What is the best lens for Lanscape photography

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brianh

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Brian Higgins
I like to shoot landscapes and I am saving up for a good lens to get the best out of my Canon R. As good lenses are VERY expensive I want to make sure that I get it right first time. I currently use the stock 24-105mm kit lens that was bundled with the camera. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on the matter, thanks
 
“Best” is always a bit subjective. Assuming you are looking for what is considered to be a “normal” landscape lens (Wide/UW-Norm zoom) you are looking for something in the 12-24, 15-35mm range. Price of course varies and “expensive” is also subjective.

The RF 25-105mm is a great lens And will probably handle majority of Landscape shots, assuming you are looking for something with more ultra-wide range, I’ve had the following lenses that all qualify as top rate Landscape lenses over the years. They all have pros and cons. I see you are in the UK while I am in the US so prices I note below are USD and likely higher in UK.


EF 17-40mm f/4L - Long time workhorse in the Canon lineup. Getting a little long in the tooth, but still gets good reviews. Cheapest new at $799 than other options, due to the number of them out there can find good copies much cheaper used. Starting at 17mm it doesn’t get as wide as the others. I had one many years ago, but didn’t keep it very long As the range just didn’t work for me.

EF 16-35mm f/4L - Great image quality, and at $1099, cheaper than an f/2.8, but only f/4. Not a problem for landscape where you will usually use smaller aperture, but for indoor use the extra stop might be important, bit not too much of a concern given the low light sensitivity of the R. I purchased this lens when I started doing more and more real estate work. Ended up selling it, but only after I made enough money with it to buy the EF 11-24mm.

EF 11-24mm f/4L - Also, great image quality and SUPER wide, but also SUPER expensive ($2999 new). Also only f/4. Very heavy lens and for some landscape shots 24mm may be a little too wide. I used it a lot for real estate work as the 11mm with no distortion is great inside for tight space. I took a pretty serious hit when I sold it, but that was softened somewhat by it also being a lens I made good money with. Sold it to get the RF 15-35mm when I decided to go all in on the R mount.

RF 15-35mm f/2.8L - Native RF mount, fast 2.8 max aperture. Pretty compact and light weight considering build quality. $2299 means it isn’t cheap, but considerably cheaper than the EF 11-24mm. After serious thought, I realized the f/2.8 and 24-35mm range was more useful to me than the 11-15mm range on the EF 11-24mm. To make up for the loss of the super wide, I did however pick up a 12mm Laowa lens for tight spots inside. 12mm Laowa in RF and the RF 15-35mm combo gives almost identical wide end, longer long end, f/2.8 and combined can be had for less than the prices of the EF 11-24mm and no need for an adapter.


Other lenses (I have no personal experience with)...

Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8L G2 - I nearly bought this lens twice. It gets fantastic reviews and and mixes a fast 2.8 aperture with bombproof construction, great reviews for image quality for a very reasonable $1299.

Finally, there are rumors of an RF 10-24mm f/4L in the works. I imagine it will be priced similar or more to the EF 11-24mm Also rumored is a Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM. Of these two - I would expect the 14-35mm to be a great balance of features and price similar to the EF 16-35mm f/4L.
 
“Best” is always a bit subjective. Assuming you are looking for what is considered to be a “normal” landscape lens (Wide/UW-Norm zoom) you are looking for something in the 12-24, 15-35mm range. Price of course varies and “expensive” is also subjective.

The RF 25-105mm is a great lens And will probably handle majority of Landscape shots, assuming you are looking for something with more ultra-wide range, I’ve had the following lenses that all qualify as top rate Landscape lenses over the years. They all have pros and cons. I see you are in the UK while I am in the US so prices I note below are USD and likely higher in UK.


EF 17-40mm f/4L - Long time workhorse in the Canon lineup. Getting a little long in the tooth, but still gets good reviews. Cheapest new at $799 than other options, due to the number of them out there can find good copies much cheaper used. Starting at 17mm it doesn’t get as wide as the others. I had one many years ago, but didn’t keep it very long As the range just didn’t work for me.

EF 16-35mm f/4L - Great image quality, and at $1099, cheaper than an f/2.8, but only f/4. Not a problem for landscape where you will usually use smaller aperture, but for indoor use the extra stop might be important, bit not too much of a concern given the low light sensitivity of the R. I purchased this lens when I started doing more and more real estate work. Ended up selling it, but only after I made enough money with it to buy the EF 11-24mm.

EF 11-24mm f/4L - Also, great image quality and SUPER wide, but also SUPER expensive ($2999 new). Also only f/4. Very heavy lens and for some landscape shots 24mm may be a little too wide. I used it a lot for real estate work as the 11mm with no distortion is great inside for tight space. I took a pretty serious hit when I sold it, but that was softened somewhat by it also being a lens I made good money with. Sold it to get the RF 15-35mm when I decided to go all in on the R mount.

RF 15-35mm f/2.8L - Native RF mount, fast 2.8 max aperture. Pretty compact and light weight considering build quality. $2299 means it isn’t cheap, but considerably cheaper than the EF 11-24mm. After serious thought, I realized the f/2.8 and 24-35mm range was more useful to me than the 11-15mm range on the EF 11-24mm. To make up for the loss of the super wide, I did however pick up a 12mm Laowa lens for tight spots inside. 12mm Laowa in RF and the RF 15-35mm combo gives almost identical wide end, longer long end, f/2.8 and combined can be had for less than the prices of the EF 11-24mm and no need for an adapter.


Other lenses (I have no personal experience with)...

Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8L G2 - I nearly bought this lens twice. It gets fantastic reviews and and mixes a fast 2.8 aperture with bombproof construction, great reviews for image quality for a very reasonable $1299.

Finally, there are rumors of an RF 10-24mm f/4L in the works. I imagine it will be priced similar or more to the EF 11-24mm Also rumored is a Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM. Of these two - I would expect the 14-35mm to be a great balance of features and price similar to the EF 16-35mm f/4L.
Thank you taking the time to put together a very comprehensive reply. It will probably be 9 months to a year before I get the lens. The RF 15-35mm F2.8L looks like the best choice for me. Hopefully by that time there may be good condition 2nd hand leneses available.
 
Hi Brian, Don't write off the Samyang AF 14mm f2.8 prime. It is available in a native RF mount, so no messing with adapters and considerably cheaper than Canons. I have this and its big brother the 85mm f1.4 and having great results with them. I did invest in the Samyang RF Lens Station to bring them both up to the latest firmware as there was reportedly problems with IBIS in earlier versions.
 
Hi Brian, Don't write off the Samyang AF 14mm f2.8 prime. It is available in a native RF mount, so no messing with adapters and considerably cheaper than Canons. I have this and its big brother the 85mm f1.4 and having great results with them. I did invest in the Samyang RF Lens Station to bring them both up to the latest firmware as there was reportedly problems with IBIS in earlier versions.
Agreed, Samyang/Rokinon 14mm offerings are an affordable way to go fast and wide with good image quality.

I have had the MF 14mm in the past, it was my first real estate lens. I currently have the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 in RF mount and it takes fantastic images for less than 1/3rd the cost of Canon’s RF 85mm f/1.2L
 
My first and only RF lens so far is the 24-70 f/2.8. I had the EF 16-35 f/2.8 II for 10 years but if anything it was a bit wide for what I was doing, even landscapes, so I traded it in, and the 24-70 will be better for general use, street stuff etc. Only had it for a month, and it seems plenty wide. If I start to miss the width then one of the Samyangs sounds like a good idea.
 
I think you're making a good choice with the 15-35mm since you already have the 24-105mm. When I look at most of my favorite landscape style shots I've taken, most of them are with the 24-105mm, but that is mostly because it is my goto lens for when I only bring one lens with me. The vast majority of those shots are at or around 24mm, and many would be better with a bit more FOV. Now that have the 15-35mm I'm loving it!
 

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