The good folks at Serious Compacts have tested the Panasonic LX3 against the Samsung EX1/TL500 in terms of bokeh, or out-of-focus blur (to define it in a bit simplistic way). I couldn't help thinking that perhaps it would be more worthwhile to search for better photographs than for better bokeh, but who am I to say to anyone else what to do.
In any case, I'm as fond of using out-of-focus blur as anyone else, to the degree a small-sensor compact such as the LX3 can do it. Here are three examples from today, in each of which bokeh is used in a bit different manner.
In fact, in the last photograph you may say that it would be better to have everything in sharp focus. There is a part of image where the bokeh is quite strong but it may be difficult even to notice it is there.
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Men's room
8 hours ago
4 comments:
A small-sensor compact like the LX3 can get better bokeh when in macro mode.
However, it would be nice to be able to do it any time… F1.4 style :)
But then, one of the things I enjoy about using a compact is the challenge to try to make it do what a DSRL or a fancy lens does or even more. As a programmer I sure enjoy using chdk and languages such as C and Lua to make my compact do cool things. That's where the fun is :)
BTW, photograph #1 was my favorite. I like the bokeh there. Nice shot!
You sure push the LX3 to the limit.
Art
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Well, a compact and a DSLR are two different things.
I'm starting to think that there are advantages to the compacts, although the "DSLR look" dominates the aesthetics of photography.
Juha, point taken about better photographs :-D. LX3 bokeh looks very nice in your berry photo, which is a good example of why I always use comparative photos when I'm trying to make any point about bokeh. Any lens can be made to look good or bad unless there is another lens for comparison.
@Amin: Thanks for commenting. Indeed, when testing cameras, it is necessary to have a controlled environment.
However, your suggestion that it is possible that any lens can be made to look good deserves some thinking. Perhaps there are lenses which never look good, and some which always look good.
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