We’ve all been there, stumbling across a breathtaking landscape and wanting to capture the moment forever to share with our friends and family.
If you’re anything like us, you’ll know just how frustrating it is to admire a beautiful landscape, take a picture and then to only be disappointed at the result.
If you find yourself too often explaining to friends and family that the picture ‘just doesn’t do it any justice’ you’ve stumbled upon the right article – there’s a whole host of superb lenses out there that have been specifically created to capture the beauty of nature in all its glory.
From seascapes to cityscapes, traditional landscapes and much more, not only will these lenses keep you shooting, they’ll also keep the weight of your camera bag down and ultimately make you more creative.
So, you’ve gotten yourself the perfect camera for landscape photography and the hottest landscape photography accessories. But what about the best landscape lens?
With so many lenses available for every camera system, it’s only natural to be unsure of which lens is most suited to landscape photography and more important, which is best suited to you.
To help as best we can, we’ve put together a list of the best landscape lenses just for you!
Working with the right landscape photography lenses will ensure that every landscape picture you take looks incredible and Instagram-worthy – so don’t be surprised if you find your friends asking you what your secret is.
In a hurry? This is our winner!
- EF S ultra wide zoom lens. Drive System Lead screw and rack system driven by stepping motor
- Focal Length and Maximum Aperture: 10 18 millimeter, 1:4.5; 5.6
- Closest Focusing Distance: 0.72 feet. ; 0.22 meter
- Stepping motor for noise free video shooting
- Optical image stabilizer
Ideal for professional photographers, novices and everyone else in between, our top choice of this article is the Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens.
It has a 4 group optical zoom system to help you get the most out of your images, while its circular, 7 blade aperture helps to ensure fine background blur and beautifully high contrast images thanks to enhanced lens coatings.
Here are some features that make it great for landscape shooting:
- An ultra-wide angle of view to capture everything that you see
- A Canon Optical Image Stabilizer system to provide up to four stops of shake correction for clear and precise images
- UD lens element and an enhanced lens coating for high contrast and high resolution images with minimal glare and aberration
Our verdict? It has the ultra wide angle all landscape photographers look for, it's relatively cheap, it’s lightweight and the front element does not rotate, meaning you can happily attach filters like a circular Polariser to improve your landscapes.
Best Lense For Landscapes – Comparison Table
Best Lense For Landscapes – Reviews
We love this ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for a reason! Not only is it one of the more affordable choices (because let’s face it – lenses can be very pricey) it also features a variety of different features that some of the higher priced lenses do.
For instance, it has superb image stabilization, a built-in super spectra coating (which in turn helps to reduce lens flare and chromatic aberration), and Canon’s stepper motor technology which ensures that this lens provides a quieter and smoother focusing system.
In our opinion, this makes it perfect for the amateur landscape photographer that wants to explore a new perspective that their standard zoom lens doesn’t provide.
With the help of this ultra-wide 10-18mm lens, you’ll be given the opportunity to move in very close to your subject and enjoy breathtaking images that translate from your eye to the lens.
One thing is for sure: the Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens is a great entry landscape lens for a budding photographer or someone who wants to start taking their hobby a little more seriously.
No wonder it can be found in so many professional and amateur photographers camera bags, alike!
- Wide focal length of 10-18mm which makes it a useful addition to landscape photographers of all levels
- It comes with an STM (stepper motor technology) motor which allows the lens to focus both quietly and quickly
- Lightweight
- No moisture seal at the mount
On the hunt for a great all rounder? The Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR lens will be your best friend when it comes to going on fun-filled expeditions to get the perfect shot! No matter the place or the weather.
Packaging high speeds and extreme image quality into a small, weather and dust resistant lens, this camera can handle temperatures as low as -10 degrees. The sharpness and color quality you will receive when using this lens is truly fantastic, even when it is zoomed all the way in for a close-up shot of some flowers.
This lens will also come in handy for capturing moments before they pass (such as taking the perfect shot of a bird flying across a mountainscape, for example) thanks to the phase-detection AF system that allows you to focus the camera in just 00.5 seconds!
Although it is a little bulky, this lens is extremely easy to travel with, and you should be able to get any shot you need without having to switch out for another lens thanks to it being so versatile and able to accommodate different shooting styles and needs.
- Fast and silent autofocus
- Weather and dust resistant (so it can capture all the beautiful landscapes you come across in the outdoors)
- Lightweight and stylish
- Bulky design which may be tedious to some photographers
If you love nothing more than taking day trips to different shooting locations but find yourself disappointed with the images you take (even though the scenery instantly takes your breath away) the Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G lens will make sure that it never happens again.
This wide angle zoom lens has the ability to capture it all in one image, producing vibrancy and sharpness that translates the beauty of the scenery you see into the image that you take. If you’re wondering exactly how, it all comes down to its ultra-wide 12-24mm lens.
It ensures one of the widest perspectives possible, while optical aberrations that can so often detract from the performance are effectively controlled within this lens to capture crisp, clear and colorful images.
Whether you’re capturing an amazing architectural feat or the sunset at your local beach, the image quality this Sony lens provides is otherworldly. The 7 blade circular aperture creates beautiful bokeh effects in the background of your images.
This design keeps the aperture open, allowing for a smooth blur to be captured.
- Excellent central sharpness
- High quality design
- Fast, accurate and precise auto focus
- It can be susceptible to flare sometimes
If you’re an avid landscape photographer on the weekends and want to level up the quality of your images, the Canon EF-24-70MM is the lens for you.
If you’re ready to give your images a more professional quality, we’re confident that you’ll love the Canon EF 24-70mm. For starters, it provides superb optics and a high end durable construction which is presented in a professional quality lens with a refined and elegant design.
Though it is a standard focal length zoom lens, it does feature a large aperture throughout its focal length so you can be confident that the breathtaking effect of landscape you decide to shoot will translate into the image that gets taken.
Featuring the latest advances in optical lens design, it utilizes 1 Super UD lens element and 2 UD lens elements that help to minimize chromatic aberration in the image area as well as reducing any color blurring around the edges of the subject.
The lens is also equipped with a circular 9-blade diaphragm to help achieve beautiful, soft images.
With a quiet but fast autofocus system, you can also capture images quickly and with precision. The dust sealing and water resistant fluorine coatings enable you to take this lens with you to any environment without worrying about the damage that the elements may cause – it’s a must have for all budding photographers.
- Fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens surfaces to help reduce soiling, smears and fingerprints for clear and precise images
- 2 UD lens elements that help to minimize chromatic aberration
- Circular 9-blade diaphragm that will help to add a softened look to your images for a beautiful and professional effect
- Higher price point
Providing the ultimate combination of wide-angle and low-light performance, the Canon EF 16-35mm III USM is an incredible ultra wide angle zoom lens with a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8, providing incredible landscape shots regardless of what the weather is like outside.
Its circular 9-blade aperture will deliver a fantastic background blur if you want to focus on a particular subject, while its inner focusing and ring USM will allow for accurate, discreet and speedy auto-focus, so don’t panic if you’re a beginner.
As well as this, this camera also offers full-time manual focus and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.92 ft./0.28m across the entire zoom range. Built to function even in unfavorable weather conditions, the EF 16-35mm f/4.0L IS USM is dust-resistant and water-resistant for professional caliber ultra-wide performance, everywhere.
The sub-wavelength coating and air sphere coating on the lens will work to effortlessly reduce any flare or ghosting that may appear when using other similar lenses, meaning that you can shoot in bright light without the risk of spots appearing in your images. The fast aperture provides a soft background in your images, regardless of how close you are zoomed in to a subject.
Alongside this, the color saturation and contrast are of professional quality, allowing you to capture all the bright colors of nature that may normally come out dull in photos when the light is not perfect.
- Professional quality color saturation and contrast
- Superb AF
- Constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 to ensure beautiful landscape images
- Some photographers find that the distortion pattern is not uniform across the edge of the frame at 16mm
Best Lense For Landscapes – Buyers Guide
Lenses matter because they change the way you compose your photographs! Every lens has its own way of “seeing” the world and each different type (which we cover below) captures landscapes differently. Wide angles let you emphasize different elements compared to what a telephoto lens can – not to mention all the other aspects that come into play ( such as weight, aperture, and sharpness) these also affect the type of landscape photos you take.
Though you can’t control the landscape, you can control the lens. They have a vast, foundational impact on your photos, and the proper use of lenses is one of the best tools you have to bring to life the landscape you see before you.
So, when you decide to photograph a landscape, the first step is to picture the final image in your mind’s eye.
Which elements of the frame do you want to emphasize the most, and how do you plan to do so? This will help you to understand which lens is going to be most suited to you that day.
With all of that being said, here are some different specifications to consider before purchasing a brand new lens:
The Aperture
Unlike portrait photography or available-light event photography, it is common for landscape photographers to generally prioritize greater depth of field in a scene. For that reason, it is worth keeping an eye out for lenses that fall in the middle of the aperture range (such as f/5.6 to f/16).
Additionally, if you wanted to use a smaller aperture, many landscape photographers choose to work with the help of a tripod to allow them to stabilize the images to get the most out of those longer shutter speeds that a smaller aperture offers. These lenses are suited to making them more suitable for packing in a bag for a hike through the wilderness.
Weather resistance
If you’re going to be working outdoors (both in nature and urban landscapes), a weather-resistant design should be one of your top priorities! While no lens is fully waterproof, weather-sealed lenses will protect against moderate rain, light sea spray, snow, and sand – so you can go anywhere you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lenses do landscape photographers need?
If you’re looking to enter the world of landscape photography, we can bet that just about every experienced photographer out there will recommend you start with a wide angle lens. Why? Logistically speaking, wide-angle lenses have the ability to fit much more into the frame than other types of lenses out there.
However, one of the biggest advantages a wide angle lens offers is the ability to get closer to the subject which creates a feeling of intimacy, inviting the viewer to experience the feeling of actually being there. Picture a waterfall, for instance!
If you’re a more experienced landscape photographer or you want to venture out into other types of lenses, there are lots to choose from. Here is a quick rundown of the different types and their individual benefits:
Telephoto lenses
Telephoto lenses are ideal for creative photographers that enjoy capturing the different types of lines and textures that the natural world has to offer, such as the unique bark of a tree you stumble upon.
This is because a telephoto lens is able to isolate detail and compress the perspective of the camera in order to enhance and celebrate the details that may usually go overlooked or unnoticed – like the stone structure on a side of a mountain.
Macro Lenses
A macro lens is similar to a telephoto lens and is ideal for capturing the little details. On those days when the weather is dull or you don’t have great lighting conditions, a macro lens can be a handy choice to reach for in your camera bag because it has a knack for capturing the beauty of flowers, moss and other types of small sceneries and objects.
Prime Lenses
Typically used in portrait photography, primes lenses work just as beautifully as landscape lenses, and particularly good at capturing urban landscapes.
Standard Zoom
The standard zoom (which is present in all types of lenses) offers plenty of uses in landscape photography. You can use it for all types of shooting locations as it provides you with the opportunity to focus on the scenery you would like to capture in detail while ensuring that it is the center of attention.