A camera will most likely be the first thing that you purchases. The next thing will be lenses for the different genres you would like to photograph. If you want to take fantastic landscape photos, we have reviewed for you the best lenses for landscape photography.

You should know that a lens determines the quality of your images. When you pick a good lens, you can be guaranteed to get incredible and consistent results all the time.

However, get the lens wrong, and you will have unsatisfying images. For this reason, you should be careful before settling for any of the lenses available.

What is a good lens for landscape photography?

A good landscape photography lens has to have four significant characteristics. They are as follows.

Firstly, it should be well balanced. This means that it should have the right weight and size so that you can comfortably carry the camera when running around shooting photos in different locations.

Secondly, you will need a fast lens when photographing landscapes since there are so many elements in an image that demand your attention, and you need to be able to capture them all. This also means that speed is essential.

Thirdly, the lens should be compact to allow portability so that you can move around with ease.

Lastly, the lens should have a shallow depth of field. This allows you to blur out the foreground and background of an image when necessary. It does this by making everything appear somewhat out of focus.

The 5 Best lenses for landscape photography

There are a large number of lenses available for photography from different manufacturers and at different price points. So, which one should you go for? The answer depends on your level of expertise and pocket.

Here are some of the best landscape photography lenses available for you to choose from.

Best Overall Landscape Photography Lens – Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

What is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens?

This lens offers a very wide focal length range of 14 to 24mm. It is a constant f/2.8 aperture lens with a nine-blade diaphragm design, allowing it to create beautiful bokeh and smooth blur background when shooting landscapes.

This lens was designed to give you long-range shooting with brilliant and attractive images.

Features of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens

The optical construction of this lens is made up of 9 elements in 7 groups, including two aspherical elements.

This lens is designed to fit both crop sensors and full-frame cameras. With its nanocrystal coating, the lens can reduce ghosting and flare.

In addition, the lens includes the Nikon Silent Wave Motor, which reduces the amount of noise made by the lens when autofocusing.

If you are looking for a professional’s choice, this will be an excellent option. This lens gives the user a huge glass to give it an edge in low-light photography.

Why do I recommend the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens?

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED has a fast and silent autofocus with a nine-blade diaphragm design. The image quality of this lens is also extremely high, and everything in the frame is crisp.

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED has an image stabilization feature that removes the need for a tripod to help control camera shake in low light conditions. This lens is also able to capture high-quality images with a wide maximum aperture.

Another added benefit of this lens is its compatibility with both crop sensor and full-frame imaging systems. Users who have used this lens have only positive things to say about it.

Photographers agree that this is an excellent investment for anyone passionate about photography. The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is a great lens that offers fast and silent auto-focus, continuous auto-focusing, and a broad focal range.

This lens gives users a very large glass element with the ability to capture bright images.

Who is the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens best for?

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is best suited for landscape photography, journalistic and travel photography, photojournalism, real estate, and architecture photography, as well as studio lighting.

This lens is also ideal for portraiture and event photography.

Best Value Landscape Photography Lens – Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD

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What is the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD lens?

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is a great lens to use in landscape photography. It has been designed for both full-frame and crop sensor cameras and has a maximum aperture of f/3.5 and f/4.5, respectively, making it a very fast lens.

Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is designed for Canon, Nikon, and Sony DSLR cameras.

Features of the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD lens

This lens is designed for DSLR cameras, and its 12 elements in 9 groups lens design combine to give you the best quality images every time. This lens can provide a great balance between a very fast aperture of f/2.8.

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD also comes with Vibration Compensation, which helps reduce camera shake when shooting your images in low light conditions.

It has weather seals for the worst of outdoor weather, and you will not have to buy the lens hood separately.

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD has a minimum focusing distance of 10 inches, making it easy to capture distant objects in your pictures.

This lens can give a masterfully blurred background and beautiful bokeh when shooting landscapes with it.

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is a relatively inexpensive lens and the best value in the market for landscape photography.

It is one of the best lenses for landscape photography under $600 and an excellent choice for beginners in this genre of photography.

Why do I recommend the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD lens?

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is designed to work with full-frame and crop sensor cameras, making it a good lens for all photographers with different types of DSLRs.

The image quality that this lens offers is also very high, and everything in the frame is crisp and clear. The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is a very fast lens, so you will not have to worry about shutter speed when you are out shooting landscapes with it.

This lens also has a constant aperture of f/3.5 and f/4.5, respectively, and this allows you to shoot in low light conditions without using a tripod or long exposure times to get sharp images.

The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 10 inches, making it easy to capture distant objects in your pictures.

It is also very lightweight and is small enough to fit into your pocket, making it ideal for traveling or hiking.

This lens has been designed with weather seals so you can use it in the worst of weather conditions. It can give beautifully blurred backgrounds when shooting landscapes with it.

Who is the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD lens best for?

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is best suited for landscape photography, journalistic and travel photography, photojournalism, real estate, and architecture photography, as well as studio lighting.

This lens is also ideal for portraiture and event photography.

Best Landscape Photography Lens for Mirrorless Camera- Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S

What is the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens?

This is a lens designed for the Nikon Z series of cameras. The lens has a constant maximum aperture of f/4 and extends from 14mm to 30mm, giving you an excellent range for landscape photography.

The lens can also capture sharp images thanks to its Silent Wave Motor (SWM), making the focus easy and fast. You can easily capture stills and videos using this lens for mirrorless cameras, even in low-light conditions.

Features of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens

This lens also has a minimum focusing distance of 1.6 feet, making it easy to get close to your subject while capturing them in the frame.

This lens is designed for full-frame mirrorless Z-mount cameras. It weighs almost the same as the Tamron 10-24mm zoom.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S is weather-sealed, making it resistant to dust and water. It has four aspherical elements.

It has a fluorine coating and a Nano Crystal coat on the front element. The lens does not have a physical focus distance scale and no optical image stabilization.

However, that should not be a problem since the Z6 and Z7 cameras have inbuilt sensor-shift stabilization.

The image quality is exceptional and has incredible corner-to-corner sharpness.

Why do I recommend the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens?

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S is a versatile lens that can capture landscapes, architectural photographs, and portraits. It can also be used to capture photos of sporting events or wildlife.

This lens is ideal for anyone who wants to buy one lens that can be used for different types of photography.

The image quality of this lens is also exceptional thanks to its constant maximum aperture of f/4. This means that you can shoot in low-light conditions and still get sharp images.

It is designed to let you capture photos even when shooting at a distance.

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S is lightweight and small enough to carry in your pocket. It is not too heavy also, weighing almost the same as the Tamron 10-24mm.

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S has a minimum focusing distance of 1.6 feet, making it easy to capture distant objects in your pictures. The Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S is designed to give beautifully blurred backgrounds when shooting landscapes.

Who is the Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens ideal for?

This lens is ideal for anyone who wants a single zoom lens for landscapes, architectural photography, and portraits.

It is also great for sports or wildlife photography, and candid photography too.

This lens is suitable for those who want a lens that can be used for all types of photography.

Honorable Mention Landscape Photography Lens – Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS

What is the Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens?

The Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens has a constant maximum aperture of f/4 and a 10-18mm focal range. The lens wide-angle makes it ideal for shooting landscapes and street photography, and general photography.

This lens is designed specifically for the Sony E-mount cameras. Giving it a sense of compactness. You will especially like it if you are looking for a lightweight zoom lens (it only weighs 7.9 oz/225 grams).

It is designed for APS-C cameras only.

Features of the Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens

The Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens is one of the best-quality landscape lenses for APS-C Sony mirrorless users out there

The Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS has one aspherical lens element and XA ED and XR fluorine coatings, making it resistant to dust and water.

It features a Nano Crystal Coating on the front lens, which helps to reduce ghosting and flare. This lens is designed to be a low-light optic.

This lens has excellent sharpness thanks to its One Aspherical and ED glass elements. It is also compact. This makes it the perfect landscape photography lens for APS-C Sony mirrorless users.

The autofocus of this lens is fast and accurate, so you can expect your images to have high quality, especially when photographing landscapes. The lens also has Vibration Compensation for low-light photography situations.

This lens is weather-resistant, making it ideal for shooting landscapes even in foul weather since the image quality will not be affected by rain or snow.

Why do I recommend the Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens?

The Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS is a small, lightweight optic that lets you take pictures even when it gets dark outside.

This is a brilliant landscape or street photography lens. It is ideal for those who want to buy one lightweight zoom lens that can be used for different types of photography.

The image quality of this lens is excellent thanks to its constant maximum aperture of f/4. This means that you can shoot in low-light conditions and still get sharp images.

The Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS is a great all-season landscape photography lens as it can be used during the summer and winter months, respectively.

It is also a good lens for candid photography, especially when shooting with slow shutter speeds.

Who is the Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS lens ideal for?

This lens is ideal for anyone who wants to buy one lightweight zoom lens that can be used for different types of photography.

It is also great for sports or wildlife photography, and candid photography too.

Best Premium Landscape Photography Lens – Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM

What is the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens?

The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens has a constant maximum aperture of f/4 and a focal range of 16-35mm.

This lens has been designed for full-frame Canon EOS DSLRs, with an aspheric element that can improve the clarity of images, even when shooting at the widest aperture setting.

You can also check out my review of the Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM.

Features of the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens

The autofocus of this lens is fast and accurate, so you can expect your images to have high quality, especially when photographing landscapes.

It is also designed to be resistant to dust and water, featuring a Nano Crystal Coating on the front lens element to reduce ghosting and flare. The lens has four aspheric elements, making it resistant to flare and ghosting, too.

This high-quality lens can be used for landscape photography all year round, thanks to its f/4 constant maximum aperture.

It is weather-resistant so that you can take photos even in rainy or snowy conditions with this lens. The image quality will not be affected.

Why do I recommend the Canon EOS 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens?

The Canon EOS 16-35mm f/4L IS USM is a small, lightweight optic that lets you take pictures even in low-light conditions.

The autofocus of this lens is fast and accurate, making it ideal for shooting sports or wildlife.

Its image quality at the widest aperture setting will blow your mind if you shoot in low-light conditions.

The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM is a professional landscape photography lens designed to be durable, and image quality is exceptional.

This lens is perfect for any photography enthusiast who wants to take high-quality pictures but needs one single lens that can be used for different types of photography.

The optical quality of this lens is excellent, with four aspheric elements that make it sharper than most lenses. The lens is sharp throughout the entire focal range and has Vibration Compensation for low-light photography.

Who is the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens ideal for?

This lens is ideal for any photography enthusiast who wants to take high-quality pictures. It is also a good lens for street photography or outdoor photography in the winter months.

The 16-35mm lens is one of our must-have lenses for wedding photography.

Frequently asked questions around the best lenses for landscape photography

What is the best focal length for landscape photography?

This depends on the type of landscape photography you want to take. For example, if you want to shoot close-up landscapes, a wide-angle lens will be more suitable.

However, if you want to take photographs of a group or family on a beach, perhaps a telephoto lens may be better.

Landscape photography usually involves taking pictures of distant scenes, so you will need a wide-angle lens to capture as much of the scene as possible.

A 10-16mm focal range is ideal for landscape photography, but you can also use a compact point-and-shoot camera or smartphone for this type of photography.

An image sensor in these cameras is small and cannot capture a wide scene, but they are easy to carry around and use.

What size lens is best for landscape photography?

The size of the lens is essential, but you should not get too caught up with the size of the lens. A 12mm lens will probably have better image quality than an 18mm landscape lens, but it will not be of much use for close-up shots.

A zoom lens covering a range from 10-250mm (or a fixed focal length) is ideal for landscape photography, especially in low light conditions. This is because it can stop down to f/16 or f/22 for very low light conditions.

Large, heavy lenses are not ideal for landscape photography. A small lens that can be easily carried around is the best choice for this type of photography.

A low-profile lens can be used with a tripod for beautiful landscape shots, often exposed several seconds to minutes in length.

Do I need a fast lens for landscape photography?

Landscape photography usually takes place in low light conditions, so the faster the lens, the better. A lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 will give you more control over the depth of field and light.

However, if you are new to landscape photography, then a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4 or f/5.6 may be easier to work with as it is easier to focus on distant objects when working with a lower maximum aperture.

A slower manual focus lens is ideal when you want to capture the movement of clouds in the sky as they move across the scene. You will be able to focus on the clouds and blur out the background to not distract from your main subject.

Many people use a 50mm prime lens at f/2 or f/1.8 because the depth of field is so narrow that it does not matter whether the subject or background is in focus. An f/2 lens can also be used in low-light photography.

What is a good shutter speed for landscape photography?

The shutter speed is essential for landscape photography, but it can be challenging to achieve in low light conditions, so a fast shutter speed of 1/1000th or higher will help you freeze the action. A lens with an image stabilization feature can help you capture blur-free images.

A good shutter speed for landscape photography is between 1/60 to 1/125 of a second for moving objects.

The faster the shutter speed, the better, as you can shoot a two-second long exposure and stop up the lens to create blur in waterfalls or clouds. If the subject moves too quickly, then you will get grainy images.

What is the best f stop for landscape photography?

An excellent focal range for landscape photography is between f/8 and f/22. A lens with a wide aperture of f/2 or f/1.8 can be used for landscape photography in low light conditions.

F/22 is the best aperture setting for landscape photography because you will have the narrowest depth of field possible.

You can use a wide-angle lens to capture clear images of moving clouds and distant scenes at night without distracting background objects in the frame.

What is the best way to protect landscape photography lenses?

The best way to protect your lens is by using a lens cap when not in use. When you are out and about, make sure to keep it in a protective bag or case, so it does not get scratched.

If you are going to be shooting in snowy conditions, you will need to buy a weather-resistant lens cover. If your lens already has weather sealing, then you do not need a cover for this purpose.

Final thoughts on the best lenses for landscape photography

There are many more lenses for landscape photography, and we cannot list them all, but I hope this article has been helpful, and you can now choose with confidence a landscape photography lens that suits your needs and budget.

The best landscape photography lens for you will depend on your budget and how serious you are about your photography.

Therefore, do not feel pressured to select the most expensive or the most popular option. Instead, pick a lens that has excellent reviews for its price and will suit your needs.

A good landscape photography lens will give you the quality photographs you desire without breaking the bank. Many lenses have a telephoto focal length that can be used for some close-up images and a wide focal range that can be used for landscapes.

Remember that you do not need the most expensive pro-quality lenses but instead look at getting a lens that meets your needs and budget.

Therefore, you will be able to get the best performance from the lens and take excellent photographs.

Consider a prime lens if you want excellent image quality with a fast aperture and telephoto focal length.

Finally, do not forget the importance of good lighting when shooting landscapes.