[Leica] Fuji X 100 versus Leica M9

[jon.streeter at cox.net (jon.streeter)]

Your credentials are impressive.  They give your opinion extra weight, of 
course.  After all, people have paid you for your work.  I would offer the 
observation that Van Gogh did not sell a single painting, but his work, 
nonetheless, is highly prized.  Atget's photographs were discovered after 
his death, if I recall correctly.    

Bokeh is something I've been aware of since early on.  I certainly noticed 
the lack of it with my Nikon lenses after selling my M3.  I can recall to 
mind a number of my photographs I love partly because of the bokeh, 
portraits with the sun turning a backlit tree into a jewel box for a 
background, another portrait with out-of-focus highlights from the knobs on 
a fifties-era stove in the background, and others.  

Since bokeh can't be accurately previewed with a rangefinder, one uses one's 
imagination.  People, oh, like me, for example, who are enamored of 
beautiful bokeh, can also shoot for composition, timing, subject, color, 
contrast, juxtaposition of diverse but dramatic elements, and whatever else 
makes a shot.  Imagine two photographs identical (as in "identical") in 
every way except bokeh.  Are we to assume nobody would spot the difference?  
Perhaps some would, but they would simply shrug and say, it's not important; 
I'll buy the one with the ugly bokeh?  That the photographer would tell his 
clients and post in his bio that he's never noticed the difference so he 
bought the lenses with ugly bokeh because he figured nobody would care, and, 
besides, they were cheaper?  That even though the raison d'etre of a 
photograph is to be looked AT, it doesn't really matter what it looks LIKE?

My apologies for bringing up the ugly "b" word.  It is not my intention to 
be the agent of another's distress.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

----- Reply message -----
From: "Bill Pearce" <billcpearce at cox.net>
To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
Subject: [Leica] Fuji X 100 versus Leica M9
Date: Wed, Nov 28, 2012 2:29 pm


I'm with Dr. Ted. I've been shooting since the late sixties, mostly 
professionally, and never thought about that. I could see examples before I 
knew what it was where really bad Bokeh was disturbing, but that wasn't very 
often and I didn't loose sleep. I have been told that Nikon has a big 
problem with Bokeh, and I sure shot a lot of stuff for pay with those bad 
nikkors, and heard no complaints.

-----Original Message----- From: tedgrant at shaw.ca
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2012 1:37 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Fuji X 100 versus Leica M9

"BOKEH?" Every time this word / effect raises it's head on the LUG I never
even knew the word nor what it meant for at least the first 50 years of
shooting. :-)

Then I joined the LUG  and one day it raised it's ugly little head and of
course went on for days, good, bad and ugly! :-) Meanwhile I'm wondering
"what the hell are these guys talking about?"  Then I was informed it was
all about the background out of focus effect! And where had I been for my
first 50 years not knowing this?

Well heck my answer was quite simple. :-) I  always shot for the maximum
impact of the subject as that was always what I thought was most important.
Surprise! One day I was told .... "No the Bokeh is just as important as it
helps the subject look better!"

Me?  "Really?"  So what the hell have I been doing wrong and successfully
for 50 years and never knew the word existed?   The effect? "Yes." But it
just never mattered!

Oh well the usual thing. Different effects for different folks. :-)

Although I now admit I am aware of it in how it separates details in some
situations.   BUT? Do I pay attention to it as I'm shooting? Never enters my
mind! Only on days like this when once a again the "ugly" ;-) little word
appears on my screen and I sigh and delete! ;-) "Have a nice Bokeh day
lads!" :-)

cheers,
Dr. ted :-)


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