"Background de-focus"

Jaffster

Jaffster

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I caught the advert for the new Sony 'bridge' camera - it marketed the product as having a 'DSLR sized sensor with the size of a compact' and has interchangeable lenses.

It then lists one of it's main features as 'background de-focus'. :cuckoo:

I'm not following at all! Is this a dumbed down term of having some wide aperture lenses producing the desired look or does the camera actually emulate this?

I was approached by a bride that I did a wedding for last month who asked if I could 'blur some of the backgrounds' on the images that I provided. Is the likes of this advert to blame for this? Does she think that I photoshopped the blurred backgrounds into the shots?
 
I am often amazed at technology and I think this is actually quite clever. For me the thing to worry about is the final result, if you like it how much of the technical stuff really matters? Sure consumer cameras are giving everyone the facilities that pros dreamt of years ago but that's why personal style is more important now than ever before. Me I'm still trying to find mine!
 
Strappy said:
Interesting. How different is this software solution to the old hardware fix of having de-focus control on a portrait lens? IIRC both Canon and Nikon produced lenses that allowed you to control the amount of bokeh.
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Not exactly. Soft focus lenses, if that's what you're on about, introduce measured amounts of spherical aberration to achieve their effect.

The result is rather like adding a layer that's been blurred in Photoshop with some level of transparency. You retain sharp focus where it would normally be found, but with a soft glow around.
 
Strappy said:
Another question; what's the point of developing your own personal style if a customer is going to ask you to change it in post anyway?
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This is true, however if you are booking clients surely they will have seen your work and your style and this is what attracted them to you. Up to the photographer if they wish give up on personal style to accomodate the client but in my humble opinion it is not a way to move forward...
 
I simply look on advances such as "De focus", as a natural progression in the development of equipment. Imagine the reaction of some photographers to the first SLR, in camera metering, zoom lenses, and with DSLRs the advent of incredible ISO levels way beyond 12800.
If it enables more people to get interested in photography and makes them happy, then that has to be a good thing.
 
Not really for me, but I ain't knocking it.

I wonder whether you could enter certain photo competitions with a photo taken with this feature enabled... does it count as post processing?
 
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Musicman said:
Soft focus lenses, if that's what you're on about ...
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No, not soft focus. It's an additional control on Nikon portrait lenses (105mm & 135mm). The link goes to a page that describes it. I haven't found a Canon equivalent but that's not to say there aren't any other examples.
 
Strappy said:
No, not soft focus. It's an additional control on Nikon portrait lenses (105mm & 135mm). The link goes to a page that describes it. I haven't found a Canon equivalent but that's not to say there aren't any other examples.
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your link said:
DC, Defocus Control, allows you to control the spherical aberration of the lens. Usually aberrations are not something you want in your lens but sometimes they can give effects that are desireable. In this case they can give softer or harder out of focus effects or when extreme a soft focus effect, similar to what you get with some filters.
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The Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 With Softfocus does the same thing
 
Strappy said:
No, not soft focus. It's an additional control on Nikon portrait lenses (105mm & 135mm). The link goes to a page that describes it. I haven't found a Canon equivalent but that's not to say there aren't any other examples.
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As Rob says your link is to 'soft focus' lenses.

As an upgrade from large aperture/shallow DoF, selective focus can be controlled with tilt/shift, either in a large format camera with movements or by using specialist lenses; Canon, Nikon.
 
Phil V said:
As Rob says your link is to 'soft focus' lenses.
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I'm confused. Here's what Cuddly Uncle Ken says about the DC lenses and this review is clear that the effect applies to foreground and background blur rather than soft focus on the subject.

The original link I posted also refers to this, my emphasis below.

DC, Defocus Control, allows you to control the spherical aberration of the lens. Usually aberrations are not something you want in your lens but sometimes they can give effects that are desireable. In this case they can give softer or harder out of focus effects or when extreme a soft focus effect, similar to what you get with some filters.
Click to expand...
I understand that tilt/shift lenses can be used to change the focus plane but that's different to modifying the extent of OOF blur, isn't it?
 
Strappy said:
I'm confused. Here's what Cuddly Uncle Ken says about the DC lenses and this review is clear that the effect applies to foreground and background blur rather than soft focus on the subject.

The original link I posted also refers to this, my emphasis below.


I understand that tilt/shift lenses can be used to change the focus plane but that's different to modifying the extent of OOF blur, isn't it?
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Forgive me, I was thrown by the comparison the Canon 135SF in the opening paragraph which I owned.

Canon don't have an equivalent of this lens, it's an interesting concept but I'd like to see real world examples with proper sized subjects, clearly soft toys nearby are a completely different subject to people.
 
My fault, I wasn't specific about what I meant in my first posting and that clouded the question (or put it into soft-focus ;)). It's only after I did some more reading around that I knew what I should have put in the first place.
 
People that buy photos and consumer-level cameras know that what camera geeks call 'bokeh' or whatever, looks good in some situations. They neither know nor care if it is the product of the lens or processing.

You think Sony et al are going to start using the term 'bokeh' term in advertising blurb? Is there another term that easily describes the effect?
 
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