Which landscape lens should you choose?

As part of this photography/travel blog, I’ve been writing more and more lately about camera gear in general, both about choosing the best DSLR and about choosing a mirrorless camera or a wide-angle lens. However, there was one topic I had covered very little on the blog, at least from an equipment point of view: landscape lenses. In fact, landscape photography is one of the fields I practice the most and the one where I feel most comfortable, I think.

Today this specific article aims to help you choose your lens for shooting landscapes. You might say, you can absolutely shoot landscapes with any lens, even an 18–55mm kit lens. Sure, that’s not wrong. But the goal here is to show you the options available if you want to move up to better gear than the kit lens that came with your camera body.

Deliberately, I decided to talk about landscape lenses for both digital SLRs and mirrorless cameras. This article is also, in a way, a summary of several articles written on the blog (how to choose your wide-angle lens and which lenses to choose for mirrorless cameras), to which a fine-tuned analysis for landscape photography will be added.

After quickly introducing the most common landscape lenses, I’ll briefly remind you of the technical elements to consider when choosing your lens. Finally, I’ll share my recommendations for landscape lenses, sorted by budget, camera types (DSLR and mirrorless), brands, and lens types. All right, let’s go!

As I said in the intro, obviously you can shoot with a wide-angle, a macro lens, a standard zoom, or a telephoto. No matter the focal length used, it’s always possible in theory. I’ll limit myself to 3 types of photo lenses for landscape photography.

Generally speaking, everyone agrees that landscape photography very often rhymes with wide-angle and ultra–wide-angle lenses. Many of the photos you’ll see are taken with this type of lens, which gives a wide angle of view when shooting and creates a sense of vastness in the scene. Looking for a complete guide to wide-angle lenses?

To some extent, you’ll see other photographers shooting with standard zooms (mid focal length), often zooms that allow some flexibility in framing without having to move too much…

Lastly, telephotos are also among the types of lenses used in landscape photography. Personally, I often get into it anyway. Sometimes we use one when the landscape is “too big” and we want to isolate a specific detail. I also often use it to isolate a distant subject and when the foreground isn’t particularly interesting (which is of course visible with a wide-angle). People also say that a telephoto “compresses perspective.” Even if purists will find the term incorrect, using a telephoto in landscapes gives the impression of bringing elements in the foreground and background closer together, as if they were very close, when they can be several kilometers apart. Finally, a telephoto also makes it easier to reduce depth of field, allowing you to blur a foreground or background more easily. Used well, it produces very aesthetic effects.

When we talk camera gear, of course there are always more or less important criteria to consider. I won’t repeat everything I wrote in my article to choose a camera lens, but here are, in my opinion, the essential points to remember before making your choice. You thought it was simple to find a lens!

We just talked about it in the previous paragraph and it’s the most decisive element. You’ll need to choose between a very wide field of view (wide-angle), medium (standard zoom), or tight (telephoto). Note, of course, that you’re not going to use your lens only for landscape photography.

The focal range of a wide-angle lens will work very well in street scenes, architectural photography, market photos, etc. Standard zooms work in many situations, except for wildlife and sports for example. Telephotos will be used preferably for distant subjects (wildlife and sports photography). You rarely buy a 300mm primarily to shoot landscapes but rather for another specific need.

Obviously, you’ll need to pay special attention to focal length depending on the type of sensor you have. A 24–70mm on a full-frame sensor will be a standard lens, whereas you’ll need to opt for a 12–35mm on a Micro 4/3 sensor (crop factor ×2). A bit of math for fun: 12–35mm × 2 = 24–70mm.

It’s hard to take a position on this subject with regard to landscape photography. In normal conditions (broad daylight, let’s say), you won’t need to choose a large aperture for your lens since you’ll often be shooting between f/8 and f/16 and rarely wide open for landscapes.

However, in low light for example, having a large aperture could allow you to reduce the exposure time of your photo. Even though in theory, during those times, any self-respecting landscape photographer will use a tripod to keep optimal settings (ISO as low as possible and great depth of field with f/8–f/16).

That said, as mentioned earlier about focal length, there’s a good chance you’ll buy a lens that you’ll use in other specific situations. If you use your wide-angle for night shots, northern lights, or concerts, having a large aperture will clearly be a plus. Same for a telephoto, where you’ll often want to isolate the background relative to the subject (creating nice bokeh/background blur) and have enough shutter speed to avoid blur. Having a large aperture will also help in both cases. Generally speaking, I’d say that if you can afford it, choose a lens with a larger aperture rather than a medium one.

Another interesting point to take into account: image stabilization in your lens. It will be less important in general for shorter focal lengths (you need less shutter speed to limit blur). On the other hand, as soon as the light drops and/or you use long focal lengths, having a stabilized lens can save the day in quite a few cases or allow certain effects that are difficult to achieve without a tripod (1/2s or even 1s handheld to get slight water motion blur or blur passers-by in a street, for example).

Indeed, depending on the most common conditions in which you’ll photograph your subjects (night, day, sunset, etc.), it may be useful to turn to specific lenses. Generally speaking, I’d say “who can do more can do less.” I’m not telling you to buy a stabilized f/2.8 lens if you don’t need it for your practice, but if the price difference and physical characteristics like weight are manageable for you and you’re hesitating between two models, I’d recommend taking the one that will offer you the most possibilities in the greatest number of situations.

Even if it’s not strictly a technical point, for many of you this remains the determining factor. That’s why I decided to start my ranking with the notion of budget…

Some will say it’s a detail, but not all lenses are equal on this point. Very often, landscape photographers use photo filters to capture the scenes in front of them. Personally, I struggled quite a bit choosing my latest wide-angle lens because I didn’t want to change my entire filter system. I’m pointing this out because some lenses have a bulging front element, which prevents the use of a classic screw-in filter system (obviously) but also the classic filter holder system. You’ll then have to switch to even more expensive systems… so be careful!

Here’s a recap of the lenses I recommend for landscape photography, sorted by budget, sensor type, and brand. As mentioned in the introduction, the vast majority of people will use wide-angle and ultra–wide-angle lenses for landscapes, and to a lesser extent standard zooms and telephotos. I will not details all possible standard zooms and telephotos for landscape photos on purpose, simply because there are too many and, moreover, in most cases, you’ll use that lens for other types of subjects. Still, at the end of the article I give recommendations for standard zooms and some thoughts for telephotos. It’s up to you to decide whether it makes sense to stick with a native brand (Canon/Nikon) or go with a third-party brand. We’re seeing more and more very good value for money from Sigma and Tamron among the latter. You can take a detailed look at Dxo, which tests all lenses. For those on Canon, I recommend taking a look at the complete guide I wrote on the best Canon wide-angle lenses!

For each category, I provide a summary table of the different optics mentioned in the body of the text, allowing you to compare and sort according to your desires/needs. Prices are updated directly and offered for three online retailers. Reminder: FF = Full Frame = Plein Format

Below you’ll find a summary table listing all the lenses I recommend under €500. The table is sortable and compares prices from three online retailers.

• At Canon (EF-S): for a wide-angle choice at a “low price,” I particularly recommend the EF-S 10–22mm f/3.5–4.5 USM and the EF-S 10–18mm f/4.5–5.6 IS STM.
• At Nikon: the AF-P DX Nikkor 10–20mm f/4.5–5.6G VR remains a benchmark in this price range
• From third-party brands, I recommend taking a close look at three alternative models available in mounts for both Nikon/Canon brands: the Sigma 10–20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM, the Tokina ATX-I 11–16mm f/2.8 CF, my first excellent-quality APS-C wide-angle with a nice f/2.8 aperture, and the Tamron 10–24mm f/3.5–4.5 Di VC.

If you have a full-frame body (“Full Frame / 24×36”), the choice of a wide-angle lens at this price is more than limited since, to my knowledge, only Tokina offers a lens: 17–35mm f/4 (there’s also the 16–28mm f/2.8, which is slightly more expensive—I talk about it below). Both lenses have a very good reputation and for the price, I think they’re two good choices. Among native brands, the budget for a wide-angle immediately jumps past €500 unless you turn to the secondhand market. At the €500 threshold (but often still above), there’s the Tamron 17–35mm f/2.8–4, which I mention after.

Oh right, I almost forgot, for those with a tighter budget who aren’t afraid of manual lenses, Samyang offers an excellent and highly regarded 14mm f/2.8 MF. You can find it new for under €350, and it’s clearly a way to start landscape photography without breaking the bank.

For Panasonic/Olympus mirrorless owners looking for a wide-angle lens in this price range, you have few options. There’s the Olympus 9–18mm f/4–5.6 with a relatively small, variable aperture (and slightly over €500). Otherwise, look at the excellent Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 9mm f/1.7 or Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN. Nothing better at this price with autofocus.

For those on a small budget and who don’t mind a manual-focus lens, Samyang offers great value for money: a 10mm and a 12mm with an f/2.8 aperture.

Here are the options for a wide-angle lens in Micro Four Thirds, with autofocus, at around under €500.

Below I list the manual-focus lenses for the M4/3 mount, under €500. There’s still plenty of choice and lots of options to “get your feet wet” at a low price.

The only wide-angle for APS-C mirrorless cameras to my knowledge is the Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM. There are few lenses in this price range at Fuji, except for the Fujifilm XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR. You will, however, find manual-focus lenses from third-party brands such as the TTArtisan 10mm f/2 X, the Samyang 12mm f/2 NCS CS X, or the Laowa 10mm f/4 Cookie X. For Sony mirrorless cameras (“E” mount), you’ll find the excellent Sony E 11mm f/1.8, the Sony E 16mm f/2.8, and also the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemp., Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 STM E, the Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E, etc.

For Nikon Z (DX), the choice is still very limited; there’s the Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 Z

The table below summarizes the main characteristics of the lenses mentioned above (wide-angle lens under about €500—there may be others).

In this price range, choices are more limited but they do exist. Also:

• For Sony full-frame bodies: Sigma 17mm f/4 DG DN I C, Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2, Tamron 24mm f/2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2, Samyang 14mm f/2.8 FE AF, Samyang 18mm f/2.8 FE AF, etc.
• For Canon RF full-frame bodies: Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM, Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM, Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 RF
• For Nikon Z full-frame cameras: Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Z, Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 Nikon Z, Viltrox AF 20mm f/2.8 Z

Choices are also very limited in this price range. Here’s a summary of the lenses mentioned above

Here we’re entering a price category for landscape lenses that gives you more leeway in your choice. You can find all the recommended lenses in the €500/€1,000 price range in the summary table below. You can sort the table by features and compare prices from three online retailers.

At Canon, in APS-C, you won’t get anything better than the two lenses mentioned in the €0–€500 range. At Nikon, there’s mainly one lens, the 10–24mm f/3.5–4.5. There’s also the (old) Nikkor AF-S DX 12–24mm f/4G IF-ED but compared to the Nikon 10–24mm, I’m not sure I’d recommend it, to be honest, given the price. In this price range, you won’t get anything better from third-party brands; we’re still talking about the 11–16mm f/2.8 (Tokina) or the 10–20mm f/3.5 (Sigma).

For full-frame DSLRs, if you have a larger budget (€500/€1,000), you now have the choice to treat yourself to several wide-angles. If you stick with native brands, you still can’t get a large f/2.8 aperture at this price, unfortunately. At Canon, I’d particularly mention two models: the (old but still good) 17–40mm f/4 L, a good compromise at a still acceptable price, and, at the upper limit of this range, the 16–35mm f/4, the lens I bought in summer 2019. I’m more than happy with it from what I’ve seen!

On the Nikon side, a very good compromise in my opinion remains the 18–35mm f/3.5–4.5G ED (admittedly with a modest, variable aperture). The 16–35mm f/4 VR also has an excellent reputation and can take 77mm filters. Also note in this price range the Nikkor AF-S 20mm f/1.8G ED and the Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.8G ED.

With third-party brands in this price range, you can look at the Tokina 16–28mm f/2.8 and the two Tamrons, the 17–35mm f/2.8–4 Di OSD and the 15–30mm f/2.8 G1 (there’s a G2, which is a bit more expensive overall. Still worth considering if you’re eyeing this 15–30mm). Finally, Samyang also offers a very nice wide-angle with a large aperture, the AF 14mm f/2.8 (autofocus). For around €650, it’s a very nice lens to consider.

In this price range, you can turn to several references from both brands:

• The Panasonic Lumix G Vario 7–14mm f/4 ASPH or the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8–18mm f/2.8–4 ASPH
• The 7–14mm f/2.8 PRO at Olympus is very often around €1,000, sometimes slightly above, but you get a nice f/2.8 aperture. Also note the Olympus M.Zuiko ED 8–25mm f/4 PRO

In short, to be more complete about the various possibilities between roughly €500 and €1,000.

Here’s an overview of the main mounts offering wide-angle lenses between about €500 and €1,000.

• At Sony
  • The Sony 10–18mm f/4, a highly regarded wide-angle around €900/€1,000 (but hard to find now),
  • The Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G or (the one we chose), the Sony E PZ 10–20mm f/4 G
• At Fuji
  • The Fuji 10–24mm f/4 R OIS WR, the first “financially accessible” wide-angle. The Fujifilm XF 8–16mm f/2.8 R LM WR is much more expensive. For fans of beautiful lenses, Zeiss also offers for Fuji mount a 12mm f/2.8, the Zeiss Touit, apparently a real gem. You can also look at the Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR

In summary in the table below, the lenses mentioned

For Fuji (with AF) between €500 and €1,000

For Sony (with AF) between €500 and €1,000

For Canon RF-S (with AF) between €500 and €1,000

For Nikon Z (DX) between €500 and €1,000

With Canon RF, only the Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM fits in this category, and it can also be used for macro with its 1:2 ratio. With Nikon Z, at the upper limit of this price, there’s the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S. Shorter focal lengths often already jump over €1,000.

With Sony, in this price range, you have a lot of choice and can treat yourself. I’m not going to list them all here, but I’ll mention in particular:

• Sony 20mm f/1.8 G (at the upper limit) or the Sony 24mm f/2.8 G FE,
• From third-party brands: the Tamron 17–28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD, the excellent Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, the Sigma 16–28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemp., the Tamron 20–40mm f/2.8 Di III VXD, or for tighter budgets, the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 FE, Samyang 14mm f/2.8 FE AF

As with the other price ranges, here’s a summary table that lets you compare the main characteristics of the lenses and prices in this range.

I don’t recommend anything beyond the lenses from the previous €500–€1,000 range.

If you have a full-frame body and are looking for a wide-angle lens, you can really treat yourself. At Canon, the reference zooms remain the 16–35mm f/2.8L III and the 11–24mm f/4L. In primes, you also have the 14mm f/2.8L II. At Nikon, you can look at the 14–24mm f/2.8G (very expensive and with a bulging front element).

If you’re considering third-party brands, there are the excellent Sigma 14–24mm f/2.8 Art (I would have chosen it this summer if I could easily mount filters on it) or the 12–24mm f/4 Art. At Sigma, there’s also the excellent 14mm f/1.8, the wide-angle with the largest aperture ever built! You also have the Tamron 15–30 f/2.8 Di VC G2 (the Canon version has a filter holder system built directly into the lens).

At Panasonic you’ll find the 10–25mm f/1.7, a very fine lens with a very large constant f/1.7 aperture. There’s also the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Summilux 10–25mm f/1.7 ASPH and the Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 8–18mm f/2.8–4 ASPH.

In this price range and for an APS-C mirrorless, there’s the Fuji 8–16mm f/2.8 R LM WR.

For full-frame mirrorless cameras, you have quite a few choices in this price range for nice wide-angle lenses.

For Nikon Z, here are the main ones, with autofocus.

For Canon RF (full-frame bodies):

For Sony full-frame bodies (FE mount), the choice is also broad:

For the L mount, there are also many options!

As mentioned above, your choice will mainly depend on the type of camera you have (DSLR/mirrorless), your sensor size (mFT, APS-C or full frame), and very often your budget.

If you’re on a limited budget and using APS-C DSLR bodies, I would particularly recommend the Canon EF-S 15–85mm f/3.5–5.6 IS or the Nikon 18–105mm f/3.5–5.6 VR. The 17–50mm f/2.8 EX or the 17–70mm f/2.8–4 DC, both from Sigma, can also be very nice affordable alternatives. Still with APS-C DSLRs and for those with a larger budget, I recommend the two excellent Canon 17–55mm f/2.8 and, at Nikon, the 16–80 f/2.8–4 VR. They have larger apertures that give you more possibilities in low light, for example.

For those with a full-frame DSLR body, there’s the Canon 24–105mm EF f/4L IS II USM and the 24–85mm f/3.5–4.5G VR at Nikon. These are the cheapest and at this price point, there’s no large aperture. There’s a nice alternative from Sigma that I recommend for those looking for a “low-cost full-frame standard zoom,” the excellent Sigma 24–105mm f/4 Art, which is really far above the other two mentioned. For those who can afford it and want a great standard zoom for landscape photography but also for other subjects, you can turn to the classic 24–70mm f/2.8 (sometimes stabilized, sometimes not), whether from Nikon, Canon, Sigma or Tamron. Prices rise very quickly, and it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth paying twice as much for a native brand compared to a very good Sigma/Tamron.

For those who have switched to mirrorless cameras, things aren’t so simple given the number of models out there. Note that there are 3 sensor sizes for mirrorless cameras (mFT, APS-C and Full Frame). Obviously, the field of view of a standard zoom will vary depending on sensor size. We’re talking approximate focal ranges of 12–35mm in mFT, 16–50mm in APS-C and 24–70mm in full frame.

For those with an Olympus/Panasonic mirrorless (mFT), who want to move up to a higher-quality standard zoom than the kit lens, I particularly recommend the 12–60mm f/2.8–4 (Panasonic) or the 12–100mm f/4 (Olympus). If you have the budget and want to invest in a beautiful standard zoom with a large constant aperture, the 12–35mm f/2.8 II (Panasonic) and the 12–40mm f/2.8 (Olympus) are two superb references.

For fans of APS-C mirrorless cameras at Sony looking for higher-quality standard zooms, two references stand out: the 16–70mm f/4 (cheaper but with a smaller aperture) and the 16–55mm f/2.8 G (for larger budgets). With Fuji mirrorless (APS-C), we find more or less the same references with the 16–80mm f/4 OIS (mid-budget) and the excellent 16–55mm f/2.8 R LM WR (more expensive but with a nice constant f/2.8 aperture).

As for full-frame mirrorless lenses, I’m only giving a few recommendations at Sony, which has the most choice. As with DSLRs, there’s a 24–105mm f/4 (lower budget) and a 24–70mm f/2.8, which remain solid standard-zoom references to choose based on your budget. The Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8 is also a good alternative, cheaper and lighter.

As I said in the introduction, it’s obviously possible to shoot landscapes with a telephoto lens. That said, it’s still less common, and I’m not going to list all telephoto options here. Keep the following in mind. Telephotos are often expensive, heavy, and large when they have a large aperture (f/2.8 for example). Fortunately, in landscape photography we often use small apertures (we “stop down”). So, to avoid breaking the bank, you can limit yourself to choosing telephotos with maximum apertures of f/4 or f/5.6. Obviously, if you want to use your telephoto for portraits, wildlife, or sports, it’s better to go for a telephoto with a large aperture. Speaking of wildlife, I invite you to read my article on camera gear for a safari.

There, I’ve reached the end of this article on landscape lenses in photography. As usual, I’ll try to keep this article up to date as new lenses come out. In any case, I hope this article will help you choose your next lens to photograph your landscapes! Maybe you’re looking for another lens for your mirrorless camera? Here’s my complete guide!

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

I've been passionate about photography since 2010, learning as I went along. Today, I dedicate myself to guiding others in their choice of camera gear and sharing a variety of tips to improve their photography skills.

Despite our care, a mistake may have slipped into this article. If you find any, please don't hesitate to let us know so we can correct it as soon as possible and keep our information up-to-date!