Landscape lens

I rather like a 90 mm lens on my crop sensor camera.

Standard advice at the moment is to use a very wide lens (10-15 mm) but if you do, you will be submerged in the mass. If you want your photography to stand out, ignore the advice and choose the lens that suits you. Somewhere between 10 and 1000 mm will be ideal.
 
Maybe the question should be about foreground and background to give the impression of distance in a picture. Landscaped can vary from close to distant so I don't think one can specify any particular lens but more thought on composition. The one below I took with my camcorder and i relied on the tree on the right to give the impression of distance for this landscape.



it is more about tricking the eye to create distance either as above or say a path etc taking you into the distance.





Nikon D200 1/45" f2.8 @70mm lens Sigma 70-200mm

Different type of landscape which should make the person looking at it want to go into the photo to see what is around the corner.So a lot depends on what you want to take a photo of in the first place

Both not good photos I know but I am happy enough with them
 
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There are people who think that a lens for shooting landscape has to be wide... just as there are those who think that you need a long lens to photograph a person.

I suppose a starting point would be to think about the focal length you think will suit you and what aperture you think you'll be shooting at. I think that landscapes shot at f1.2 to f2.8 are possibly a niche :D and that most people shooting landscape will be doing so at f2.8 and smaller and if that's the case and if we accept that lots of lenses a very good stopped down a bit a nice zoom may offer some flexibility over a prime but as to which, I suppose focal length and performance across the frame at the apertures you intend to shoot at could be things to think about and look at.
 
I'd say use a a short kit zoom 24/28-90ish (full frame equivalent). Try shooting wide, medium and long. See what field of view you prefer.
 
macvisual said:
What camera do you shoot with Chris ?

I (personally) think a 21mm lens is (for me) a great landscape focal lens length.

Regards;
Peter
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I presume you use that more for a panoramic type of landscape photo being wide angle

AS Chris has not specified what type of landscape he wishes to photograph it is more a question of try and see what works for him
 
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I don't think there is a 'best lens for landscapes'. Landscapes are not all about ultra wide or wide angle images, a telephoto lens is very useful to capture part of the landscape rather than trying to capture all of it. At first I thought landscape photography was all about capturing the wider view so I purchased a 16-35 f4 lens. After not using it enough and having a huge gap between 35mm and 70mm I swapped it for a 24-120mm f4 and I can honestly say I've been doing much more landscape photography since as I've not limited myself to the wide view. My two go to lenses for landscapes are the 24-120mm f4 and 70-200 f2.8 (if I didn't use the f2.8 for wildlife then the f4 would have been perfect). Interestingly on a recent blog post I did I noticed that during a trip to the lakes my most used focal length was around 50mm. I do enjoy using a telephoto lens at 150-200mm to capture part of a landscape. For wide angle you need to find so interesting foreground otherwise the composition doesn't work.

If interested these were the blog posts:

http://www.robcainphotography.com/blog/2016/6/a-venture-into-infrared-imagery

http://www.robcainphotography.com/blog/2016/8/a-venture-into-infrared-imagery-part-2
 
I use a 35mm sometimes, and a 150mm for other landscape/scenic shots. Really depends on the situation as others have mentioned.
 
I used my Tamron 17-50 f2.8 (non VC) for years. It's an awesome lens. I use it on a Canon 60D which is a crop body. I got a Sigma 10-20 earlier in the year but would never go out without the Tamron.
 
It's all down to personal choice as landscape images can be shot very wide angle, and taken with a zoom or a fixed 800mm, or a standard 50mm lens, it's so varied in personal choice depending what your trying to achieve.
 
The vast majority of my landscape keepers are in the telephoto region, probably in the 100-300mm range (full frame).

Basically, if you can stand on/in the subject then WA or UWA is probably best. If you think "look at that amazing view over there" then you need to be thinking normal to telephoto.
 
It's what Peter said above. I use either the standard or slightly longer lens for landscapes (90mm on 6x7 and 150/210 on 5x4). They equate to something like 50-60mm on a full frame sensor or say 30-35mm on an APS-C. Roughly. Very roughly; the image proportions are very different going from an almost square 5x4 to an almost panoramic 24x36.

My choice comes down to prefering the combination of perspective and field of view from "normal" focal length lenses.
 
A year or so back I shot a landscape image of Rannoch Moor with the standard lens (XF35mm f1.4) on a Fuji X-Pro1, it turned out superb, I'll upload the image tomorrow.
When you arrive at a location it's only then you've an idea what to shoot with focal length wise as there's many contributing factors like weather and light conditions to decide what lens length to attach on the camera body.

It's all good fun tho.
 
macvisual said:
A year or so back I shot a landscape image of Rannoch Moor with the standard lens (XF35mm f1.4) on a Fuji X-Pro1, it turned out superb, I'll upload the image tomorrow.
When you arrive at a location it's only then you've an idea what to shoot with focal length wise as there's many contributing factors like weather and light conditions to decide what lens length to attach on the camera body.

It's all good fun tho.
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And this to me is what can make zooms a good choice. There's a lot of prime snobbery and I do like my primes because they're often more compact than a zoom but when stopped down a bit often there's little or arguably no significant difference in quality between a good prime and a good zoom and if that's the case the extra flexibility offered by a zoom could be a very good thing assuming that any additional bulk and weight isn't a problem.
 
john.margetts said:
I rather like a 90 mm lens on my crop sensor camera.
Standard advice at the moment is to use a very wide lens (10-15 mm) but if you do, you will be submerged in the mass. If you want your photography to stand out, ignore the advice and choose the lens that suits you. Somewhere between 10 and 1000 mm will be ideal.
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yeah currently i have been using one of my lens that is a 18mm - 135mm but landscape is new for me so wasn't sure what's best or mostly used :)


realspeed said:
Maybe the question should be about foreground and background to give the impression of distance in a picture. Landscaped can vary from close to distant so I don't think one can specify any particular lens but more thought on composition. The one below I took with my camcorder and i relied on the tree on the right to give the impression of distance for this landscape.
it is more about tricking the eye to create distance either as above or say a path etc taking you into the distance.
Nikon D200 1/45" f2.8 @70mm lens Sigma 70-200mm
Different type of landscape which should make the person looking at it want to go into the photo to see what is around the corner.So a lot depends on what you want to take a photo of in the first place
Both not good photos I know but I am happy enough with them
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yeah i get what you mean :) the landscapes i want to try and get is the ones where people take shots of mountains or across a long distance with a lake or river, waterfalls that type :) ocean, sunsets :)


woof woof said:
There are people who think that a lens for shooting landscape has to be wide... just as there are those who think that you need a long lens to photograph a person.
I suppose a starting point would be to think about the focal length you think will suit you and what aperture you think you'll be shooting at. I think that landscapes shot at f1.2 to f2.8 are possibly a niche :D and that most people shooting landscape will be doing so at f2.8 and smaller and if that's the case and if we accept that lots of lenses a very good stopped down a bit a nice zoom may offer some flexibility over a prime but as to which, I suppose focal length and performance across the frame at the apertures you intend to shoot at could be things to think about and look at.
Click to expand...

yeah im using a few of my lens to try it out mostly my 18-135mm as I can move about not a great lens though, all new so a learning curve, I hear alot about a 10-35mm ? ill post a photo below of the style i mean for photos :)


Gyles said:
I'd say use a a short kit zoom 24/28-90ish (full frame equivalent). Try shooting wide, medium and long. See what field of view you prefer.
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yeah currently using one of my 18-135mm so i got some flex in where i want to zoom or place the frame, im on a crop though as i use a Canon 7D


macvisual said:
What camera do you shoot with Chris ?
I (personally) think a 21mm lens is (for me) a great landscape focal lens length.
Regards;
Peter
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i use a Canon 7D :) is this just a set 21mm lens no flex on zooming ? or is it a wide angle ?


realspeed said:
I presume you use that more for a panoramic type of landscape photo being wide angle
AS Chris has not specified what type of landscape he wishes to photograph it is more a question of try and see what works for him
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I want to try the style with mountains, rivers, lakes, ocean etc ill post a few links below :)


rob-nikon said:
I don't think there is a 'best lens for landscapes'. Landscapes are not all about ultra wide or wide angle images, a telephoto lens is very useful to capture part of the landscape rather than trying to capture all of it. At first I thought landscape photography was all about capturing the wider view so I purchased a 16-35 f4 lens. After not using it enough and having a huge gap between 35mm and 70mm I swapped it for a 24-120mm f4 and I can honestly say I've been doing much more landscape photography since as I've not limited myself to the wide view. My two go to lenses for landscapes are the 24-120mm f4 and 70-200 f2.8 (if I didn't use the f2.8 for wildlife then the f4 would have been perfect). Interestingly on a recent blog post I did I noticed that during a trip to the lakes my most used focal length was around 50mm. I do enjoy using a telephoto lens at 150-200mm to capture part of a landscape. For wide angle you need to find so interesting foreground otherwise the composition doesn't work.

If interested these were the blog posts:
http://www.robcainphotography.com/blog/2016/6/a-venture-into-infrared-imagery
http://www.robcainphotography.com/blog/2016/8/a-venture-into-infrared-imagery-part-2
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thanks, sounds like the lens I've been using isn't a bad choice after all then as its a Canon EF 18-135mm IS i do have a 50mm prime and a 70-300mm zoom/macro I will check the links out thanks for that :)


Cagey75 said:
I use a 35mm sometimes, and a 150mm for other landscape/scenic shots. Really depends on the situation as others have mentioned.
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just a case of different lens in the bag to switch if need be :) ?


Raptor Mike said:
I used my Tamron 17-50 f2.8 (non VC) for years. It's an awesome lens. I use it on a Canon 60D which is a crop body. I got a Sigma 10-20 earlier in the year but would never go out without the Tamron.
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yeah does sound like the lens i use is a good choice by the look of everyone's lens options / comments :) i got 4 lens so i can switch but wasn't sure on lens for landscape but sounds like it really doesn't matter too much :)


macvisual said:
It's all down to personal choice as landscape images can be shot very wide angle, and taken with a zoom or a fixed 800mm, or a standard 50mm lens, it's so varied in personal choice depending what your trying to achieve.
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thanks for the comment :) ill post a few links below of the style i like :)


Nawty said:
The vast majority of my landscape keepers are in the telephoto region, probably in the 100-300mm range (full frame).

Basically, if you can stand on/in the subject then WA or UWA is probably best. If you think "look at that amazing view over there" then you need to be thinking normal to telephoto.
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one of my lens is a tele i have a 70-300mm but i use a Canon 7D so its a crop unfortunately where i live there's hardly anything but buildings so its a new style for me is have to venture out of the town! big learning curve :) !


StephenM said:
It's what Peter said above. I use either the standard or slightly longer lens for landscapes (90mm on 6x7 and 150/210 on 5x4). They equate to something like 50-60mm on a full frame sensor or say 30-35mm on an APS-C. Roughly. Very roughly; the image proportions are very different going from an almost square 5x4 to an almost panoramic 24x36.

My choice comes down to prefering the combination of perspective and field of view from "normal" focal length lenses.
Click to expand...
so currently im using a 18-135mm so i may stick with this for time being then until i get better at it and then go from there :) !


macvisual said:
A year or so back I shot a landscape image of Rannoch Moor with the standard lens (XF35mm f1.4) on a Fuji X-Pro1, it turned out superb, I'll upload the image tomorrow.
When you arrive at a location it's only then you've an idea what to shoot with focal length wise as there's many contributing factors like weather and light conditions to decide what lens length to attach on the camera body.

It's all good fun tho.
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yeah good fun and learning curve :D ! post the image when you get time!

-------------------------------------------------

also if anyone in here wants to share there photos of landscape styles whether it be on a beach, mountains lakes etc etc post away be cool to see some of your shots :)
 
 
Chris, the 21mm lens I spoke about is a fixed prime lens, it's getting into quite a wide angle side of things. Whatever floats your boat really...........it's a personal thing to be honest.

I'll post a couple of my landscape attempts shortly.

Regards;
Peter
 
macvisual said:
Chris, the 21mm lens I spoke about is a fixed prime lens, it's getting into quite a wide angle side of things. Whatever floats your boat really...........it's a personal thing to be honest.

I'll post a couple of my landscape attempts shortly.

Regards;
Peter
Click to expand...

yeah i guess its all trial and error then finding what you like personally etc and what your own eye sees before taking a picture as i guess we all see things different and different tastes / opinions on things :)

yeah post some up be cool to see some :)
 
macvisual said:
All shot with the Fuji X system, four different focal lengths;


XF35mm f/1.4 - which equals a 50mm standard lens;
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Absolutely stunning dude! would love to shoot stuff like this! just nothing around me unless i go Wales or Scotland :) but other stuff i can shoot without mountains etc :) stuff like your last photo or tops of hills etc. shame i live in a town :( !
 
Thanks Chris, you have to head out with your camera gear/tripod, and don't forget to bring the wellies/brolly/spare batteries/SD cards/bin liners etc.......!
Go find/explore and get into the landscape big time, blitz it big style......!!!!!!!!

These images captured above are not that close to where I'm living, you have to go find/search and check out locations and do your homework on it. I'm a keen motorcyclist so I sometimes check out locations if out and about on motorcycle runs etc...

I need to explore a lot more myself landscape wise with my versatile Fuji X gear........I so love it, passionate.
 
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macvisual said:
Thanks Chris, you have to head out with your camera gear/tripod, and don't forget to bring the wellies.......! Go find/explore and get into the landscape big time, blitz it big style......!!!!!!!!

These images captured above are not that close to where I'm living, you have to go find/search and check out locations and do your homework on it. I'm a keen motorcyclist so I sometimes check out locations if out and about on motorcycle runs etc...

I need to explore a lot more myself landscape wise with my versatile Fuji X gear........I so love it, passionate.
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yeah will have to start doing that im a huge car enthusiast so mostly shoot cars lol but for ever out and about driving so could be a good time to start pulling over and exploring while im out and about :) !! thanks for sharing images


kennysarmy said:
Has it helped you pick a focal length that you will shoot with?
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Hi kenny

it has helped now i see from peoples comments, as currently I've been using an 18-135mm so may in the future invest in something lower so i can swap between lens if need be for a different view :) just need to explore now and find some cool places! living 20 miles form London you can imagine what's around me! lol
 
Get into a habit of carrying your camera gear/tripod/wellies with you everywhere you go, that way you WON'T ever miss an opportunity that arises, I've missed a few opportunities myself over the years and now bring everything just in case.

My favourite photographic quote is;

"Better looking at it than looking for it".


(Peter)
 
macvisual said:
Get into a habit of carrying your camera gear/tripod/wellies with you everywhere you go, that way you WON'T ever miss an opportunity that arises, I've missed a few opportunities myself over the years and now bring everything just in case.

My favourite photographic quote is;

"Better looking at it than looking for it".


(Peter)
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yep had this issue the other day on holiday as we was busy i left it at home and guess what! sunset the sky went Purple/pink/yellow/orange/reds! and i was by the beach with rocks! :( vs the one i posted for help the other day thats over blown on highlights and looks rubbish! so defo a good thing to do is take it every where!
 
Broken said:
I've been using an 18-135mm so may in the future invest in something lower so i can swap between lens if need be for a different view...
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I think it might help to think or read up on perspective and the use of different focal lengths from wide to long. I think that wide lenses can be amongst the most difficult to use well, they need thought and the subject needs to be right and it's often not as easy as shooting wide to get it all in. Ditto with longer lenses, I think they need thought.

More times than I'd like to I've read comments like "when using primes you zoom with your feet" on this forum and I wonder if people saying this have considered perspective. I like to think of zoom lenses as a long list of primes all bundled up into one and when using them (if possible) I like to position myself for the subject and perspective I want and set the zoom making any small framing changes as required.

18mm is quite wide, you can go wider with a 10-20mm but I think that care is needed when using these very wide lenses. Maybe an afternoon Googling and reading up on the use of wide lenses might help you to make an informed decision?
 
Everyone has different styles, and use different lenses to achieve this. Personally I use a 16-35 and 70-200, which works for me but others wouldn't like the lack of 35-70.

As other people say, have a play with different focal lengths and see what works for you. After some time, you can use Lightroom (if you have it) to see what focal lengths you use the most. Then you could consolidate your lens selection.
 
woof woof said:
I think it might help to think or read up on perspective and the use of different focal lengths from wide to long. I think that wide lenses can be amongst the most difficult to use well, they need thought and the subject needs to be right and it's often not as easy as shooting wide to get it all in. Ditto with longer lenses, I think they need thought.

More times than I'd like to I've read comments like "when using primes you zoom with your feet" on this forum and I wonder if people saying this have considered perspective. I like to think of zoom lenses as a long list of primes all bundled up into one and when using them (if possible) I like to position myself for the subject and perspective I want and set the zoom making any small framing changes as required.

18mm is quite wide, you can go wider with a 10-20mm but I think that care is needed when using these very wide lenses. Maybe an afternoon Googling and reading up on the use of wide lenses might help you to make an informed decision?
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yeah been reading about it and typical Youtube etc, which is what lead me to ask the first question about lens, as they all seems to say 10-35mm for landscaper so wanted some input but i guess they are pros and do it as a living which they understand everything, much like alot of you on this forums :)
 
Stu Meech said:
Everyone has different styles, and use different lenses to achieve this. Personally I use a 16-35 and 70-200, which works for me but others wouldn't like the lack of 35-70.

As other people say, have a play with different focal lengths and see what works for you. After some time, you can use Lightroom (if you have it) to see what focal lengths you use the most. Then you could consolidate your lens selection.
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thanks for the reply,

yeah I'm going to play around with the lens I have and see what I find works and what style I like to achieve for my self, and I do use Lightroom 99% for everything then Photoshop for a few bits like removing bigger items out of my photos Car shows can be a pain to get no one or anything around a Car so Photoshop is handy :)
 
Go into Flickr/Instagram (or whatever) and do a search for 'landscape photography' and you'll see literally thousands of images relating to landscape captures, it'll give you a fantastic insight, different situations covered with an array of focal lengths for sure....

I personally feel "Expansion of the mind" is very healthy..!!!!
 
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macvisual said:
Go into Flickr/Instagram (or whatever) and do a search for 'landscape photography' and you'll see literally thousands of images relating to landscape captures, it'll give you a fantastic insight, different situations covered with an array of focal lengths for sure....

I personally feel "Expansion of the mind" is very healthy..!!!!
Click to expand...
yeah Flickr is new for me not really used it much! Instagram is good for me though use that all the time through the day :) my photography page is at about 3300 followers now :) i spend alot of time browsing Instagram on photos or this forums, or just google / YouTube in general to see different takes on things, Thomas Heaton and NickPage is two people I enjoy watching on YouTube,
 
macvisual said:
Hand-held for that one above, shot with the Fuji XF10-24 which has built-in stabilisation, handy for selecting lower ISO settings when the lights not great.
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This was the one I was talking about taken on my old camera (canon 400D) now have a 7D gave it a quick Edit nothing amazing! just never did anything with it wasn't so keen on it this was almost 3 years ago! :O
Iso400, F10, 13s

IMG_4615-Edit.jpg
 
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