We have all heard of the 178mm f2.5 Aero Ektar, the 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar and the 135mm f/3.5 Planar. I have recently come across a few other cool ones like the Ernemann Ernostar 180mm f/2.7, the Soviet OF-233 210mm f/2.5 and the Leitz Hektor 150mm f/2.5 projection lens.
They all have magical bokeh and other qualities that I find hard to describe. (The transition from in focus to out; perhaps falloff might be the word?) Some are sharper wide (or nearly wide) open than others. Some are better in other areas like flare, CA, and coverage. But when it comes down it, I just love the 3D effect we can achieve by separating the planes of an image using a shallow depth of field.
What is your favorite lens for magical depth of field, bokeh, focus falloff and also sharpness? And Why?
Link to pics if you've got em!
Here's one I love: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zboumeester/7206857628
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