"Are there any objective measures of "bokeh"? Would it be possible to
have a standardised test so that 'bokeh' could be compared between
lenses?"
Oooh, oooh, oooh, I have an idea.
Portraits are the most-common type of photo in which the background is
deliberately thrown out of focus. (This is what the Portrait mode on
wonderbricks does. *) So...
You get one of those cardboard cutouts of a famous, good-looking
TV/movie star (male or female, according to your preferences) and set it
up with a lot of Autumn foliage in the background. You then take photos
at varying apertures. (It might also be necessary to vary the distance
between the camera and the "subject" and/or the camera and the
background, to see how bokeh varies with the degree of
out-of-focusedness.)
Why Autumn foliage? As for foliage, we want a background with lots of
fine detail and sharp edges, so we can see how edges and detail are
modified. As for Autumn, it's easier to see and "read" detail in
light-colored leaves.
You can buy fake leaves from businesses that manufacture and sell
commercial displays, so there's no need to wait until Autumn -- and you
wouldn't have to live near a deciduous forest.
* It's funny. We poke fun at wonderbricks, but I bet at least 1/3 of the
people in this group own an IS-10 or IS-20. According to Burt Keppler at
Pop Photo, the IS-10 and -20 are the most-popular "second" cameras among
pros, having displaced the Styluses.
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