Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The Weird & Wonky Bokeh from a 4-Blade Aperture

The Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 50mm f4.5 enlarging lens is very, very cheap.  I got it from the old Henry's Outlet store a few years ago.  Very tiny lens and very sharp, but very cheap.  It has one very unusual feature - a 4-bladed aperture which gives a squarish, rather than the normal round aperture shape.  Before I even took any pictures with it, I knew the pictures would come out unusual in the out of focus area, but it's worse.

Maple Seeds -- NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f4.5 Componar Enlarging Lens. @f5.6. Note weird squarish highlights.

The out of focus area from this lens are the most uncomfortable and unnatural I have seen.  If you think the Rollei 3-bladed Zeiss Distagon 35mm f1.4 HFT is weird, this is far worse.  I have seen some interesting bokeh from the Rollei Distagon 35mm f1.4 HFT and they actually looked pretty nice. Bokeh from this 4-blade lens reminds me of very pixelated pictures with ultra-high jpeg compression.  But, it's interesting, I must admit, and there are good things about this lens - it has nice colours and it's extremely sharp.

Pixels Everywhere - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f4.5 Componar Enlarging Lens. @f5.6.

The small maximum aperture of f4.5 is a bit of a downer, but I guess this lens was built to be cheap and small, so it make sense.  I have another version of this lens, but has circular apertures, and far better made.  Perhaps I should try that one and compare it to the 4-blade version and see how they stuck up.

Can't hide beauty - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f4.5 Componar Enlarging Lens. @f5.6.

Golden Ricksaw - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f4.5 Componar Enlarging Lens. @f5.6.


Shadows - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach 50mm f4.5 Componar Enlarging Lens. @f5.6.

11 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing and it is something I have not seen - I like Golden Richshaw and the fence / stoop pixels photo.

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  2. This pixelated effect is very funny :) I must look for one :))

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    1. Interesting, but I wouldn't using one on a regular basis. The bokeh drives me crazy.

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  3. I agree the bokeh is not for everyday, but this article on mirror lenses got me to thinking about how the unique bokeh could set photos apart - perhaps for non photographers that may not know much or care much about bokeh.

    http://www.darrencarroll.com/blog/2011/11/time-to-make-the-donuts-going-old-school-with-mirror-lenses/

    Steve

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    1. Thanks for the link! Very interesting photos with the donut bokeh. Wonder how anyone can hand hold that Zeiss 1000mm f5.6 monster!

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  4. wow, I never seen bokeh like this...
    looks weird, but cool, it's unique...

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  5. I like the bokeh, in fact I can see this having some very artistic property. You could do all the photos out-of-focus so the bokeh appears. It is analog-come-digital like you say the bokeh looks like pixelation. I'd love to find a copy of this lens so I can do this. Any suggestion other than scouring ebay?

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    1. Chester, I would be careful when looking at eBay for this lens. It has the exact same name as the circular aperture version. Same focal length, same maximum aperture of f4.5. Be sure to ask the seller if it has 4 blades or the 16-blade version. The 16-blade version has a red triangle mark on it (at least on mine). Both are componar 50mm f4.5.

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  6. Ever since I first read about this lens here, I've been trying to get it. The bokeh is so bizarrely beautiful. But I could really use some help figuring out how to get it onto my camera. I plan on getting the nex-7n when that's released, but for now I only have a 60D.

    From what I can tell, it has a flange focal distance of 43.5mm, so this probably won't work... But if you could share what gear you have between your camera and that lens, I'll try to get it onto my Canon. Or I'll just have to wait until I can copy it for my Sony. Looks like has a 25.0mm screw mount?

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    1. The 50mm f4.5 enlarging lens would not work on the Canon, if you want infinity focus, but works fine on NEX-3/5/6/7 cameras and that's how I use mine. I put the enlarging lens on a 18-33mm focusing helicoid and it is able to focus to infinity. You will need a way to mount the lens to the helicoid. I used a bunch of filter rings for this. Good luck!

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