Best landscape photography lenses

This beautiful planet is ripe with stunning and epic landscapes ready to be photographed. Of course, you get a camera first, but you cannot capture the essence of the scene unless your camera is coupled with a great lens. We have compiled a list of the best lenses for landscape photography. Not just that, we also arm you with the knowledge to judge a lens yourself just by looking at the specs.

What to look for in a Landscape Photography Lens:

Before shedding dollars on lenses, you must consider certain factors that make a lens great for landscape photography.

Focal Length

The main lenses used in landscape photography are wide or ultra-wide, standard zoom, telephoto, and prime lens.

Wide or ultra-wide lenses are the most popular ones because they provide a large range of view. Also, these lenses offer a long depth of field which makes the images very crisp. This is possible because of the focal length, which is usually 14-35mm.
Standard zoom lenses are basically the kit lens and are great for beginners. Usually, pros use these when they need a field of view similar to the human eye to make the image more realistic. They range from 24-70mm.
Telephoto lenses are perfect when you want to shoot the scene from a distance. They are great for capturing the essence of the scene while demonstrating a sense of scale. These lenses range from 70-200mm.
Prime lenses have a fixed focal length. This lack of zoom makes them perfect for capturing urban landscapes and nighttime landscape photography.

Aperture

You must look for lenses that have a fixed aperture, preferably f/2.8. These are expensive, but they give you the versatility to shoot even in low-light conditions.

Photo edited in Lightroom

Some of the Best Landscape Photography Lenses

Below is a list of categories to help you make the right choice as per your preference.

If a lens is used on a camera from a different manufacturer, some features such as Image Stabilization and Auto-Focus will not work. Therefore, we have listed lenses from the big three which are Canon, Nikon, and Sony.

Wide Angle Landscape Photography Lenses

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L

This lens by Canon is still great because it gives the best value for the money. For just $1000, you get Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) as well as weather resistance. The focal range is great for landscape photography, but the aperture might not be good enough for nighttime shoots.

Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED - Landscape Photography Lenses

The fixed aperture makes it great for landscape as well as astrophotography. It comes at $1900, but packs quite a lot of features, including OIS, water-resistance, and high-speed auto-focus enabled by internal technology. This lens is arguably one of the best contenders by Nikon in terms of quality and sharpness.

Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM

Now, this is a $2200 lens, but you get better results with this beauty. It is a great lens by Sony, and it has a smooth depth of field as well as moisture resistance. Additionally, the fast aperture gives you a very sharp image as well as faultless nighttime landscape photography.

Standard Zoom Landscape Photography Lenses

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L

Retailing at $1600, this lens is still one of the best from Canon. The fast aperture coupled with a great auto-focus gives you sharp images even in low-light conditions. In addition to that, it is quite durable while still being light. It does not, however, feature OIS, but that can be solved by a tripod, which is a necessity for a landscape photographer.

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 - Landscape Photography Lenses

This beauty by Nikon is also hard on the pocket at $2400, but it gives you a speedy auto-focus, and the color rendition on this lens is also superb. Additionally, it features OIS and weather resistance.

Sony 24-70mm f/2.8

This is a great choice for landscape photographers, coming in at $2200. This lens by Sony has nano-coating to eliminate flare and has great image quality. The only thing that you might not like is that the edge sharpness created by this lens is soft.

Photo edited in Photoshop

Telephoto Landscape Photography Lenses

Canon 70-300mm

Coming at just $650 and still being compact compared to many telephoto lenses, it a great choice for landscape photography. It also features image stabilization and its compactness makes it very portable. However, the variable aperture is not great for the bokeh effect.

Nikon 70-200mm - Landscape Photography Lenses

This lens by Nikon offers great sharpness and contrast. It has OIS and is also durable, making it a good choice for landscape photography. However, you get all this for the steep price of $2000.

Sony 70-200mm

Now this masterpiece is expensive, $2600, and quite heavy, but you get great results. The fast aperture and OIS produce great bokeh and sharp images.

Conclusion - Best Landscape Photography Lenses:

Now that the difference the focal length plays in landscape photography is understood, you will be confident enough to choose your perfect lens. We must add here that most photographers carry a dedicated telephoto lens for landscape photography. You can do that as well and have a standard zoom lens as your primary. Also, we talked about lenses from three manufacturers because a manufacturer optimizes lenses for their own cameras. We have provided you with a diverse array of lenses to choose from depending upon your camera. Although they might seem expensive, the bucks you shed will provide you with the best landscape photographs.

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