Best lens for landscape Photography in 2021

Buying Guide

Having a list of the top products is certainly not enough if you don’t know how to choose the perfect fit for you. Let’s have a look at everything you need to know to choose the best lens for your camera.

How do I pick a lens that’s going to be excellent for Landscape photography?

No fixed rule makes a lens great for landscape photography. That said, the aperture, focal length distance has a huge impact. Anything larger than an f/4 aperture is excellent for landscape shots.

Nowadays, most zoom lenses are coming with a fixed aperture of f/2.8 that is excellent for most landscape shots. Some exceptional prime lenses even have faster aperture such as f/1.8, or even f/1.2.

As for the focal length, you’ll see the most common setting as 14-35mm for the wide lenses. Some of them might have a configuration of 10 or 12mm.

You see, a lot of things come to play, and it’s not just a few matters that make a lens great for landscape shots. Besides, most lenses these days have so many extra features. That makes it even more comfortable and elegant to capture beautiful images.

Yet, you must choose wisely as all the lenses are different. That means you have to make sure that you consider everything. That will help to give you the best lens for your camera. Also, your preferred style of landscape photography influences a lot of things there.

Things to Consider before Purchasing

Take a look at the frame size and see if it fits. Then, see if the lens mount is compatible with your camera. You must check these two before you do anything else.

Now, see all the information that the manufacturer provides and try to go over as much as you can. That’s crucial for you to get the lens that’s best compatible with your camera.

Lens compatibility is a confusing thing for most people. You can certainly go away by using an adapter to make each lens work with your camera. But it’s not the best way to go for sure.

You might lose some of the original features of the lens by using an adapter. That can include the image stabilization or even the autofocus. You can see how it’s not the best way to go.

But if you are careful in the beginning and check everything beforehand, you can solve that issue. A model of a lens by any brand is compatible with a few specific cameras.

By considering that, you’ll be able to find the exact match. And thus, you won’t have any issue with the fit or compatibility of the lens at all.

Why your lens matters for Landscape Photography

A camera is not enough to give you the wide shots that you might need often. Also, to emphasize the true beauty of the landscapes, a lens is vital.

Not only will it help you get a broader picture, but it’s also going to help you get more depth in the field. And the added features of a lens make it less effort for you to get the best pictures as well.

The primary purpose of having a lens is to elevate what your camera has. It’s a crucial thing for a photographer if he is serious about his photography. Without the right lens, your landscape photos will lack something that helps to make it unique.

Besides, the type of lens impacts your photography on deeper levels. You must choose the right lens that compliments your style. That way, you can get the best shots out of it.

Other than that, a lens nowadays comes with a lot of extra features as well. You can benefit so much from that, and it’ll give you some photos that you never thought you could get. Make sure to take advantage of these features as well.

Choosing the Right Focal Length

The 14mm ultra-wide lens is undoubtedly the best focal length for landscape photography. Also, you can go with a 18mm focal length which is a fantastic lens.

The 21mm focal length is considered the sweet spot that you’ll love. And if you want to get higher, you can go for a 21mm focal length distance. That would give you a narrower shot.

Now for the 27 focal length distance, it’s considered as the in-between focal length. And if you want a more sharp and detailed shot, you should choose 35mm  to 55mm focal length distance.

And finally, lenses with 55mm+ focal length distance are known as a telephoto lens. These are perfect for getting the most detail in your photos.

You see, the most crucial thing you need to consider is what you want from a lens. The best lens for you would be the one that helps to give you the best photos that you crave. For instance, if you want to capture a photo at a distance, you want to consider a zoom lens with the right focal range.

A lens with the best focal length for landscape will make the photos look so much better and precise. Make sure to spend a little bit of time to get it down properly.

What aperture should I use for shooting landscape photos?

Lenses that have an aperture faster than f/4 is usually perfect for landscape photo shooting. Nowadays, most lenses come with a fixed aperture of f/2.8 or such. That’s ideal for shooting the landscapes and getting the best out of the lens as well.

Now, some prime lenses take it a bit further. They use even faster aperture speed than that such as f/1.8, f/1.4, or even f/1.2 in many cases. They are undoubtedly very pricey and also heavy to carry around.

If you choose to shoot in low light environments, you need a faster aperture to be able to do that better. It lets more light in through the lens, which gives a brighter and radiant picture.

As a pro, I recommend you add a prime lens in your bag that has a faster aperture. That will make you prepared for the night time shots that need more brightness to it.

And if you are into shooting the stars or night sky, having such a lens is vital for you. That’s why you need to make sure that you got the right aperture when you go to get yourself a lens for your DSLR.

Is a 50mm lens better than others for landscape photo shooting?

A 50mm lens is all you need for landscape photography as it offers the most sharpness and detail. You won’t need any more parts. But make sure that the aperture is faster than f/4 in general.

However, using a 50mm lens will give you the crispest and sharpest picture. That’s vital to get the most out of a wide landscape photo.

Just make sure to check the compatibility of your camera with the lens before you buy it. Also, as there’s a lot of extra features available, it’s a great idea to consider those as well. Whatever gives you more freedom and flexibility in your shots is the one you should get.

However, there are a lot of options in the market that you need to pick wisely. Remember, the most costly lens is not necessarily the best lens for your camera. The features and quality determine whether the lens is right for you or not.

Yet, the 50mm lenses are one of the best lenses that you can get for doing landscape photography. So, go to your marketplace and pick the one that suits you the best. It’s going to serve you a lot in your photo shooting journey.

How much distance does a 50mm lens cover?

The different brand has different distances that you can shoot from using their 50mm lens. You can calculate it using your camera’s focal plane mark.

Also, you should look out for a circle, which most cameras use to mark the point. That makes it easier for you to understand the distance your lens can cover.

For instance, the 50mm Nikon lens with f/1.8g aperture has a focusing distance of 0.45m, which is from the focal plane mark of the lens. And another thing worth mentioning that the distance is a minimum focusing distance.

All the lenses have a different minimum and maximum focal length distance. You should be mindful of which one compliments your style of photography. This is a surefire way to choose the best lens for your camera.

Besides, it impacts a lot of things such as zooming capability, range, and so on. That’s why you need to give some extra time and effort to look at it. That means, when you choose your 50mm lens, make sure that you are mindful of the distance as well.

How many megapixels should I get for my camera?

Anything more than a 16 MP camera is best for landscape photography in my humble opinion. You don’t need a lot bigger numbers on the megapixels because they will not do you a lot of good necessarily.

Anything lower than that risks out the quality of the picture and also I don’t prefer you to use that. However, the lens, aperture, and other features play the biggest role in the picture quality anyways.

But if you want more resolution in your picture, getting more megapixel is vital for you. Without more megapixels, the picture tends to get blurriness. You want to avoid that by all means if you want to capture better landscape photos.

Go for a lens that has decent megapixels in it. Make sure not to get too concerned about it. As you go for more megapixels in your camera lens, the price is also going to increase drastically. That’s why it’s always better to go for a mid-ranged lens.

But if you can afford it, go for more megapixels by all means. It will help you maintain the top-notch quality in your photos. But if you don’t have the budget yet, there’s no harm in getting a lens that has like 16 MP in it.

Is a full frame for landscape photography any better than a crop sensor lens?

A crop sensor is a better bet when it comes to landscape photography, but it’s not as simple as that, of course. It depends on a lot of things that you need to consider if you want to know which one is the best for you, full-frame, or crop sensor.

The first thing is, of course, the budget you have for the lens. The full-frame cameras are pretty costly, and so are their lenses. But as it gives you a 1:1 frame ratio, it’s fantastic for landscape photography as well. The details and the sharpness of the picture are just exceptional.

But again, the main issue you’ll face with it in the budget. They are super pricey and you might not want to spend that much money on a lens itself.

Just remember, you don’t need a full-frame for landscape photography, as it’s not vital. But if you can afford it, go for it by all means. It will undoubtedly add so much more to your level of photography,

Which lens is best for beginners?

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens is undoubtedly a solid option for you if you are just starting in landscape photography. It’s undoubtedly an excellent ultra-wide lens and the best thing is you don’t have to spend a whole lot to get it for your camera. That allows you to get a good grasp on everything before you level up your game.

From the focal length to the aperture, everything compliments with the style of landscape photography. Besides, you know that Canon is the single most popular manufacturer in the whole market that produces most of the highest quality products. And the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens is just an exceptional example of the best landscape lens for beginners.

It’s very simple and straightforward to use. You will not have to do anything fancy, or even go through a confusing process to use that. Just put it on and start shooting excellent photos right away. It’s lightweight and compact for you to carry around wherever you like.

The best part about this lens is its low maintenance. That means that you won’t need to clean it often or put too much effort into anything. What can be a more suitable option than that for a beginner?