Will a Nikon D80 with 50mm f/1.8 and a Lumix LX5 give similar background blur at f/2?
Asked 2/1/2012
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I enjoy shallow-depth-of-field, “bokeh-ish” shots and I’m considering a Panasonic Lumix LX5 as a second camera. If I shoot my Nikon D80 with a 50mm lens at f/2 and compare it with the LX5 at f/2, will they produce similar background blur? I’m also wondering how matching the framing affects this, since I’d need to stand closer or use a different focal length on the LX5. How much do sensor size, focal length, subject distance, and background distance change the amount of blur?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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No. The sensor size plays a major part in bokeh. Sensor dimensions of your dSLR are about 3 times bigger than sensor of the compact, so a photo taken with compact's 5.1mm f/2 will look similar to one taken at 16mm f/6.3 using APS-C sensor. Also, the shorter focal length will reduce bokeh effect, because wider angle of view means more background has to fit into same image space and therefore each background object will be projected smaller (more dot-like, i.e. sharper).
Here's a quick comparison of two photos with similar subject, both at f/2, first taken with a compact camera (at its widest focal length) and second with a dSLR (58mm lens):

The angle of view will be similar near the longer end of the LX5 lens, where maximum available aperture is f/3.3; to see how its bokeh would look like, set your 50mm on D80 to f/10.
Here's a quick comparison of two photos with similar subject and similar angle of view, first taken with a compact camera (at its longest focal length) at f/3.2, second taken with a dSLR (58mm lens at f/11):

To get bokeh effect on a compact camera, you have to pay up for a large sensor, such as in Fuji X100 or Sigma DP2. And even then, the effect will be weaker, because the angle of view of those cameras is wider than your 50mm on a dSLR. Or, you could rely on some alternative techniques to get good background separation.
Originally by user4390. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4390
14y ago
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No—if you frame the subject similarly, the D80 will produce noticeably more background blur than the LX5.
f/2 is the same light-gathering ratio on both cameras, but it does not guarantee the same depth of field or blur. The big differences are sensor size and focal length. To get similar framing on the smaller-sensor LX5, you must use a much shorter focal length and/or stand closer, and shorter focal lengths generally show less background blur.
In practical terms, the compact’s image at f/2 behaves more like a much slower aperture on APS-C in terms of depth of field, so it won’t match the DSLR’s 50mm f/2 look. The LX5 can blur backgrounds somewhat, especially with the subject close and the background far away, but it will not give the same shallow-DOF “bokeh” effect as the D80 with a 50mm lens.
Subject distance does matter: the closer you focus, and the farther the background is behind the subject, the stronger the blur appears. But even accounting for that, the DSLR setup remains much better for strong background separation.
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