Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/02

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Bokeh is nonsense!!!
From: Mark Rabiner <mark@markrabiner.com>
Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2002 07:47:51 -0800
References: <SIMEON.10201020506.A@sova-walt.unt.edu>

I don't understand the big problem with this.
Like i said yesterday Bokeh is the quality of the out of focus image.
Usually the background.
It is not a newly discovered metaphysical phenomenon that you have to
think happy thoughts to see.
It is a simple fact of lens life.
Unless you shoot everything at f16 with a wide angle lens not all of
your image is going to be in focus.

When we look at the picture we are mainly of course interested in the
sharp foreground.
But the blurry bunchy background is certainly there and it is far from
probable that it can be ignored.

Not that it needs to be dwelled on though. But it is to me an obvious
indicator of a less well designed lens.

A better designed lens will have a smoother look to the way the image
breaks apart when it falls out of focus.
A worse designed lens will give a bunchy distorted quality to that out
of focus background image.

Now it is surprising that no one thought twice about the quality of
their out of focus backgrounds all this time until quite recently.
Most of us more experienced shooters and lens testers did not have this
in our frame of reference. It was just not a consideration.
But now it has been brought to our attention.
And you could say we were caught with our pants down but many of us
don't feel threatened by it because we are not the only ones who missed it.

It's not a Leica phenomena as Mister Ting suggests. Part of some Leica
hype. It's just a major component of what makes ANY lens worthy of use
or non use.

Especially to people who tend to shoot wide open a good deal of the
time. The majority of your image is out of focus only a small area is sharp.
Why would you ignore the quality of the major area of your image?

A few years ago from what i can gather both Ted and Erwin did not have
this concept as part of there spheres of reference...
...The quality of the out of focus image.
But these guys from there separate spheres of reference both have this
concept incorporated into their thinking NOW.

To me it's a Gestalt thing. 
	A figure-ground thing.
There ain't no figure with out there being a ground.
Sometimes you have to pay attention to the ground.


Mark Rabiner
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.markrabiner.com
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In reply to: Message from Walter S Delesandri <walt@jove.acs.unt.edu> (Re: [Leica] Bokeh is nonsense!!!)