Looking for a bokeh monster below the 200$ mark

[wolan]

...well say 250 dollars if it is worth it

[StillSanj]

By bokeh monster do you mean lots of aperture blades and crazy bokeh?
If so, Helios 44-2 is always good cheap start that everyone should have. Tair-11, Helios-40, pentacon 2.8/135 are all considered bokeh monsters and can be had for under 250.
I think you need to be more concise with your need so people can be more helpful.

[tb_a]

[invisible]

I'm partial to the Nikon 105/2.5 Ai. Beautiful, creamy bokeh, plus sharpness wide open, solid build... Can be found on ebay for $150-$250. Well worth the price tag and more.

[cooltouch]

I have lenses that are considered "bokeh monsters" and others that are considered anything but. But even with the non-monsters, I can still get great bokeh. And with the "bokeh monsters" there are times the bokeh are not at all pleasing.

It all comes down to one thing, I've found -- the distance from the background to the point of focus. Even with a very fast lens, I've had situations where my subject was, say, 10 feet away or so, and the background was maybe 5 feet behind them. The background will not be sufficiently blown out, even when shooting with a very fast lens, like an f/1.2.

Here are some examples. The first four photos were taken with my Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 SSC Aspherical. The final photo was taken with my Canon nFD 200mm f/4.

Great bokeh:


Here's one with more bokeh definition -- the above one has almost no bokeh detail it was blown out so far.


Also nice bokeh:


The above photo had a very busy background, complete with a parkbench that had some powerful horizontal lines showing. Yet the Canon 85/1.2 was able to blow out the bokeh to the point where I don't see them as a distraction -- rather an absctraction.

And here's an example of lousy bokeh, taken with the same lens:


The other day, I was out taking photos of some flowers and stuff with my cheapo Canon nFD 200mm f/4. You'd think that a lens with an f/4 maximum aperture wouldn't be capable of much, wouldn't you? Wrong:


So to put it succintly, the closer you are to your subject and the farther away the background is, the better chance you'll have of producing "likable" bokeh. Even with a regular old 50mm f/1.8.

[tb_a]

[wolan]

Bokeh monster=what ever you consider very beautiful and pleasant bokeh
That difficult to guess?

[Marek]

I'm selling this 18 blades monster on Ebay now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/151801344270?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

[araucaria]

nikkor ai-s 180 2.8

[StillSanj]

No need to get defensive-was just trying to help.
Bokeh monster usually refers to number of blades- but that doesn't mean that's what you're looking for.
We're you looking for telephoto? Portrait? Crazy or smooth bokeh? You'll figure it out.
Anyway- best of luck.

[tb_a]

[CuriousOne]

From my personal opinion, experience and taste, I can say that in most cases, say 100mm F2 has better background separation, then say 50mm F1.2

[Lightshow]

Every image that has an OOF background has Bokeh, just like every surface you touch has texture, saying its good or bad tells us nothing about it's properties, ie. smooth or harsh, soft or funky, the Helios 40 is called a bokeh monster, but it's rather funky with lots of swirliness, the FDn 85/1.2L is also called that, but it's bokeh is smooth and soft, both are pleasing to some and not so much to others, too funky or too boring I guess you could say.

Helios 40 which is based off the Zeiss 75/1.5 Biotar, The Cyclop 85 is a clone of the Helios, then there is the Meopta Meostigmat 70/1.4 Projector lens which has the same formula, http://forum.mflenses.com/meopta-meostigmat-1-4-70-on-ff-and-nex-via-vnex-t55218.html
Though buying it through hinnerker with the helicoid for E mount won't be cheap, it does work quite well, you could buy the lens and adapt it yourself and possibly save some money.

The Takumar 85's have nice bokeh.
Generally any lens that has much better than average bokeh will be expensive, or it's listed wrong, or the lens is relatively unknown, and those don't stay that way very long.

[wolan]

No problem. Thanks for the great lens tips.

[imagedit]

[CuriousOne]

Older Soligor/Juplen/Fujita made 135mm F3.5 also has very pleasing bokeh.

[Kei]

Depends if you are after nice bokeh that is characteristically smooth or if you seek something that emphasises the circles of confusion or some other aberrations like swirl. I don't much like over zealous in your face bokeh effects, I prefer the inoffensive creamy style.

Mamiya m645 150mm f2.8 A has wonderfully creamy smooth bokeh, amost no CA, no vignetting and is super sharp right from wide open. The dinky 80mm f2.8 is also good but having a 6 bladed diaphragm makes hexagonal bokeh when stopped down.

150mm f2.8 A
Tulips by Kyle, on Flickr

80mm f2.8 C
Daylily by Kyle, on Flickr

[480sparky]

Tair 135/2.8 11A:

[woodrim]

1.8/50 Oreston
1.9/58 Primoplan
2.8/50 Trioplan
2.8/133 or 135 Tair
2.8/135 Orestor
Cyclop
3.5/200 Komura

[Minolfan]

[woodrim]

[Badr12]

Your budget will buy you 10 monsters ☺
I think this term is now mostly used /abused by sellers
Facts as mentioned above:
Choose a longer FL
Be close to your subject with a relatively distant background
Wider aperture (number of blades is obviously irrelevant when shooting wide open)
and do a good job in pp. as other lens characteristics like contrast, colour rendering etc might affect our judgement. You will find that most lenses with give you a (nice) background defocus.


This image was shot using a cheap 135mm lens with no name written on it:


DSC03770.jpg by drbadr12, on Flickr

having said that there are ones that have nice 3d feeling.

l like the Tair 11a above and also Meyer /pentacon 135mm (preset) :


M42 MEYER OPTIK ORESTOR 135 F/2.8 by drbadr12, on Flickr

And the dirt cheap Pentacon 50mm 1.8

DSCF1090 by drbadr12, on Flickr
So.. some lenses are more equal than the others☺

[BeardsAreBest]

[y]

It's like nearly every 135+mm should do the job. The ones having a many-bladed aperture should be the most safe-bets.

On budget:
any version of Jupiter-37 135/3.5
any version of Jupiter-11 135/4

Not on budget:
any version of Tair-11
MOG Orestor 135/2.8
early version of Pentacon 135/2.8 (equipped with 15 blades)

[woodrim]

wolan: Where are you located?