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Archive 2010 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

RustyBug
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p.1 #1 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

Here's a litmus test ??

If you & your family were being held hostage and were going to be executed unless you were able to produce a 3D-ish image ... and you could only shoot ONE frame ... which lens would you choose?

Another way to think of it ... You've got a Nat Geo assignment to produce a 3D-ish image for the cover. The entire magazine is devoted to the subject and all its nuances ... but your only job is to pick a single lens and shoot the cover with it.

Do you have a 'Go To' lens for producing 3D?

a) it wouldn't matter ... they are all the same with regard to the ability to produce 3D-ish effect, or

b) you have a definite lens in mind (Oly, Zeiss, Mamiya, Leica, Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander, Hasselblad, Jupiter, Tair, etc.) that you would shoot the ONE, all important, shot with.

Edited on Jan 19, 2010 at 12:36 AM · View previous versions

Jan 19, 2010 at 12:02 AM

U.C.
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p.1 #2 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

I think that some Zeiss lenses and a few other lenses like the Canon 135L can produce more "3D'ish"-pictures than other lenses in the same situation.

Jan 19, 2010 at 12:09 AM

RustyBug
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p.1 #3 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

U.C.

Thank you for your input.

Jan 19, 2010 at 12:15 AM

Makten
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p.1 #4 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

The question is wierd. According to me, the answer is this:

Good lens = possibility for 3D

It could be a lens of any make.

Jan 19, 2010 at 12:21 AM

RustyBug
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p.1 #5 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

But do you have a 'go to' lens for producing it ... or would you put your life on the line with just any 'good' lens?

Jan 19, 2010 at 12:25 AM

sebboh
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p.1 #6 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

i personally don't have a lens that i feel consistently produces images with a 3d feel. i also pretty much never think about trying to get a 3d feel from a shot - my focus is usually elsewhere. i do believe different lenses can have many very different optical qualities not related to sharpness or dof that can give the same shot a different feel with a different lens. i suspect in particular the way a lens handles the transition from in focus to out of focus regions could very well have an impact on whether we perceive the image as 3d or not (if it does so in a way similar to our eyesight for example).

for all the debate about whether 3d exists and whether certain lenses are good at producing it i'm surprised nobody has done the obvious test. someone who has a lens they think is good at 3d as well as another lens they think is poor at 3d with the same focal length needs to do this test. take a shot with the 3d lens that satisfies you with it's 3dness, then take the same shot with the non3d lens with the same camera, light, white balance, and post processing. then post both pictures so we can all decide which shot has better 3d (it should be a blind test with exif removed).

Jan 19, 2010 at 12:56 AM

davidearls
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p.1 #7 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

OK, for starters, the human eye is autofocus and doesn't see things out-of-focus. Then, you have two of them, so with human vision there are two lenses involved in rendering 3D.

Maybe you should post a couple of images, one of which you think has 3D, one which you think doesn't. Tell us why the one has it, the other lacks it. Then ask us which lens we own that can produce the characteristics you consider to be 3D.

The "What is 3D?" thread has over 300 responses, with who could count the number of variations of "this image DEFINITELY has 3D" replies. I think you need to define what you're looking for before you start one of these up -

Jan 19, 2010 at 01:44 AM

RustyBug
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p.1 #8 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

david ... thanks. even if someone differs on what they call 3D, I was just wondering they have a 'go to' lens for trying to achieve it. I was trying to avoid the whole what is 3D thing.

Jan 19, 2010 at 01:49 AM

U.C.
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p.1 #9 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

The human eye can definitely see things out of focus. Example: look at an object below mfd. Other more useful example: focus at something and "look" out of the corner of your eye => out of focus blur everywhere. So your eyes can see out of focus blur and some lenses are capable to reproduce this kind of out of focus blur.

Jan 19, 2010 at 01:51 AM

sebboh
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p.1 #10 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

U.C. wrote:
The human eye can definitely see things out of focus. Example: look at an object below mfd. Other more useful example: focus at something and "look" out of the corner of your eye => out of focus blur everywhere. So your eyes can see out of focus blur and some lenses are capable to reproduce this kind of out of focus blur.

you beat me to it. you can even see out of focus highlight discs with your eyes - i would characterize the eyes' bokeh as fair to mediocre.

Jan 19, 2010 at 02:50 AM

systemlayers
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p.1 #11 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

I don't think i'd ever rate my eyes as fair to mediocre i get incredible 3D, super uber low light performance and incredible depth with my 2 eye-----s.
I couldn't sell them for anything - even if they're worth less because i have no box.

Jan 19, 2010 at 03:04 AM

retrofocus
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p.1 #12 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

From the lenses I own I would vote for the Canon 85 mm f1.8 EF lens. Every time I use it for portrait shots I get this "3D effect". Great DoF effects at f < 2 and beautiful bokehs.

Jan 19, 2010 at 03:08 AM

davidearls
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p.1 #13 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

U.C. wrote:
The human eye can definitely see things out of focus. Example: look at an object below mfd. Other more useful example: focus at something and "look" out of the corner of your eye => out of focus blur everywhere. So your eyes can see out of focus blur and some lenses are capable to reproduce this kind of out of focus blur.

And this has to do with 3D how?

Jan 19, 2010 at 03:17 AM

U.C.
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p.1 #14 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

At first, it was a reply to your "OK, for starters, the human eye is autofocus and doesn't see things out-of-focus."

Second: 3D has to do with perspective, but to mimic perspective in a 2D picture, you need some out of focus blur. I can't describe the blur you need for 3D'ish pictures, but some pictures have it and others don't. Imho many Zeiss lenses can produce such a blur. I think it has to do with some kind of gradient blurring (forgive my rubbish English).

Jan 19, 2010 at 03:26 AM

sirimiri
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p.1 #15 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

It's hard to say; I've gotten knock-out images from my Nikkor 50 1.8 AF cheapie lens...and plenty of junk, too. But I can't consistently repeat the results in just any situation - sometimes the lighting is right on and subject works. Other times I apparently inhabit a turd cave.

I've often killed a whole family of silver halides - for naught. May the Silver Halide godesses forgive me!

O, AgBr, AgCl, AgI I beseech ye; smile upon my work and grant me 3D-edness!

Jan 19, 2010 at 03:42 AM

davidearls
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p.1 #16 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

U.C. wrote:
At first, it was a reply to your "OK, for starters, the human eye is autofocus and doesn't see things out-of-focus."

Second: 3D has to do with perspective, but to mimic perspective in a 2D picture, you need some out of focus blur. I can't describe the blur you need for 3D'ish pictures, but some pictures have it and others don't. Imho many Zeiss lenses can produce such a blur. I think it has to do with some kind of gradient blurring (forgive my rubbish English).

You've lost me, but I don't think it has to do with your English. You were talking about out-of-focus blur on the edges of your field of vision, and now you're talking about some indefinable "gradient blur" - the elusive "micro-contrast" perhaps? Or, more likely, something to do with depth of field? Or, perhaps, simply fine-to-less-fine resolution of fine detail?

All I'm saying is that "3D" is a term with a thousand or a million different definitions. There simply isn't any objective standard for it.

Jan 19, 2010 at 04:12 AM

olyacme
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p.1 #17 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

davidearls wrote:
All I'm saying is that "3D" is a term with a thousand or a million different definitions. There simply isn't any objective standard for it.

I prefer the term "Pop".. but this too has a pretty fluid definition. Placement of DOF is a factor, but contrast counts for a lot as well. There are broad DOF shots that nevertheless have a 3D-ness or pop about them.

Jan 19, 2010 at 04:17 AM

zombii
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p.1 #18 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

C/Y Planar 2/100

Jan 19, 2010 at 04:28 AM

SloPhoto
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p.1 #19 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

I clicked that I had one in mind, but in reality, I have 3 lenses that I would use without hesitation. I also have a 4th that would work if needed...

Zeiss 28mm f2
Pentax 43mm LTD
Tokina 35mm f2.8 macro (same as Pentax 35mm LTD)

A somewhat distant 4th would be my 135L

I love the images that all of my voigtlanders have made (some of my favorites), but they do not even come close to making this particular list.

Jan 19, 2010 at 07:34 AM

Bifurcator
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p.1 #20 · 3D effect ... Do You have A 'Go To' Lens?

Makten wrote:
The question is wierd. According to me, the answer is this:

Good lens = possibility for 3D

It could be a lens of any make.

Seconded.

Jan 19, 2010 at 07:47 AM

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