Quote:
Originally Posted by ELAY
Outstanding.
I have to say that the whole longer focal length=better bokeh thing has always puzzled me. For me, I think of bokeh quality improving as the ratio of camera distance to subject/subject distance to background decreases (ie. if I am one foot from the subject, a and the subject is ten feet from the background, I get better bokeh than the reverse). I sort of get that a longer focal length will have a foreshortening effect, but if it entails backing off at all for framing it seems to me that you are going to be upsetting the ratio. Not such an issue for macro photography where you typically aren't going to be backing out, but it is an issue for portrait photography where you wander around a bit. Hmmm.
The only thing I would add to the above is a small point re points of light bokeh. If you shoot with your lens wide open (smallest f/stop), you lose the geometric shapes on points of light created by your aperture blades, and get a circle (because your blades are out of the way).
EL
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Elay -- I'm glad you liked it.
Your observations are important ones, too. This is definitely a limited tutorial which applies most directly to macro. Portrait photography has it's own unique set of issues.
The whole focal length thing may not hold up in all situations, but if I'm 1 foot from a subject which is 10 feet from it's background and I shoot from that same spot with a 55m vs a 105mm, I think I will usually get better bokeh with the 105mm. It may not be a fair comparison, however, because if you had the 55mm you may just move closer.
Thanks for the addition about points of light becoming more pleasing circles at wider apertures. I had not realized that, and it would be important when shooting portraits.
