Canon’s best lenses for landscape photography

In this article, experienced landscape photographer and Canon Ambassador David Naughton shares his thoughts on lens selection for landscape photography, and Mike Burnhill, Canon professional equipment specialist and lens expert, talks about why these particular lenses are so good for landscapes.

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Dawn in Perthshire, Scotland. Mount Shihollion reflected from the surface of Loch Rannoch. For this shot, David used the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2 lens.The 8L II USM, which he recommends as Canon’s best all-around lens for any kind of landscape photography. Taken with Canon EOS 5DS R with Canon EF 24-70mm f/2 lens.8L II USM and the following parameters: 0.8 sec., f/16 and ISO 100. &copy David Naughton

“Most of the time I shoot landscapes with my 50-megapixel Canon EOS 5DS R,” says David, “and when working at high resolutions, you need the best quality lenses.”. All of the lenses David chose are Canon L-series lenses. These fast lenses are made from the finest materials, weatherproofed and coated to eliminate glare and ghosting, and feature an advanced image stabilization system.

“An important factor for me when choosing a lens is build quality,” confirms David. – “People often buy less reliable lenses for a low price, but if you’re taking pictures in Iceland for example, you need to make sure you can walk through fire and water with this lens.

Evening and the perfect reflection of Sliok Mountain from the surface of Loch Marie. Worcester-Ross, Scotland. According to David, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2 lens.The 8L II USM, with which this shot is taken, is his all-around choice for landscape photography. Taken with a Canon EOS 5DS R and a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2 lens.8L II USM and the following parameters: 0.4 sec., f/11 and ISO 100. &copy David Naughton

Among the lenses David chose, there is not a single prime lens. “I often use fix lenses when I travel, but for landscape photography I prefer options with a zoom range,” he says. – The quality of zoom lenses has skyrocketed in recent years, and the latest generation of L-series zoom lenses are as good as fixed focal length lenses. When I’m heading off into the wilderness I expect my equipment to be as flexible as possible.

I find the ability to crop the frame with the zoom very useful. Also, when shooting with fix lenses, you spend too much time not shooting, but searching for the right lens in the bag and changing filter rings, whereas special attention should be paid to the light conditions, which sometimes change so rapidly.”.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.The 8L II USM is Canon’s best lens for any kind of landscape photography

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t carrying this lens on location,” says David Naughton. – I probably use it most often for landscapes because of its versatility. The range of focal lengths allows it to be used for both wide-angle and single subject photography. Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.The 8L II USM is a relatively compact and portable lens for outside studio work that delivers exceptional image quality across the entire focal length range. If there was only one lens I had to choose from, it would be this one.

Mike Burnhill adds: “This is a great all-around lens with a great reputation and is considered one of the best lenses of all manufacturers. F/2 aperture.8 allows it to be used in low light, and to make individual subjects stand out with differentiated focus. “It’s an L-series lens, so you don’t have to worry about weather protection – you can be sure it will still deliver the best results outdoors in bad weather.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM is Canon’s best landscape zoom lens

“I’m increasingly choosing lenses with longer focal lengths for landscapes,” says David. – I love the sense of scale they allow you to capture with precision. If you want to make a mountain look bigger, for example, use the long focal length, and the trees will appear diminutive against that mountain.

With these focal lengths you can create individual graphic compositions. The 70-200mm is also great for picking out individual details that are quite far away from the landscape. My Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM has a maximum aperture of f/2.8, and I’ve already photographed many times with a minimum depth of field. I also use it to create composite compositions from several individual shots.”.

The colors of autumn near the Ain River in the Jura, France. David used the lens for this shot

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

, because he says you can use those focal lengths to create individual, graphic compositions. Taken on camera

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

With the lens

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

and the following parameters: 1.6 sec., f/16 and ISO 100. &copy David Naughton

Mike admits that the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM is a great lens for landscape photography, but notes that the new generation of this model, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.The 8L IS III USM is almost identical to the previous one, but has improved coating and mechanical components. He says:

“Most landscape photographers use a tripod, but in case you need to capture something without a tripod, the 3.5-stop IS will help you create a clear shot. As with the other lenses in the L-series, autofocus is controlled by a ring-type ultrasonic motor around the lens rim, which makes focusing very quick. You can also control focus manually by tapping the focus ring to set manual focus. The lens is coated with fluorite to give it outstanding protection against external influences – in the rain, water droplets simply run off and do not produce stains that can interfere with image quality.

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is Canon’s best telephoto lens for landscapes

“I use the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4 lens a lot.5-5.6L IS II USM for landscapes and use all focal lengths in the available range. I found the extra focal length down to 400mm made it more versatile,” says David. – This lens has long since paid for itself. You can get sharp shots and it’s very compact for its focal length. Its 4-stop image stabilizer, similar to the system found on the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM, proves its usefulness. It even works well with a tripod, even up in the hills, where strong winds are a serious problem. This lens would also be an excellent choice for capturing quality close-up images.

Dawn near Compton Pownsfoot Parish in Somerset, England. A shot taken from Cadbury Township. David said of the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, which he used in taking this shot, the following: “I found that the extra focal length all the way up to 400mm makes it more versatile.”. Taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM and the following parameters: 1.0 sec, f/11 and ISO 100. &copy David Naughton

“A lot of people think it’s a lens for wildlife and sports photography, but it’s also very good for landscape photography,” agrees Mike. – That’s why it pays to look at a landscape from a different angle, to be able to pick out details in its surroundings, such as lonely trees. A very useful feature is the zoom control ring – it allows you to adjust the zoom to suit the subject you choose to capture. It also helps avoid accidentally changing the focal length when you touch the lens”.

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.The 8L III USM is Canon’s best wide angle lens for landscapes

“The focal length of the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM really helps with landscapes, especially when you want to accentuate the foreground of an image,” says David. – I also use it for shooting the night sky, and the f/2.8 allows you to work with long enough shutter speeds without having to set the ISO high. It is a great choice for wide angle night sky photography, for example if you want to show the full extent of the Milky Way. In situations like this you have to be completely confident in the capabilities of your lens and be able to shoot at maximum aperture without losing sharpness at the edges of the frame.

Sunset near the rock islands at Pointe de Panne Ir, Brittany, France. David says he likes using the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2 wide angle lens.8L III USM in order to emphasize the foreground. The Milky Way above Durdle Dor, Dorset, England. According to David, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2 lens.8L III USM “is a great choice for wide-angle night sky photography, such as when you want to show the full extent of the Milky Way.”.

Mike notes: “The Canon EF 16-35mm f/2 lens.The 8L III USM outperforms previous generations of this model when it comes to edge-to-edge clarity. The sharpness of the images it produces is incredible, especially at the 16mm focal length and maximum aperture setting and the 16mm itself captures images with a coverage you don’t often find with other cameras. It is an excellent choice for capturing images with a lot of detail, such as cityscapes, and its wide field of view is similar to that of the human eye.

Tilt-shift lenses: Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L and TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II is the best Canon lens for landscape photography with lines

“Tilt and shift lenses are special devices that are generally considered suitable only for shooting architecture, but I believe they’re great for landscapes as well,” says David. – The shift function is especially useful for correcting converging vertical lines. For example, if you use a wide angle lens to create a landscape with a prominent vertical element at the edge of the frame, such as a tree, that element will be distorted and tilted toward the center of the frame. The shift function avoids this kind of distortion.

At the same time, the tilt function makes it possible to change the focus plane. You can use it to maximize the clarity of objects both in the foreground and in the background, or choose the minimum depth of field to emphasize one object and create a blur effect.”.