What is considered high quality bokeh and what is considered low quality bokeh?
Answer
Good or bad bokeh is in the eye of the beholder. Michael Clark thinks the highlights have to be round, usually meaning a fully open aperture, but I don't agree. I don't mind 7-gon or 9-gon highlights, though round one do look nicer.
An aspect of bokeh which bothers me more than the general shape is the light distribution. For me the best bokeh is when the highlights are lit evenly, , contrary to brighter at the center or the rim. An extreme example of this is a mirror lens bokeh. Since the bokeh highlights mirror (no pun intended) the shape of the lens' aperture, and since in a mirror lens the center is blocked the highlights are donut shaped. Take a look at this example:
(I don't know who the photographer is.) Here an otherwise beautiful picture is IMO ruined by the mirror lens bokeh, in particular on the boy's bermuda shorts.
Like I said, it's a personal thing.
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