Bokeh

A Japanese term used in photography, bokeh is the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of an image projected by a camera lens. For example, in some images the background may be deliberately caused to be out-of-focus to reduce distractions and to emphasize the primary subject. Some lenses are thought to produce more pleasing out-of-focus areas that enhance the over-all quality of the image. Bokeh is a quite subjective quality that is difficult to quantify and is sometimes debated.

Bokeh characteristics are primarily determined by the circle of confusion. In out-of-focus areas, each point of light is instead a disc. In some lenses, that disc is uniformly illuminated, for others it is brighter near the edge, and for others it is brighter near the center. Some lenses show one kind of disc for out-of-focus points closer to the camera, and a different kind for points far from the camera.

The characteristics of a lens that cause it to produce pleasing bokeh are not fully understood. Generally lenses with more blades in the diaphragm tend to produce more pleasing bokeh, however this isn't always the case. Zoom lenses often have poor bokeh but again, this isn't always the case. Pleasing bokeh is often very important for a portrait lens (medium telephoto) because the photographer very often selects a shallow depth of field to make the subject stand out.

See also: depth of field.

External link

• Bokeh explained by Harold Merklinger