philip_pj wrote:
As I post this one to illustrate 'structure retention' in bokeh, I wondered how the sample lenses here would capture this scene. There will be compositions that suit all or none of them, and a whole spectrum in-between. Very dependent on the comp. This one would be poorer if the background was significantly blurred, to my tastes.
Here's an example of a background that's still clearly visible (an old positive scan of an analog shot with the Sonnar 4/150), but (unlike the example you posted) not distracting. One reason for this is that the bokeh does not have a more pronounced contrast than the main subject, which unfortunately seems to be the case in your example. Since the color contrast in the bokeh in your example is just as high as that of the focused main subject, the overall effect of the image is further worsened in the picture shown, as the result is simply a wild, overlapping jumble of many individual subjects. This causes the eye to constantly scan the entire scene and fail to focus on the unfortunately rather jagged skin subject. In other words: This type and intensity of bokeh simply doesn't suit the photographed arrangement in my opinion, unless, of course, you prefer not to look at images in their entirety, but rather to immerse yourself in the bokeh and become intoxicated by it, with it having exactly the degree of blur and contrast that suits you personally.
