likalar Posted February 8, 2010 Share #1 Posted February 8, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) I don't read too much about camera gear, and had never even heard of "bokeh" until very recently (mostly on these forums). For years we had "shallow depth of field" and other terms for what I think bokey partly is about. I was surprised to find that I even own the "Bokeh King", which makes me wonder which lens is the Queen. I have access to 3 different 35mm Summicrons, and 2 different 50mm Summicrons. so I got curious enough to take a closer look, to see if the bokey is similar among these lenses. Enclosed are test photos I did this morning; M9 tabletop tripod-mounted camera moved as little as possible, all @ f:2.0, all focused approx. 28", all glass filters removed, no adjustments, no cropping. The daylight changed often because of variable clouds, so don't judge the color, exposure, etc. I focused on the small child's face casting. The far corner window vertical lines are approx. 11' away from camera. In order of appearance, with type and build dates, when possible: A. 35mm serial # 25406** type 3 1972 B. 35mm 35222** type 4 1990 C. 35mm 40016** current ASPH D. 50mm 24334** 1970 3rd version E. 50mm 37561** current 4th version I'm posting this because it may help people on these forums understand shallow depth of field at close range when using these particular Summicron versions wide open. It seems all these versions are very good lenses, and the differences in "bokey" are minimal. The older 50mm has softer backgrounds than the current one, but the rest are comparable, IMO. Okay, enough of this; I'm putting bokey out of my mind forever. I'm done! I'm taking the dog and an M to the beach! ;-) Larry Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/112051-bokeh-shmokeh-summicron-test/?do=findComment&comment=1218095'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 8, 2010 Posted February 8, 2010 Hi likalar, Take a look here Bokeh Shmokeh Summicron test. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
likalar Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share #2 Posted February 8, 2010 A picture of the tested lenses and set-up. Larry Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/112051-bokeh-shmokeh-summicron-test/?do=findComment&comment=1218206'>More sharing options...
yanidel Posted February 8, 2010 Share #3 Posted February 8, 2010 What a lens line-up, lucky you !! I think that in order to clearly see differences, a more busy background would be needed with shiny and colorful objects placed at various distances. Plants, jewerly, kitchen ware, stuff like that are great to assess bokeh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
likalar Posted February 8, 2010 Author Share #4 Posted February 8, 2010 What a lens line-up, lucky you !! I think that in order to clearly see differences, a more busy background would be needed with shiny and colorful objects placed at various distances. Plants, jewerly, kitchen ware, stuff like that are great to assess bokeh I should have included more objects like that. Think of this more as a comparison of rendering of non-highlight objects in backgrounds at close-focus distances. Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheewai_m6 Posted February 8, 2010 Share #5 Posted February 8, 2010 likalar. would it be possible for you to do more tests? i really appreciate what you've done. i've got the 3rd version 35mm summicron and 3rd version 50mm summicron. i'm not a huge fan on the 35mm, but quite a big fan on the 50. something with the background that yanidel suggested? thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbertoDeRoma Posted February 9, 2010 Share #6 Posted February 9, 2010 Cool test. Thanks. More importantly, by looking at the S/Ns, I know now that my $550 wunder-50mm 'cron is a series III :-). You saved me a bunch of homework and websearching. Thanks! Alberto Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
likalar Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share #7 Posted February 9, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) likalar. would it be possible for you to do more tests? i really appreciate what you've done. i've got the 3rd version 35mm summicron and 3rd version 50mm summicron. i'm not a huge fan on the 35mm, but quite a big fan on the 50. something with the background that yanidel suggested? thanks. You mean plants, jewelry and kitchenware? I don't have any plants or jewelry, and would never consider shooting in the kitchen, but maybe....... Just kidding. When I get a chance, I'll maybe shoot some more tests, but realistically, I'll never duplicate the backgrounds you'll encounter on your own. Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWW Posted February 9, 2010 Share #8 Posted February 9, 2010 From what I've read and from my own experience with the 35 cron V4, the good bokeh is not wide open but closed down a bit f2.8-5.6. Much depends on the background however. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_R Posted February 9, 2010 Share #9 Posted February 9, 2010 good bokeh is.. There were so many discussions what is good bokeh... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanidel Posted February 9, 2010 Share #10 Posted February 9, 2010 I have done a similar comparison in the past between 35mm Cron IV and 35mm Lux Asph. What I found is you will only get significant differences at F1.4 (obviously) and F2. From F2.8, bokeh gets pretty much the same, the only real difference I could see was in color rendition. But compare them at F2 and the Lux Asph is smoother while the Cron IV shows a somewhat fuzzy bokeh. Both are nice IMO (but that is subjective) and it really depends on what part you want the bokeh to play on a specific shots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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