A rose shot in Higashi Ward, Nagoya, on Wednesday. Image captured with Soviet-era lens: a Helios 44-2, aka the "bokeh monster."

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Can't see how it was considered for this publication. Who cares about a Soviet-era lens? I've got dozens of better shots from the rose garden at Zao, not to mention my own garden, with the latest Nikon DSLR. Sheesh, what a waste of space!

My Samsung smartphone takes sharper and clearer images than this.

I didn't get the reference to "bokeh monster". Bokeh as in ピンぼけand a cute reference to Pokemon?

Bokeh refers to the out-of-focus part of the image. Problem is, as far as I can see it’s all out of focus.

as far as I can see it’s all out of focus

Not completely, there is actually very sharp detail ... for a paper-thin slice of DOF in the middle of the bud.

The (quite unusual!) fact that we got the lens maker and model offers some clues as to why that is. The Helios 44-2 is a 58mm f/2.0 lens with a minimum focus distance of 45 cm. And it looks like the photographer shot wide open, at exact that minimum distance, on a crop sensor, giving a DOF of only 4mm.

Yeah, objectively it's not great. But on the other hand, how many "perfect" photos of flowers does the world really need, especially since, as mentioned in comments above, any smartphone can take that "perfect" image nowadays. There is room for flawed but subjectively "pretty" photos that do not have to adhere to objective evaluation.

Back in the 1970s as a student, a Soviet SLR camera was all I could afford. Called a Zenith in the UK and Zenit in most other places, I think. I don't recall whether it had a Helios lens - probably not. Fond memories.

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