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Minolta love

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linadnamrebug

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Hey everyone. First post. Wanted to share my love for my minolta maxxum 50 on nex 6. Slight pp in LR 4. Took this yesterday of my daughter. Bokeh looks almost painting-like. Thoughts, criticisms appreciated. Love the forum and of course, my nex 6!!

Linad

Nex 6 Minolta maxxum 50 mm F1.4
Nex 6 Minolta maxxum 50 mm F1.4
 
D Cox said:
D Cox wrote:

That's come out well.

Somebody should market a lens with adjustable bokeh - maybe two diaphragms, or even three.
Click to expand...
Google Minolta STF

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en.wikipedia.org

Originally produced by Minolta, and currently produced by Sony, the STF 135mm f/2.8 [T4.5] is a photographic lens compatible with cameras using the Minolta AFand Sony α lens mounts. STF stands for Smooth Trans Focus, in reference to its special optical system, which is intended to smooth the transition between the plane of focus and out-of-focus areas in the image. It is not a soft-focus lens.

The STF is a manual focus-only lens, due to the use of an apodization filter that provides the high-quality bokeh effect. This lens is the only genuinely Minolta/Sony A-mount lens produced without autofocus capability. It is also the sole such lens having a manual aperture ring.

Apodization (meaning: cutting off the feet!) is a process in spatial signal processing which can enhance resolution by reducing the secondary maxima in the diffraction pattern of the lens' aperture. The STF lens features an optical apodization filter in form of a neutral-gray tinted concave lens element near the lens' diaphragm modulating the intensity profiles of the circles of confusion in such a way as to become truly Gaussian. Thereby, it is also deemed to improve the "bokeh" of the lens, that is the character of the image in the out-of-focus areas.

The lens offers two separate diaphragms; one nine-bladed circular diaphragm, controlled by the camera when the lens is set to auto mode ("A"), and one ten-bladed perfectly-circular diaphragm, which is controlled by the lens' aperture ring when set to manual settings T4.5 to T6.7.

 
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Lovely portrait of a photogenic child. You must be very proud. Wisely, you shot wide open , which is a real bokeh-machine. The colors are fantastic, too. I have a bushel of Maxxum lenses, and I must say the 50 1.4 is one of my favorites.
 
Well, maybe I just do not understand the picture, but it looks rather soft to me...
 
Rossi46 said:
Rossi46 wrote:

Well, maybe I just do not understand the picture, but it looks rather soft to me...--
Click to expand...
It should look soft. He's shooting wide open (at 1.4) at a close distance to the subject. That produces very narrow DOF. But he skillfully focused on the eyes, and they are quite sharp. Characteristically for this lens, the quality of the out-of-focus area is "dreamily" soft. That type of softness adds to the effect of the photo; it doesn't detract from it. All in all, an excellent photo with an "arty" feel.

Harry Lew
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Hi, my name is Harry John. I'm an entrepreneur (marketing consultant, writer, and editor) and amateur photographer based in New England, USA. When I'm not busy working and being a husband and Dad, I take photos. When I'm not taking photos, I think about taking photos. When I'm not thinking...
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The reality is that the image could have been shot at f4 and the image would still exhibit a similar bokeh. People seem hung up on shooting wide open but look at the DOF charts and the reality is there is not much difference between f1.4 and f4.

Subject distance 6 ft @ f4 50mm APS format
Depth of field Near limit 5.68 ft Far limit 6.36 ft Total 0.69 ft

Subject distance 6 ft @ f1.4
Depth of field Near limit 5.88 ft Far limit 6.12 ft Total 0.24 ft

The DOF difference is .45ft so less than 6" and the Bokeh is very similar. Do some shooting and you may be surprised.

I think the shot is very good..... but likely would be better if the whole face was in focus. People seem obsessed with shooting wide open for no reason. If you really want Bokeh shoot a 200mm! ;-)





The Creamy bokeh @ 200mm
The Creamy bokeh @ 200mm



The DOF allows the tree and dog to be in focus



--
RonFrank
ronfrankweb.weebly.com

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So you are interested in learning more about photography? With the age of digital photography shooting photos has never been cheaper, or easier, or more rewarding. You can be viewing a sunset at...
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Here are a couple of shots taken with my minolta 45mm f2 i picked up for $35. amazing bargain.

_DSC0761-L.jpg


_DSC0787-L.jpg




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Canon 40D. Canon 50mm f1.4, canon 135mm 2.8/soft focus, Canon 70-200 f4L, Canon 24-105L. Sony Nex-7.
 
Thanks for all the insight guys. You're right, I could have shot to at f4 with sharper results but I was trying to MAX out the bokeh qualities of this lens in the easiest way I know. Is it just me or wide open makes the subject 'glow' more if you know what I mean?
 
How is it the the apeture info is on your picture? When I use my Minolta MD lens on my Nex the camera doesn't know ( as in the Nex 7 photos shown above)
 
RonFrank said:
RonFrank wrote:

The reality is that the image could have been shot at f4 and the image would still exhibit a similar bokeh. People seem hung up on shooting wide open but look at the DOF charts and the reality is there is not much difference between f1.4 and f4.

Subject distance 6 ft @ f4 50mm APS format
Depth of field Near limit 5.68 ft Far limit 6.36 ft Total 0.69 ft

Subject distance 6 ft @ f1.4
Depth of field Near limit 5.88 ft Far limit 6.12 ft Total 0.24 ft

The DOF difference is .45ft so less than 6" and the Bokeh is very similar. Do some shooting and you may be surprised.

I think the shot is very good..... but likely would be better if the whole face was in focus. People seem obsessed with shooting wide open for no reason. If you really want Bokeh shoot a 200mm! ;-)

The Creamy bokeh @ 200mm
The Creamy bokeh @ 200mm

The DOF allows the tree and dog to be in focus

--
RonFrank
http://ronfrankweb.weebly.com/index.html
Some of my Photos
http://ronfrankweb.weebly.com/photos.html
Click to expand...
I have been guilty of this - this picture of my dog was taken at F1.7 with my 50mm MD.

 
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