GH2 Lenses with Cat Eyes, Star Shaped Bokeh?

J.F.R.

Carbonite Member
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
 
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.
 
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:
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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:
6728164191_d13e8c228f_z.jpg


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

 
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