A couple of Late Christmas shots

Thank you for the information!

 

Handheld at 1/30s is very hard to get sharp because of the focal length.

 

I see what you mean now about the focal length. It says the lens's F-number value is fixed. Does that mean that you have to be at a very specific distance to get Mio in focus?

 

...their most salient characteristic is the annular shape of defocused areas of the image, giving a doughnut-shaped 'iris blur' or bokeh, caused by the shape of the entrance pupil.

 

Now I see why the background looks this way. It is a really cool effect! I was thinking that the photo somehow reminded me of how phase contrast microscopy images look.

 

The minimum focus distance for the lens I used is approximately 13'. It focuses by moving parts of the optical path just like a normal refractive lens, and in the unique case of the Minolta/Sony model, even has auto-focus. The fixed F-number just means that the lens is always at F8 aperture, leaving only shutter speed and ISO as exposure controls unless ND filters are used, and leaving no method for controlling depth of field aside from distance to subject and subject to background distances.

 

If a variable aperture were used, it would cut off parts of the image instead of adjusting in and out of focus areas.

No wonder I couldn't figure it out. I knew it was blurry, by accident or on purpose I didn't know. I had no idea that the answer was so complicated.

 

~Sister Kyoya