenses to do all manner of different things. How well we are satisfied really depends on whether the lens is appropriate to the task assigned.

Thanks Daryl for the complements! I'm glad you like the pictures.

Now, you say "I want to make photographs like that when I grow up." How old are you? LOL

Great shots of the young lady there, those two bottom ones excellent!!

Very interesting thread Andrew. I think it's true what you say about our access to lenses with great bokeh. I like the bokeh on the barbed wire shot and the rooster especially.

Ton of great shots here, perhaps these type of shots should be shown to people who are debating over the alpha mount vs others :-D. I think in general the price / performance ratio of alpha mount is much better than the other manufacturers as well.

impressive all of you.

Hi Nikola,

Thanks for sharing these photos, they are truly excellent. As Eric says the bottom two are very good. She will definitely appreciate these later in life! Thaks for contributing to this thread.

Thanks to everyone that has participated to the thread so far- there have been some truly stunning examples. It just goes to show how talented the Alpha shooters are ;-)

Cheers
Andrew

Very good Nikola. I like the composition of your portraits very much.

Excellent expressions that leave some intrigue trails...

Carl

A700, Sigma 70-300 Apo

PS. Background is water. Green dirty water, but the sky is reflecting in it.

on an overcast afternoon . a700. 70-300G. No PP except for cropping
1/320sec. F/5.6 ISO 400 @300mm spot metering.
Dan

Wow! Thanks to all of you and your generous comments about my photo samples for this thread. All of you also have some nice stuff that you are displaying. let's keep up the good work and finally humble some of the "High and Mighty" "Canikon" people out there. LOL

Regards,
Niko

Here's something from today, taken about an hour ago. =)

A200 + Minolta 70-210mm 'Beercan'

And one more, same camera with the Sigma 18-50mm EX F2.8:

Too creamy already? =)

Excellent shots here peeps. Hubert the image is really good. I like the border treatment too, really compliments the image. I'd never have guessed that the water is really dirty. Your image makes it look really nice and clean!

Dan, glad to see your getting on with the 70-300mm G- that's a great image, nicely captured. Pretty cool bokeh too. Keijog really like the first image. It's nice and simple yet has enough interest to keep the viewer fixed on it. The last shot does indeed have 'creamy' bokeh.

Cheers
Andrew

Cool shot and nice soft bokeh that's not distracting.
Dan

Do you own the 135 STF? Kind of a toss up for me between owning an 135 STF or CZ 135. I think I would get more use from the CZ 135.
Dan

I did own one yes. And one of the shots was taken with it (can you guess which?).

The STF is a very special purpose lens, and when you are a bokeh fanatic that really really needs the best, it is probably the best lens to get for that. Otherwise, I think the CZ is much more versatile (bigger aperture and no T-Rating consequence).

The other shots were taken with the 50mm Macro, of which I adopted as my flower portrait lens in lieu of the STF for more versatility.

Carl

Excellent series. Keep them coming.
Dan

There is a Minolta STF on Ebay but for what they are asking I would go for the new Sony STF
http://cgi.ebay.com/MINOLTA-STF-135mm-f-2-8-T4-5-Exc_W0QQitemZ1602420780...
Dan

are my favorites hapster but if I had to choose between the two it would be #4.
Dan