Author Topic: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?  (Read 15013 times)

turnschuh

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6
  • You ARE NikonGear
cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« on: May 09, 2016, 21:25:32 »
Hey,

im looking to get a wide-ish lens for my d7100. I usually use 50mm or more so even there is a big difference between 20mm and 28mm for me its not so mutch.
What is important for me is creamy bokeh like the 58mm 1.4, tamron 60mm or sony SFT 135mm

what lens in the range 20-35 would give me the creamiest bokeh below $1000?

Airy

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 2609
    • My pics repository
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2016, 21:28:31 »
check the Sigma 24/1.4
Airy Magnien

David H. Hartman

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2783
  • I Doctor Photographs... :)
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2016, 23:37:08 »
For DX 20mm isn't that wide so I'd go for the AF-S 20/1.8G ED Nikkor if sticking to Nikon's offerings. If you have megapixels to spare one can shoot a bit loose and crop in post. This works for FX as well as DX.

I'm finding the flare and ghost issues aren't bad with the 20/1.8 and I have no complaints with the bokeh either. It goes without saying that the lens is sharp so a 0.8x crop is no big deal for a moderately high MP camera.

Dave

The only lens in the group you asked about that I own is the 20/1.8G. I'm very pleased with this lens.
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Oh no, must be the season of the witch!

Bjørn Rørslett

  • Fierce Bear of the North
  • Administrator
  • ***
  • Posts: 8252
  • Oslo, Norway
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2016, 00:05:49 »
"Creamy bokeh" and wide angle lenses are incompatible conditions. A wide angle has small circles of confusion and only for very large apertures and focused in the near range can you have any truly smooth bokeh.

Airy

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 2609
    • My pics repository
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2016, 00:13:53 »
Yes, something like that maybe :
Airy Magnien

Roland Vink

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1525
  • Nikon Nerd from New Zealand
    • Nikon Database
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2016, 02:25:08 »
"Creamy bokeh" and wide angle lenses are incompatible conditions. A wide angle has small circles of confusion and only for very large apertures and focused in the near range can you have any truly smooth bokeh.
I think the OP is really asking about the quality of the bokeh - do the background blurs have soft edges which blend together in a smooth "creamy" way? Or do the blurs have hard edges giving busy, nervous or double-line blurs in the background?

As far as I know, most of the recent wide primes have fairly smooth bokeh, the picture above is a good example...

David H. Hartman

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2783
  • I Doctor Photographs... :)
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2016, 08:02:47 »
When the background is well outside the DoF zone the size of the blur circles is dependent on the physical size of the aperture not the aperture ratio. This puts the DX format at a disadvantage to FX and larger formats.

Bokeh as I understand the word refers to the quality of the blur rather than the quality or size of the blur. Bab Atkins Photography has article on this on his website. There is also a blur calcultor offered for download but l've never gotten it to work on Windows 7. There was a Russian guy with very detail math to support this. I'll get his name when I get home. I don't think the article is on the web at this time.

Dave
Beatniks are out to make it rich
Oh no, must be the season of the witch!

turnschuh

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6
  • You ARE NikonGear
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2016, 10:18:41 »
many thanks for the input so far, I know this is a difficult topic because bokeh is very unspecific. Basically I want it to have smooth when focusing close/mid range.
What lens is the picture above?

currently im torn between the nikon 24mm 1.8, the sigma wich was mentioned above and the tamron 35mm.

When reading reviews the information about bokeh differs from site to site. eg. some say the sigma bokeh is harsh others say its smooth.
So im realy lost. Maybe it doesnt matter mutch and they all produce about the same?

Then it would be to decide between 1.4/660g (sigma) vs 1.8/330g (nikon)?

Roland Vink

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1525
  • Nikon Nerd from New Zealand
    • Nikon Database
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2016, 11:29:47 »
A lot of reviewers say rounded aperture blades on a lens will give good bokeh. That's largely false, a rounded aperture opening will produce round blur circles rather than polygonal (which is preferable), but it has no effect on how smoothly those blur circles blend together. The latter quality is really much more important. So discount any reviews which base their assessment purely on the shape of the aperture.

Most reviews which explore bokeh further usually do so only at close range, where the background blur circles are largest, and usually looks smoothest. That is only of limited use since most pictures are taken at medium-far distances. At far distance the DOF of a wide lens may extend to infinity so bokeh is not relevant (except in the foreground). At medium distances the DOF can still be surprisingly small, especially when the image is viewed large, so bokeh is still a very important part of the picture. In my experience this is the region where many lenses struggle.

This is why comments on bokeh vary so much.

For what it's worth, the Sigma 35/1.4 is known for being very sharp, but the bokeh is rather harsh. In contrast the Nikon AFS 35/1.4 is not as sharp but produces a more pleasing "rounded" image. I suspect the same is true of the Sigma 24/1.4 vs the Nikon 24mm. But note I have no direct experience with any...

Is it possible to go to a shop and try the lenses you are interested in? Ultimately you are the best judge of which lens performs to your liking.

Airy

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 2609
    • My pics repository
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2016, 11:54:22 »
many thanks for the input so far, I know this is a difficult topic because bokeh is very unspecific. Basically I want it to have smooth when focusing close/mid range.
What lens is the picture above?
The Sigma 24/1.4, which is fine except the weight...
Airy Magnien

Akira

  • Homo jezoensis
  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 12526
  • Tokyo, Japan
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2016, 12:10:06 »
My newly purchased 24/1.8G is currently at Nikon service (to re-adjust the focusing mechanism).  So these are the only examples I can share now.

Both are shot with an FX body (D750).  The Rhododendron image was shot at f4.0 (not trimmed), and the net fence, wide open (only so slightly trimmed to adjust the level).

If you are particular about bokeh, and only need a wide"-ish" lens on FX, I would go for the 24/1.8G, simply because its DOF is thinner than that of 20/1.8G.  Both 20/1.8G and 24/1.8G weigh 355g, not 330g (just to nitpick).
"The eye is blind if the mind is absent." - Confucius

"Limitation is inspiration." - Akira

John Geerts

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 9145
  • Photojournalist in Tilburg, Netherlands
    • Tilburgers
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #11 on: May 10, 2016, 13:41:39 »
Two examples of the 28/1.8 G

The first one wide open, the second at 2.8


turnschuh

  • NG Member
  • *
  • Posts: 6
  • You ARE NikonGear
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2016, 16:13:12 »
Ill check into the 28mm! At least it has more reviews then the new 24mm 1.8

Its a strange Focal lengh so I didnt check it out mutch, on DX it would be 42mm instead of 35mm for the 24mm 1.8?
I gotta test that on my zoom how it feals.

John Geerts

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 9145
  • Photojournalist in Tilburg, Netherlands
    • Tilburgers
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #13 on: May 10, 2016, 17:27:41 »
Oh yes, forgot to mention, both on FX. First one with D700, second with D800E.

armando_m

  • NG Supporter
  • **
  • Posts: 3545
  • Guadalajara México
    • http://armando-m.smugmug.com/
Re: cream bokeh Nikon 20mm 1.8 vs 24mm 1.8 or 28mm 1.8?
« Reply #14 on: May 10, 2016, 18:03:04 »
20mm f1.8 focused very close



Armando Morales
D800, Nikon 1 V1, Fuji X-T3