Sony 50mm/1.4 = Bokeh Galore

Previously, I owned the Minolta 50mm/1.7 lens.  It was my favorite lens for two reasons:

1. Dirt cheap at $75
2. Amazing Bokeh

The Minolta 50mm/1.7 produced great out of focus backgrounds and amazingly sharp subjects. It performed great for low light photography and was a joy to use.

I had sold the 50mm/1.7 when I was contemplating switching from Sony to Nikon, but when I sold it, the buyer had commented it was a great lens and that I had a great camera. This left me a bit dumbfounded and lost in thought for about a month.

That is, until I picked up the 50mm/1.4...




Bokeh, Bokeh, everywhere I look!

So, recently, while getting ready for shooting at a wedding, I saw the Sony 50mm/1.4, and remembered that I didn't have a 1.x lens for the wedding. On a whim, I picked it up and made some test shots with available light. Just picked some point a couple of feet from me, with the background just 3-4 feet behind it.

The first words in my mind were... wow, that background just went whoosh! I'm talking about a background that went from potted plants and flowers to a creamy and dreamy backdrop of color and light discs.

@f/1.4, I would describe the ability to acquire/achieve a creamy background in your images to be very effortless.