Chasing bokeh: Fuji 50/2

John Gellings wrote:

Truman Prevatt wrote:

John Gellings wrote:

deednets wrote:

What's your take on this lens compared to the usual suspects?

I've used more than a few Leica, Zeiss, and Voigtlander lenses... and I think the 50mm F2 is right up there.

Leica has multiple versions of their lenses released over time. As far a rendering - they are not all the same. The rendering of the modern M 50 crones are different than the older M50 crones. If the 50 f2 can be is compared to an M50 it is the latest one.

Well, yeah... I never said anything about that. I've used older Leica lenses and newer ones... I still stand by the fact that the Fujifilm 50mm F2 is a very good lens that is up there with the best of them. I'm not talking specifically about Bokeh though... it's a parlor trick.

Boken belongs on the sheet of art critics terms. It is an element of photography that describes the emotional impact of the rendering of the image. It is no different than how a painter isolates his subject while providing context in the back ground.

Bokeh is a hot topic now... some people only care about this and not about making compelling photos.

Bokeh has been a hot topic off and on even before it had a name. It is a tool that can be used to effect. In general if some one notices the background then it is bad Bokeh and if they only see the main subject of the scene it is good Bokeh.

I look at how well a lens can smooth out and reduce local constrast changes in out of focus areas. Some are better than others.

Some of the earlier Leica M's have much better bokeh than the current version in my view.

Maybe, maybe not... it is all image dependent.