It’s the holiday season and it seems like Christmas lights are everywhere you look. Photographer Mathieu Stern has taken advantage of this and he’s turned those lights into some crazy bokeh. In his latest video, he uses three cheap vintage lenses and turns the Christmas lights into rich, sparkly, “bokehlicious” backdrop. So if you’re planning some holiday-themed portraits, maybe you can look for these lenses at flea markets or eBay.
Mathieu takes his two models to six sparkling locations around the city. For some additional light, he uses Yongnuo YN360 II LED light wand. Let’s take a look at the lenses and the example photos.
Porst 50mm f/1.2
The first lens is Porst 50mm f/1.2. Mathieu found it for under $100, and it’s the most expensive of the three lenses he compares in the video. Take a look at some sample photos and what the bokeh looks like.
MIR-1B 37mm f/2.8.
Another lens is MIR-1B 37mm f/2.8. Mathieu bought it for $35 and modified it to be a globular lens. With a simple modification, this lens produces exploding bokeh. You should remove the front lens, reverse it and put it back in its place. I like this one best, as it gives a really unique look to the photos:
KO-140mm f/1.8
The third lens is KO-140mm f/1.8 and it cost Mathieu around $45. It’s a Russian projector lens, and for this video, it was adapted to fit Sony mirrorless camera using an adapter from RAFcamera. Since it’s a long lens, it produces giant bokeh balls. Take a look at the photos:
Do you already own any of these lenses? What’s your favorite lens when it comes to bokeh?
[3 Vintage Lenses that Create CRAZY BOKEH – Christmas Special | Mathieu Stern]
