Not all bokeh is made the same. Some kinds are clearly superior to others in the way that the bourgeoisie snubs their nose at the proletariat. Of course, Iâm kidding about that; itâs all personal preference. But objectively speaking, there are many different types of bokeh out there. Luckily, weâve studied and used the most lenses in real-world environments of any website. So we dove into our Reviews Index to look at bokeh shapes. Are there more? There could be, but these are more than sufficient for the modern photographer. This post may contain affiliate links. When you make a purchase, we may receive affiliate revenue at no extra cost to you. The Phoblographer has a 100% transparency policy with our audience, and everything presented here is as factual as our Editors can research. Table of Contents Swirly Bokeh How to Get the Look Shaped Bokeh How to Get the Look Onion Bokeh How to Get the Look Smooth Bokeh How to Get the Look Donut Bokeh How to Get the Look Soap Bubble Bokeh How to Get the Look Swirly Bokeh Swirly bokeh is fascinating! I honestly wish it were available in more lenses. Of all the types of bokeh, itâs often the most unique. Itâs typically associated with petzval style lenses. In a nutshell, itâs making the center very sharp and the outer edges less in focus. So, if youâre shooting with this style of lens, you canât expect the edges to be in focus. Instead, youâll have to always center your subject. It works best at wider open apertures. And the more you stop down, the lessened the effect becomes. Because of this, swirly bokeh is one of the types of bokeh that will appeal to portrait photographers. Combine it with some sort of sepia preset and youâll get an old-timey look. How to Get the Look Some of the best ways to get it are to reach for a Lomography Petzval lens or a Lensbaby Twist for less than $200 for just the optic. Lomographyâs Petzval lenses can be had easily on eBay. And various vintage optics can do this, like some from Helios. Shaped Bokeh Shaped bokeh is different. It takes the bokeh and literally turns it into a shape. Ever seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the world? Itâs used often there. Itâs an amusing look, but it can also be limiting. You need to use a very wide-open aperture at all times to get the results to pop. Theyâre fun to use for portraiture, and theyâll be fantastic with modern lenses as theyâre super sharp wide open. How to Get the Look Years ago, SLRMagic used to make this lens called the Bokehmorphic. I canât even find it anymore for the record, and it was hard to use, but fun. But you can also score these little stencils to put over your lens to shape the bokeh. Onion Bokeh For many years, this was just known as bokeh. Of all the types of bokeh, this is one of the weirdest to me. Itâs so odd because of just how it came to be called this. Basically, onion bokeh is when you look at a bokeh ball and there are little circles in it. It happens with the vast majority of optics made before 2018. Someone, somewhere on the internet, decided that it was awful because they were pixel-peeping. Sony hyper-inflated it out of control. It was a problem if you want to call it that, with the way the optics were polished. And now, manufacturers have changed the polishing technique so that the optics are more smooth. Personally speaking, I liked the onion bokeh look. It made the bokeh balls pop and gave images a more fascinating look. How to Get the Look Basically, pick up any lens made prior to 2018. Itâs bound to have onion bokeh. Make sure there are bright bokeh balls behind your subject. Thatâs it; itâs that simple. Smooth Bokeh Continuing from the onion bokeh trend, smooth bokeh occurs when the optics are polished differently. The bokeh balls are smooth and donât have an onion character. Itâs bound to make you not cry if you canât handle a bit of heat in the kitchen. How to Get the Look Sony G Master lenses are enormous on this look. Lots of Canon modern RF L lenses and Nikon Z S lenses are big on ...