Bismuth-substituted iron garnets are considered to be the most promising magneto-optical materials because of their excellent optical transparency and very high magneto-optical figures of merit in the near-infrared spectral region. However, the practical application of garnets in the visible and short-wavelength infrared parts of spectrum is currently limited, due to their very high optical absorption (especially in sputtered films) in these spectral regions. In this paper, we identify the likely source of excess absorption observed in sputtered garnet films in comparison with epitaxial layers and demonstrate (Bi,Dy)(3)(Fe,Ga)(5)O(12): Bi(2)O(3) composites possessing record MO quality in the visible region.