DIY bokeh

[aey2jey]

hey guys,

i've read online about the diy bokeh and tried to do it myself, but the photo didnt come out as expected. i took photos of some flats and streetlights at night and although the heart shapes did come out, it was very blur. can someone please enlighten me?
and since it on manual focus, how do i take a sharp picture?

 

[coolin]

if you want them to be obvious , try shooting a lights. you can still use autofocus , just remember to shoot at a wide aperture.

 

[aey2jey]

but if you should at auto focus, wont the DIY bokeh obstruct the auto focus? like the lens cant turn?

 

[Rashkae]

but if you should at auto focus, wont the DIY bokeh obstruct the auto focus? like the lens cant turn?

Depends on your lens.

 

[aey2jey]

im using a canon 50mm f1.8ii. with my diy bokeh on, my autofocus cant seems to focus on any point. the lens will just keep turning, as if trying to find a focus point. anyone can enlighten me on this?

 

[coolin]

shouldn't be cos of the diy bokeh. maybe its too dark or you're focusing on something without any contrast , like the back of someone's head or a plain coloured wall.

 

[aey2jey]

so am i right to say that this diy bokeh works with manual and auto focus?

 

[Rashkae]

so am i right to say that this diy bokeh works with manual and auto focus?

Yes. ;p

 

[Fotophilic]

Do u mean these?

if i understood u correctly, the best way to get a sharp-shaped bokeh is to try to throw bokeh as much out-of-focus as possible. Proper holding of the camera to avoid shake is impt too, as there will be lesser light entering the sensor now.

An example is shown with the hand and hearts. My hand is at the closest focusing distance of my lens (which will be in focus), and the background lights are far away (very out-of-focus).

The other 2 pictures shows u situation where the lights and objects are both about the same distance away. In this situation, u have to choose if u want the bokeh-shape to be more distinct, or the other backgrd stuff. In these 2 pics, i chose the bokeh-shape to be "sharper".

BTW, i find manual focusing easier to use when doing such bokeh tricks.

Hope this helps. Let me know if i understood u wrongly.

 

[shutterpeep]

Do u mean these?

if i understood u correctly, the best way to get a sharp-shaped bokeh is to try to throw bokeh as much out-of-focus as possible. Proper holding of the camera to avoid shake is impt too, as there will be lesser light entering the sensor now.

An example is shown with the hand and hearts. My hand is at the closest focusing distance of my lens (which will be in focus), and the background lights are far away (very out-of-focus).

The other 2 pictures shows u situation where the lights and objects are both about the same distance away. In this situation, u have to choose if u want the bokeh-shape to be more distinct, or the other backgrd stuff. In these 2 pics, i chose the bokeh-shape to be "sharper".

BTW, i find manual focusing easier to use when doing such bokeh tricks.

Hope this helps. Let me know if i understood u wrongly.

nice examples as well as the explanation!

 

[aey2jey]

hey that was a pretty awesome explanation! thanks! so just to make sure i get it right this time,
for this kinda diy bokeh, its better to use the manual mode?
the lights should preferably be far away?
the camera should be held as steady as possible?
the aperture value should be put to as low as possible?
the iso as high as possible?

let me know if any of these is wrong! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

 

[Rashkae]

hey that was a pretty awesome explanation! thanks! so just to make sure i get it right this time,
for this kinda diy bokeh, its better to use the manual mode?
the lights should preferably be far away?
the camera should be held as steady as possible?
the aperture value should be put to as low as possible?
the iso as high as possible?

let me know if any of these is wrong! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

The basics of ALL your questions are the same as the basics of achieving OOF areas.

The only thing is the ISO. That has nothing to do with your bokeh.

 

[Fotophilic]

To answer ur questions

Q1) for this kinda diy bokeh, its better to use the manual mode?
A1) its own preference. I prefer manual focus becoz i like the feeling of being in control of the focusing. Sometimes in low lights, AF does hunts a little, can be a nuisance.

Q2) the lights should preferably be far away?
A2) yes. it's bokeh mah. but not so far till u can't make the light to form the nice round light (without ur diy pattern). U need that roundish bokeh light so that ur diy pattern can form from it.

Q3) the camera should be held as steady as possible?
A3) yes of coz. the general shooting rules still applies.

Q4) the aperture value should be put to as low as possible?
A4) not really. u should try different apertures. maybe 1-stop down from wide open or what. sometimes u maybe able to get sharper bokeh shapes by using slightly smaller apertures. This will be dependant on ur paper cut as well. Just try it.

Q5) the iso as high as possible?
A5) not really. depends on situation. u can try to bump up the ISO when u think ur hands are not steady enough to hold and shoot at a very slow shutter speed. Other than that, i can't think of any reason how it can help to get a sharper shaped-bokeh.

Hope this helps. Happy shooting.