Shooting the beautiful American SW with the DA* 50-135mm.
May 18, 2021
17
Spent this spring exploring the deserts and canyonlands of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas and brought my K3-II with the DA* 50-135mm, the DA 20-40mm Limited, and the DA* 11-18mm. By far the lens I used most was the optically excellent DA*50-135mm. Yes, the AF motor has been replaced and I get the occasional weird electrical glitches with this lens but nothing that keeps it from capturing the image. This lens desperately needs to be redone incorporating the latest AF motor technologies.
I'm posting seven images which I hope show the range of what this lens can do and they are not meant to be "artistic" per se.. Many of them are full size. I strongly recommend using a good polarizing filter when shooting in the American SW. It truly enhances the images, especially the colors and contrast.
Enjoy
Balanced Rock at Arches NP. Full size shows the level of detail/resolution the lens is capable of for subject matter that is relatively close (~50 m away).
La Sal Mtns. from Arches NP. Full size shows the level of detail/resolution/DOF the lens is capable of for subject matter that is far away (~25 miles away).
A10 Warthog flying inside Organ Pipe Cactus NM just above the ridgelines. Had to shoot fast as it was over in less than 60 secs. A true point and shoot capture.
West of Marfa, TX are these billboards by the side of Hwy 90 in memory of the movie "Giant" which was filmed right here. in 1955. From left to right, Rock Hudson driving the caddy, James Dean in his third movie, and the 24 yr. old Elizabeth Taylor. (A five image pano). Whose says you can't do wide angle with a telephoto?
Marfa Courthouse, Good image to see how the lens does architecturally.
Shiprock, NM. Shot in the afternoon from the North on Hwy. 64 under poor light conditions (heavy overcast). Most images I've seen of Shiprock are taken from either the South or East of Shiprock which require shooting in the morning.
Waiting for the sun to go down so we could see the famous Marfa Lights. Shot straight into the setting sun.