Best Camera for Landscape photography

Written By Darin Deveau

Choosing the best cameras for landscape Photography

It's no secret that in the current market for professional cameras there are a plethora of options to choose from. For a landscape photographer, it can be hard to see past the marketing gibberish and technical terms to get to the core of what camera is best for you. The industry is changing- fast. I started shooting on an old Nikon d7500 when I started photography. It was an old 20 Megapixel APS-c DSLR that could shoot a blazing 7fps. These days, most full frame cameras are >24 Megapixels and can shoot at simply ridiculous frame rates like 120fps. But where does that land the landscape photographer? Let's discuss your options and considerations

Taken on a Canon r5 + 14-35mm

  • Resolution
    There is a lot of information going around about camera resolution. Is higher resolution better? Yes and no. In general, if you are shooting primarily landscape photos that you intend on blowing up into giant prints, the bigger the better. But if we’re being honest, with good prost-processing skills you can print a 20 Megapixels VERY large. There's also some issues that can show up when you have an ultra-high Megapixel sensor. Sensor sizes don't change. Sure, you have full-frame, APS-C, etc. but those are set dimensions. If you have a full frame sensor (36mm x 24mm) that is 45mp, the pixel size is significantly smaller than another full-frame sensor (still 36mm x 24mm) that is, say, 20mp. What issues can this cause? Hot Pixels and noise. I wont get into the nitty gritty because that is outside the scope of this article. But simply stated, the higher the resolution of a sensor, the more noisy your shadows can tend to get, and the more hot pixels you can end up with during long-exposures. That all being said, consider your own goals. Will you be shooting a lot of long exposures? Maybe a lot of astro? Perhaps an ultra-high-resolution sensor isn't the best choice. Are you shooting mostly bright landscape scenes where lighting isn't an issue? Go big or go home by all means.


  • User Experience
    Each camera brand has its own unique characteristics. Sony has an incredible 4-axis flippy touchscreen that Sony shooters absolutely adore, Canon has a very simple menu system (compared to others *cough cough* sony), and Nikon has great button layouts. Canon cameras feel fantastic in my hands, whereas those with smaller hands might find Sony feels a bit better, Nikon also has great deep grips. While I prefer Canon for the feel, the user interface, the features, and quality, a lot of it depends on personal preference.



  • Features
    While Megapixels and user experience is important, let's discuss other considerations. For a landscape photographer, a tack sharp frame is Vital. IBIS can come in handy in some specific scenarios like high winds, where your tripod may have minor fluctuations while shooting. Other considerations are features like Pixel-shift. Many modern cameras have this feature built-in where your sensor will shift ever-so-slightly and merge the images to create some absolutely massive files. Although, in my testing, this feature can tend to cause more problems than it solves, although it can have some very specific use cases like studio macro. Another noteworthy feature would be storage. Sd Cards, Cfexpress A, or B? Sd cards are the classic storage medium for cameras but max out in speeds at about 350mb/s For a landscape photographer, this isn't a big deal, but if you are spraying and praying a certain shot, your camera's buffer will fill up fast and you will be waiting to offload files onto the card. Sony is unique in this regard. They offer a Cfexpress Type A card in their cameras. They are faster than an SD card, but slower than a CFexpress type B and cost a TON more. This should be a consideration when choosing a system. One final feature to consider is HDR mode. Most cameras have an HDR mode built-in where the camera will do the bracketing for you. I can say from experience this is super helpful in high dynamic range scenes. Be sure your system has this feature. 


  • Value
    The overall value for your money is a serious consideration to be made. Assess what features are most important for you, and determine which cameras offer the most of those for the best price. If you are shooting Astro on a budget, hands-down the Canon R8 is your best choice. All the internals of the R6 mk II with some minor differences like IBIS and Batteries. If you are shooting Birds and Wildlife, the Sony A9 III or Canon R5 II are great contenders in their own regards. 



  • Lens Ecosystem
    While a camera body may be nice, you do need lenses. Sony has the widest availability of lenses on the market, as their E mount has been around for a while. The E mount is also open to third-party manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron. On the other hand Canon offers (in my opinion) some of the best and most unique lenses on the planet, take the unprecedented 28-70 F2. That being said, Canon is tight on who they allow to have access to their RF mount, making the options more limited than Sony. Nikon tends to be in the same category here. The lenses are usually more affordable than Canon and Sony, but they gatekeep their Z mounts. Overall, all 3 big manufacturers have lenses that cover anything you could ever need.





What Lenses Are Best for Landscape Photography?


Not an easy question. It depends, for a nature landscape photographer, it is critical to have a wide range of focal lengths covered. I have had a wide variety of Focal length covered over time and have almost always been able to make it work. But in general these are your best options:



  • Ultra Wide Angle (not commonly used): 10-14mm

  • Wide Angle: 14-35mm 

  • Medium Zoom: 24/28-70mm

  • Telephoto zoom: >100-400mm



Canon:

Canon r5 II

Sony:

Sony a7R5





Nikon:

Nikon Z8

Evaluating this on a surface level, Nikon seems like the best value proposition overall. A wide variety of practical lenses at a good cost with exceptional quality. Almost any option you go with today will be incredibly high quality given modern technology. Camera manufacturers have been spending more time and resources on the higher-end lines of camera gear given the entry-level marketplace has been eviscerated due to smartphones. 







Best Lenses and Cameras for Landscape photography

As previously seen, there are incredible options from the big 3 manufacturers, but as a canon shooter I will be focusing on Canon for these different loadouts. We will go over a maximum quality loadout, and a budget-minded loadout. 

Taken on a Canon r5 + 28-70mm



Loadout 1: Maximum quality camera system

Camera:

Canon has some remarkable offerings, but for the landscape photographer there's no better option than the new Canon R5 Mk II. While I think the R5 does the job perfectly, the R5 II refines it a bit more. Here are some key features of the R5 II 




  • 45 Megapixels

  • Incredible IBIS

  • HDR bracketing

  • Focus Stacking automation

  • Incredible Auto Focus

  • BSI sensor (meaning better readout speeds and low-light performance)

  • Enhanced viewfinder brightness and size

  • Cfexpress B Card slot + SD UHS II V90 

  • Fantastic Menu system

  • Incredible Video Capabilities

  • Canon Color Science

  • Great for Landscape and Wildlife with shutter speeds of 30fps with fast readout speeds





Wide-Angle:

As mentioned previously, Canon has some truly unique glass. Most other brands have a 14mm-24mm or 12mm-24mm wide angle lens option. Not Canon. Canon has 3 options I would consider for the Landscape photographer. 

The newest and craziest is the Canon 10mm-20mm F4, which replaced the Canon EF 11-24mm F2.8 released 9 years previously. The 10-20mm is super compact and lightweight while delivering unprecedented wide angle capabilities, becoming the first full-frame zoom to offer a focal range of 10mm. This lens is fairly new, and is basically impossible to find as of the writing of this article. 





The second option is the one I use. The Canon 14-35mm F4L. This is a fantastic overall wide zoom. You have the quality of Canon L, in a lightweight lens that has filter threads! Filter threads are remarkable on a wide zoom, and super helpful for simplifying the filter process for long-exposure photography. No more complicated rigs for large 195mm square ND filters.





The third option is the Canon 15-35mm F2.8L This one would be great if you intend on doing a solid amount of Astro. 15mm is very wide and F2.8 lets in enough light to be used for night time photography. This was one of Canon's first native RF lenses and can be found used for a pretty decent price. 




Mid-range Zoom:

There are 3 more recommendations I will make for this range, as it all depends on your needs and goals. Needless to say, canon has great offerings for any of those needs or goals. 


My personal workhorse that is basically glued to my camera, and the most expensive, heaviest, but sharpest lens ever is the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L. This was the first full-frame zoom lens with an aperture of F2, and it is nothing short of stunning. Every time I use this lens I am astonished at how sharp it is. I can easily say it is the sharpest lens I have ever used hands down. That being said, it is wildly expensive at just shy of $3,000, and it is insanely heavy. This lens weighs a staggering 3.15lbs, which is heavier than the gigantic Canon 100-500mm Telephoto zoom! 

Your next option is the best of all worlds. The Canon 24-105mm F4L has the sharpness you expect out of a Canon RF lens, with solid reach up to 105mm, and a very reasonable price at just around $1300 with plenty being available used for under $1000.

The last option on this list is a classic. The Canon 24-70mm f2.8L. What can be said about ol’ reliable that hasn't been said already? The 24-70mm is a classic zoom range that will suit you well no matter the use. While it is more geared towards portraits and photojournalism, this focal range is still fantastic for Landscape. 


Telephoto Zoom:

Canon has plenty of amazing Telephoto, and Super Telephoto lenses like the 600mm F4L or the absurd 1200mm F8, but we're focusing on the zooms here for practical purposes. If you have an unlimited budget, don't care about weight and are primarily shooting birds, maybe look elsewhere. 



Your first option is the aforementioned Canon 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 which is somehow lighter than the 28-70mm F2L but I digress. I have used this lens extensively and paired with an R5 the autofocus is outstanding, and the image quality is what you’d expect from Canon. For the price, this is a serious contender. This lens will generally run you about $3,000 but can be found on sale frequently. 



A cheaper, and longer reach option is the new Canon 200-800mm F6.3-9. This lens comes in at a very reasonable $1,900, but can be a bit clunky to use, being very front heavy. This a good all-around telephoto zoom to get into those hard-to-reach places. Given the small aperture, you may need to compensate with ISO using this lens which should be a consideration. Also consider if you are running any mid-range zoom, you will be missing 130-95mm of focal range in the 70/105-200mm range. 

Taken on a Canon r5 + 28-70mm

Loadout 2: Budget-friendly Camera system


The Budget-Friendly choices for canon are a little more straightforward in my opinion. There are 2 cameras I would suggest, and a few lenses as well, depending on if you intend to buy used or new.



Camera:
For the Camera there are a few options depending on what your needs and budget are. My overall top pick would be the Canon R8. You have the internals as the Canon R6 II, with a 24 Megapixel sensor (which is very workable for landscape, and great in low-light), World-class autofocus, etc. The only main downsides are no IBIS, a smaller hand feel, and a smaller battery. You can currently get an R8 for around $1,300 new (look out for sales), which is astonishing for the quality. You can pick them up for just over $1,000 on the second hand market. 



Climbing a little higher in price I would consider the R5 I. Now that the R5 II is out, Canon is cutting the MSRP for the R5, and will likely continue to do so in the coming months. With many professionals upgrading, this also means the secondary market will soon be flooded with R5’s. This means you Can get a new Canon R5 for around $3,000 new, and around $2,000 on the used marketplace. Even though the R5 II is the newest shiny thing on the market, I can tell you that as a landscape photographer, I haven’t considered an upgrade at all. A vast majority of the new features have no pertinence to the landscape photographer, unless you shoot a lot of animals / birds. 



Wide-Angle:

This is a straight-forward choice. If you are going ultra-low-budget, consider the Canon 16mm f2.8 STM lens. This thing costs pocket change- at around $250 brand new and under $200 used, and can produce decently sharp images. For the vast majority of cases though, I cannot speak highly enough of the Canon 14-35mm F4L. Brand new, you can purchase this lens for around $1,200 depending on sales at the time of writing this. I purchased mine used like new with the original packaging for around $1,100.



Learn more:

If you are just starting out with your new camera gear, and don't know where to start, consider one of my workshops like my Outer Banks Photography Workshop in the fall of 2025, or my Blue Ridge Mountains workshop co-hosted by Peter Forister that focuses on shooting waterfalls and wildflowers near Roanoke, Va in May/June 2025.


Conclusion:
There’s much to be said about the current state of the Camera industry, one thing that cannot be said is that there aren't enough options. Hopefully this list helped narrow down your options to make the choice easier for the best Camera and lenses for landscape photography

Darin Deveau
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