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About that Bokeh (Another FF/m43 comparison)

Started Sep 15, 2015 | Discussions thread
Jim Salvas
Jim Salvas Veteran Member • Posts: 5,671
Sometimes you want it, most times you don't
2

At least this is my experience.

For instance, I shoot lots of portraits and headshots. You'd think I go ga-ga for bokeh, but instead, I take care to get enough DOF to keep the whole head in focus. On m43, this means stopping down to at least f/2.8 and more commonly to f/4 on my 75mm lens.

Then, there are landscapes, where I usually want as much DOF as I can get without encountering loss of sharpness due to diffraction. The m43 format gives me an edge here, too. I'll admit to sometimes lusting after more and larger pixels for landscapes, but that's not bokeh-related.

And then, there is product photography and macros. Nope, don't need no bokeh here. I need lots of DOF and I'm anxiously awaiting even more, thanks to the new focus stacking and bracketing features of the pending firmware update.

I don't shoot sports or wildlife, so maybe bokeh is useful there. But again, I suspect its pictorial advantages are outweighed by the simple need to keep the subject in focus.

So, where do I want bokeh? Sometimes I'm lazy and don't arrange for a pleasing background for a portrait. Give me that bokeh crutch. But I'm not usually that lazy.

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Jim Salvas
"You miss 100% of the shots you never take." - Wayne Gretzky

 Jim Salvas's gear list:Jim Salvas's gear list
Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus E-M1 Olympus PEN-F Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 II R Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm F4-5.6 R +11 more
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