A few months back I wanted to shoot wide-open so I could garner that bokeh, …oh that all wonderful bokeh. Softness….blandness…..a blur, so as to hint at what the lens might be trying to hide…like a lady eyes; full of mystique. In order to dial into this pent-up desire, I needed not just a fast lens but also a manner in which I could use that lens to my advantage. Hence the first step.
I purchased a set of ND filters…..with stops of 2, 3 & 4 which enables me to attach to my lens to darken the amount of sun hitting. And being in Arizona…..I needed that. Hey, no problem shooting ‘closed’ at F16 in many cases, or F11, or F8, but neither garners that bokeh. With my filters I can now stop down several times enabling me to shoot wider.
At that time I had just one Zuiko under F2 which was my beautiful yet whacky 55mm F1.4 lens. I say whacky since the results were undeniably whacky, with stray light, glares….etc….but with my filters it also provided me with that wonderful, oh such wonderful and desirable bokeh. Simply outstanding. But my 55 has a slight issue with the tip of the lens having been dropped (oh no, not by myself….but purchased with this slight mar), and the ND filters are difficult to attach. They also are 55mm filters.
My remaining Zuikos, of of which I have countless…..all accept a 49mm filter. So I managed to capture a bit of bokeh with my 85mm F2 with ND’s and yes, I did obtain a bit of blur. But nothing whacky….nothing that I would visit my parent’s grave with and show to them.
So today……of all days, and just because…..I purchased a Zuiko F1.4 50mm (step 2) which will accept 49 ND filters. When this bundle arrives, and it will…..even though it is the season for lateness in packages (December), I will attach a #3 or #4 filter (depending on the sunlight) and shoot at 1.4 and be wide open ‘in the day’…... I am looking for that whacky feel, …a bit of bazarreness to it…an eccentric attitude…flaky, freaky, funky and kooky …..
I will dream well tonight….