Primoplan 58 f1.9 II – The All-Round Lens with Soap-Bubble-Bokeh

We would like to take this opportunity to give you a little help getting started with your Primoplan 58 II. The Primoplan 58 is a lens with a special bokeh. In which situations is this photographic effect suitable? You will need to consider a few things while both setting up the subject of your photo and photographing.

Soap-Bubble-Bokeh

To achieve the perfect soap-bubble-bokeh, it is important to position the  subject at close range while keeping enough distance to create a high-contrast background.

The bokeh effect is produced at an aperture of f1.9 only. The focused main subject of your photo should be approximately 1m to 3m (3.25ft to 10ft) away. The distance between the subject and background should be at least 2m to 10m (6.5ft to 33ft).

The stronger the background contrast, the more bubbles appear. Ideally, you should opt for a busy background with strong backlighting such as light-filled trees, lights on a skyline at night, or fairy lights.

Swirl

A clear swirl can appear around the edge with strong backlighting or high-contrast backgrounds. To achieve this, you should experiment a little with the distances between the subject and background. The swirl most commonly appears in the portrait area at distances between 75cm and 200cm (2.5ft and 6.5ft).

Tip

The Primoplan 58 is especially suitable for close-range and portrait photography. It is an impressive lens even aside from the soap-bubble-bokeh, with soft transitions and fine texture.

Checkliste Motiv

  • Focus at approximately 0.90m (2.95ft)
  • Distance to the background approx. 3m – 10m (10ft – 33ft)
  • Backlight and small dots of light in the background