Favorite non-swirly bokeh lenses?

[QuickHitRecord]

Everyone loves swirly bokeh, but what are some of your favorite lenses that don't swirl?

[calvin83]

It depends on the situation

Doughnut: Reflex lens
Bubble: Triplets(Trioplan) and etc.
Swirly: Biotar/Helios/Petzval and etc.
Gaussian: STF lenses
Variable bokeh: Nikon DC/Canon RF SA Macro

[cooltouch]

My favorite non-swirly bokeh lenses are two of my Canons: FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC and FD 85mm f/1.2 SSC Aspherical

They're a lot of fun to shoot with wide open, but they can also be a challenge. The depth of field is so shallow that I really have to pay attention to my back and forth movement while focusing, because the least amount of movement on my part can result in an out-of-focus shot.

[Oldhand]

In order of focal length:

On APSc:
Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM
Rollei HFT Planar 50mm f1.8
Super-Takumar 55mm f1.8
RE Auto Topcor 5.8cm f1.8
Sankyo Kohki Super-Komura 100mm f2.5

On Full Frame:
Sigma Art 50mm f1.4 (an AF lens I know)
Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f1.4
Super-Takumar 85mm f1.9
Sankyo Kohki Super-Komura 100mm f2.5
Sankyo Kohki Super-Komura 135mm f2.8

And one that I would love to own but never will
P.Angenieux 50mm f1.8

Tom

[tb_a]

[KEO]

ED Nikkor 180mm 2.8

Leica 90mm Elmarit 2.8

[hasenbein]

The lens with the most beautiful, utterly smooth, low-contrast, painterly, cinema-lens-like out-of-focus backgrounds I have ever encountered is...
you won't guess it...
the Contax-Zeiss 28-85 f3.3-4 (namely at the long end).
That one is the real sleeper.

[Arkku]

Off the top of my head:

* Sony/Minolta STF 135mm f/2.8 t/4.5
* Steinheil-München Quinar 135mm f/2.8
* EBC Fujinon 50mm f/1.4

(The last may be a bit oval shaped wide open but nothing like the actual swirly bokeh lenses.)

[jamaeolus]

Minolta MC 100mm f2.

[BurstMox]

Zenitar 50/1.7

[blotafton]

Diaplan 100mm 2.8
Planar 50mm 1.4
Rollei Planar 50mm 1.8
MD Rokkor 100mm 2.5

[marius.zaech]

[D1N0]

I don't really have a category non-swirly lenses. When is a lens swirly anyway? Most lenses can have some amount of swirl.

[hasenbein]

[sergun]

If we are talking about a twisted bokeh in the style of Helios, then I never liked it.

there were a lot of old fifty kopecks, I remember:
EBC Fujinon 50/1. 6 (bayonet version)
Canon FL 55/1. 2
Konica 50/1. 7 (a little soft)
Topcor 58/1. 8 (lemons on the periphery )

Now: Minolta mc 55/1. 7 (1.9), Pentax 55/1.8. For portraits, I really like Laowa 105/2. 0 (beautiful blur)
Laowa105
Катя by Сергей Пашнин, on Flickr

[papasito]

[papasito]

Cream bokeh for me.

MC ROKKOR 58/1,2 and 100/2.

They have something special thst I can't find in any of my newer sony GM, tamron and sigma AF lenses from 2020.

The MC 100/2 at f/4....very very nice bokeh, sharpness, contrast (only a bit green lateral CA).

[Lightshow]

[QuickHitRecord]

Thanks for all of the responses. I've been using a set of Nikkor AI-S primes (18mm 3.5, 28mm 2.8, 50mm 1.8, and 85mm 2.0) on and off for about ten years now for both photo and video. They are nice and definitely not swirly (my general preference), but it also feels like it may be time to try something new and perhaps with a little more retro character. There are lots of ideas in the posts above, so thanks again!

[QuickHitRecord]

[stevemark]

I usually prefer smooth non-swirley bokeh as well, especially for portraits and the occasional macro shooting. My preferred "bokeh" lenses for "real work" (not just testing) are the Minolta AF 2/100mm, the AF 2.8/200mm APO, the AF 2.8/300mm APO and the Canon 2.8/400mm L. I used to have the Minolta (Sony) STF 2.8[T4.5]/135mm, but I never got familiar with it - focusing on the Sony A900 was a pain, especially for portraits, and finally I sold it.

S

[kymarto]

Any of the Dallmeyer Super Sixes



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[QuickHitRecord]

[kymarto]

I tried to find any others with a similar look, and finally spent a chunk of savings on one.

[Lightshow]

It's unfortunate that they are so expensive, I'd love to try one out.