Looking for lenses with*swirling bokeh. (Helios, c-mount, etc.)

L

Laffrey

New member
I'm a cinematographer in Denver looking for some lenses to use with the a f100.

I'm looking to rent or buy some lenses that will give me the swirling bokeh affect.
Examples of swirling bokeh (look at the background):

http://blog.soutophotography.com/#post38
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/beyond-basics/206747-spherical-bokeh.html
http://www.flickr.com/groups/bokeh_/discuss/72157604538847578/
http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?p=158043

Lenses that I know will give me what I need:

Helios 85mm
Vinson INA 135mmF2.8
Pentax 25mm f/1.4 C-mount
And most c-mount lenses!

Let me know if you have something I could use.

Thanks

Laffrey
www.laffreywitbrod.com
 
Helios 44-2 also has pretty swirly bokeh (58mmm f/2 ,Biotar design). It is much cheaper than Helios 40. Keep in mind that you won't see as much of the swirls as compared to full frame or APS-c kind camera. On AF100 due to the smaller sensor you use only the center of the lens's image circle which is not as swirly.
 
Whatever lens Tarkovsky used on The Mirror is very swirly. I actually found that the helios looked pretty similar -- maybe Tarkovsky used a Zeiss Biotar, since it's apparently the same lens design as the Helios 58mm. I know he used a Lomo anamorphic lens, but I don't think that would make the bokeh swirly, as far as I know.
 
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm going out lens hunting today! Any more ideas on other lenses I should keep an eye out for? And where I should look? I'm planing on going to used camera shops, pawn shops, and secant hand stores, any other ideas?

Thanks
 
Even though I'm very new at video, I'm an old hand at photo. I would suggest you look at some of the Voigtlander lenses. The 50mm f1.1, the 35mm f1.2 and the 75mm f2.5 have somewhat of the swirling bokeh effect you're after. In other words it doesn't have the very smooth OOF as the Leica lenses have. They are quit affordable (compared to the Leica lenses). CameraQuest is one of the best known dealers in the states and ships to most countries, http://cameraquest.com/index.htm .
Rgds,
Etienne
 
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I'd recommended the 35mm CCTV 1.7 C Mount lens. On the GH1 in 3:2 ratio (uses most of the sensor) you can get some really interesting bokeh.

4899832625_16dc0b442d.jpg
 
Yashica ML 50mm lenses (DSB or ML) have this property but not as extreme as some others, I think its a good medium amount so it's not distracting if you don't want it to be but with proper framing you can make it appear much more prominent.
 
Old Schneider cine xenar lenses , especially the 50 & 75 . I mount them with a pl adapter for the lens and a Cieco PL adapter on the camera. I had some crazy bokeh while shooting the Jayhawks a while back.
 
Great discusion... I've had some good luck on the CCTV25mm F/1.2 I've also stoped down a lens baby and shifted it so that the Apature is no longer a circle... more to effect flares:

look here at this video I shot at about 1:29 in among the screeming:
http://vimeo.com/1325681

a combination of shifting the apature and light getting blocked behind the lens...like in the links provided... would be cool if you made some sort of aporatuts that helped... since the AF100 has no mirror to block the light...
 
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