Lens Choices For Landscape Photography

“The wide-angle perspective ... gives the viewer the impression they could walk into the photo”

he lenses we choose for 35mm use range from 20mm to 300mm. Our favorite lenses would of course depend on the kind of pictures being taken.

Super Wide Angles

For grand landscapes, focal lengths from 20mm to 35mm are appropriate. If I have a good foreground the 20mm is my first choice. The foreground in the picture often dominates the background, becoming the main subject in the picture.

With the lens set at f11 and a focused distance of three feet, everything in the photo from 2.0 feet to the horizon will be in focus. The emphasis will be on the foreground, as the wide angle perspective will make the foreground disproportionately large relative to the background, the wider the angle of the lens, the greater the effect. For the image below of the orange rocks and the tree, the 20mm lens would have rendered the tree to small to balance in the photo. A slightly less wide 24mm lens was used to balance the tree and the rocks in the image.

The wide-angle perspective gives depth, a three-dimensional look, to a two-dimensional photograph. This depth gives the viewer the impression they could walk into the photo. Lowering the height of the camera emphasizes the feeling of depth. In the photo of the lake the camera height was only 18 inches above the dock, the orange rocks photo, 12 inches above the ground.

The Nikon 20mm and 24mm lenses feature what Nikon calls CRC (close range correction). This design feature allows the lens to be equally sharp at close distances and at infinity, a feature we take good advantage of.

(To learn more on depth of field see the creative controls article.)

Moderate Wide Angles to Normal

The moderate wide angle to normal focal lengths of 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm are useful when the subject emphasis in the scene is on the background. A foreground element can be used but it will not dominate the photo. Photos taken with a moderate wide angle have a natural look and feel to them

20 mm nikkor

24mm nikkor

35mm nikkor

Short Telephotos

For vignettes and close ups the short telephoto range, 85mm to 180, are our favorites. We use them to isolate a subject from the background. White overcast skies do not look good in photos. By using a short telephoto the sky need not be included.

Long Telephotos

Long telephotos 300mm and longer need not be left at home, they too have their place in landscape photography. With their depth compression and narrow angle of view they can isolate and showcase the subject of your choice.

Brand and type

All our lenses are prime lenses (no zooms). We choose prime lenses for two reasons: first, they are sharper over a wider f stop range than most zooms, and second, they have depth of field focusing scales on their lens barrels. If we were photographing people, zoom lenses would be our first choice. But for landscape photography we choose primes.

We use only Nikon brand lenses to ensure consistent color balance and exposure accuracy from lens to lens. During the course of shooting one roll of film I may use three or four different Nikon lenses on my camera. Upon examining the processed slides, the exposure and the color will be consistent through out the roll.

Conclusion

So what is the best lens for landscape photography? It depends on the subject and your vision. For our style the two most used focal lengths are 20mm and 35mm. Your style may dictate completely different choices.

Explore the possibilities of what you already own. After determining what you can’t do with your current lenses you will have an idea of what your next lens should be.

Enjoy,

Mike and Tammy Rice

105mm nikkor

“We use only Nikon brand lenses to ensure consistent color balance and exposure accuracy from lens to lens.”

300mm nikkor