GH2 Lenses with Cat Eyes, Star Shaped Bokeh?

[J.F.R.]

Recently saw a movie the other day (latest American Pie I believe) and couldn't help but notice the very odd but cool looking star shaped Bokeh in certain scenes, I really want to find or know of lenses that have odd shaped bokeh. Outside of the normal perfect circle I want to find some really cool looking ones like this.

Any help or suggestions, please guide me in the correct direction
Thanks

 

[Gymnut808]

I've got an older Contax Zeiss 85mm F1.4 that has a pretty cool ninja star bokeh when stopped down around F4; Bought it based on the recommendation by Andrew at eoshd.

 

[zaronz]

Generally speaking of lenses with characteristics. . . I don't know of any lens that comes with a star shaped bokeh. However, the Cooke cinema lenses have a rather interesting bokeh:

source: Ryan Patrick O'hara

As for cat-eyes effect, they're not as unusual. My Voigtlander 25mm (MFT) has an extreme cat eye effect wide open, personally I don't like it.. but a lot of people praise it for it's cat eye shaped bokeh when wide open.

Another interesting characteristic can be swhirling bokeh:

This effect is usual with some large format lenses and especially the Russian Helios lenses( Helios 40-2/Helios 44m) Soviet knock-offs of Zeiss Biotar lenses, they are very cheap on ebay nowadays.

 

[cpc]

Cat's eye is the result of OOF highlights in the periphery of the frame. It is really just a OOF highlight limited (vignetted) in outline by the close front rim and the opposite rear rim of the lens. As such, it is most visible on large sensors - they allow for more slanted with respect to the sensor plane OOF highlights (within the frame); and with lenses with small (and/or) recessed front elements. Long barrels (with normalish focal lengths) also work towards this effect. You also need to wide open the aperture.
Just tilt a lens wide open and look through it and you'll immediately know it.

Swirling bokeh is also related to this but with somewhat more complex reasons to it; you will often find it in recessed small front element lenses.

 

[Shenan]

You can make bokeh in any shape you want. Just need some craft paper, x-acto knife, and tape. See a tutorial here: