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Will the upcoming Oly 40-150mm f/2.8 be inferior in shallow DoF compared to the 75mm f/1.8?

Discussion in 'Native Lenses' started by blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014.

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  1. blindinglight

    blindinglight Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Jul 24, 2014
    Thailand
    Rommel
    The prime has bigger Aperture so I was wondering if I should just buy this now and save a bit more money. Of course the 40-150 has better focal length legroom but if we talk strictly bokeh effects/shallow DoF/background blur, will the bigger aperture prime still be a better glass for this case?

    Thank you for the thoughts and opinions.

    Keith

    Edit: I'm using the E-M1 body.
     
    blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014
    #1
  2. barry13

    barry13 Super Moderator; Photon Wrangler Subscribing Member

    5,843
    Mar 7, 2014
    Southern California
    Barry
    At 75mm, the prime would win.

    150mm is probably arguable.

    Barry


    Sent from my iPad using Mu-43
     
    barry13, Jul 24, 2014
    #2
    • Like Like x 2
  3. blindinglight

    blindinglight Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Jul 24, 2014
    Thailand
    Rommel
    Thank you for the quick reply, Barry. So basically if I step back to maintain equal framing and use the 150mm at its longest, I might get better shallow depth of field than the prime (newbie lesson for me). That's good to know since having flexibility in focal length might after all make the newer Pro lens a glass to strongly consider for a bokeh whore noob like me :) . Thanks again.
     
    blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014
    #3
  4. LowriderS10

    LowriderS10 Monkey with a camera.

    2,466
    May 19, 2013
    Canada
    Use an online DOF calculator and plug in some random numbers.

    At 75mm, definitely. At 100-125mm? They'll likely be close. At 150mm? Who knows...the 150 might edge out the 75. (Since 150 2.8 equates roughly to a 200 f4 on APS-C or a 300 f5.6 on full frame, you could always check out pictures made with those combinations to get a ROUGH idea on what sort of images you'd be looking at out of this lens at 150mm wide open).
     
    LowriderS10, Jul 24, 2014
    #4
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  5. Klorenzo

    Klorenzo Mu-43 All-Pro

    1,900
    Mar 10, 2014
    Lorenzo
    Klorenzo, Jul 24, 2014
    #5
    • Like Like x 2
  6. blindinglight

    blindinglight Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Jul 24, 2014
    Thailand
    Rommel
    = 300mm f/5.6 for FF systems. Will jot down those figures, thanks. Yeah I like dofmaster calculator but was curious more insight from the photo community.

    Thanks, Lowrider.


    Edit: Klorenzo thank you for the awesome link.
     
    blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014
    #6
    • Like Like x 1
  7. blindinglight

    blindinglight Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Jul 24, 2014
    Thailand
    Rommel
    I updated your choices and narrowed the lenses down to two.

    http://howmuchblur.com/#compare-2x-75mm-f1.8-and-2x-150mm-f2.8-on-a-0.9m-wide-subject

    So basically, if the subject to background distance is 10 meters, they both have roughly/approximately (of course barring the quality of each lens) the same amount of background blur?
     
    blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014
    #7
  8. Klorenzo

    Klorenzo Mu-43 All-Pro

    1,900
    Mar 10, 2014
    Lorenzo
    Klorenzo, Jul 24, 2014
    #8
    • Like Like x 1
  9. blindinglight

    blindinglight Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Jul 24, 2014
    Thailand
    Rommel
    blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014
    #9
  10. arch stanton

    arch stanton Mu-43 Veteran

    420
    Feb 25, 2012
    London
    Malc
    Just as an aside, if you want to take a landscape full-length shot of someone (<6ft tall) with a 150mm lens you have to stand 70 feet away.
    Bring a megaphone! ;)
     
    arch stanton, Jul 24, 2014
    #10
    • Like Like x 3
  11. blindinglight

    blindinglight Mu-43 Regular

    37
    Jul 24, 2014
    Thailand
    Rommel
    Thanks. But of course people looking to buy these lenses already know the long focal length restrictions. :)
     
    blindinglight, Jul 24, 2014
    #11
  12. eteless

    eteless Mu-43 All-Pro

    1,703
    Jun 20, 2014
    I think the 40-150 will be far better at 40-74 and 76-150, but at 75 the prime will always win.

    You don't generally buy a zoom for bokeh (I laugh every time someone uses the word bokeh, I don't think that word means what you think it does... common usage aside), it's more for how it can work in a variety of situations and be very flexible. To get that flexibility you give up some performance, use the right tool for the right job - they're just different tools for slightly different situations.
     
    eteless, Jul 25, 2014
    #12