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32mm @ f/1.4 + CPL - Birds & Bees (PICS)

Started Sep 27, 2018 | Discussions thread
Marco Nero
OP Marco Nero Veteran Member • Posts: 7,582
Re: About that Bokeh
2

Photato wrote:

Marco Nero wrote:

Photato wrote:

The sharpness looks good but unfortunately the Bokeh is some shots looks messy, like in the first sample and some others.

Local gardens on my street. I was able to blow the background out much more than this by getting closer to the flower ...but this shot was visually more interesting to me.

I think it has to do with this lens not having rounded blades but instead a 7 blade diaphragm, an heptagon aperture. Similar to EF- M-22mm lens 7 blades.
Ironically, some smartphones have better bokeh than this given the perfectly rounded edge aperture (a simple metal ring with no moving parts).

The bokeh produced by modern smart-phones (eg iPhone7+) is completely artificial.  It's generated inside the camera's processor and they can even feed real-time fake-DOF to the display prior to the images being taken.

I guess for the intended market this 32mm lens is not bad, every other aspects like vignetting, sharpness and chromatic aberrations seem to be very good though.

But the bokeh is meh. IMO

I've bought quite a number of my EF lenses for their bokeh, including the 24L, 50L, 85L, 100L, 135L and 100-400L II lenses from the EF family.  These lenses all excel with their ability to generate bokeh and to present it in a predictable and pleasing manner.
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I think the bokeh from this lens (EF 32mm f/1.4 STM) is excellent for the focal length and aperture.  I would have preferred a 9-blade iris like the EF lenses have... but the aperture is still f/1.4 and it's pretty darned sharp even when wide open.  It's presenting precisely the amount of bokeh that we predicted this lens would produce.  But that's not the reason to consider buying or using this lens... the usefulness in very low light is where it comes alive.  This is a bright lens.  It was designed to be versatile in lowlight and the bokeh (which I find to be 'just right' for this lens) is simply a beneficial side-effect from the lens design and aperture range.  I presume you'll be skipping this lens if you don't like it.

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Regards,
Marco Nero.

 Marco Nero's gear list:Marco Nero's gear list
Canon EOS M6 Canon EOS Ra Canon EOS R6 Canon EF-M 32mm F1.4 Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM +20 more
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