A Technical View of Bokeby Harold M. Merklinger

Harold Merklingeris a well regarded expert in the field of optics and author of several books on the topic. Boke (or Bokeh if you prefer), is the Japanese-originated concept of the difference between out of focus areas of an image due to lens design. This article will be heavy going for some, but should be of interest to anyone desiring a technical understanding of this complex and controversial topic.

Michael

Exploring the Out-Of-Focus

Photographers know that one of the characteristics that separates photographic imaging from drawing or painting is the matter of focus. When we humans look at the world about us, our autofocus eyes tend to see everything in-focus. And that's the way artists have usually portrayed our world. While the main subject might be emphasized with brighter colors and greater detail, the less prominent objects were usually still rendered sharply. The lens‚ even the lens of the eye&nbs...