Finding the perfect lens for landscape photography is an important search for the serious photographer, and although what is considered the "best" landscape photography lens largely depends on a clear definition of a landscape aesthetic, some important principles that pertain to all camera lenses can direct the searching photographer toward the best lens for landscape photography.
Focal Length
Focal length determines the framing size of the photograph. From a decent distance, a 35mm to 55mm focal length can fill the frame with a landscape subject. Larger focal lengths such as wide and ultra-wide lenses, ranging between 12mm and 25mm, provide greater focal angles resulting in the ability to both larger scenes and landscapes that are much closer to the photographer. The downside of such lenses is their tendency to distort the scene around the corners and edges as the focal length increases.
Aperture
Aperture determines the field of focus for the photograph. Larger apertures (e.g., F3, F8) provide a small field of focus, and smaller apertures (e.g., F16, F22) provide a larger field of focus. Landscape photographers generally prefer large fields of focus that can focus on both the stone six inches from the camera and the mountains and clouds perhaps miles away.
Polarizing Filter
Lastly, a polarizing filter is a fine addition to any landscape lens. This type of filter enables the photographer to filter out amounts of reflected light such as window reflections or light reflected by water. Applied to landscapes, this filter can create dramatic blue skies.
Conclusions
Again although the photographer's artistic preferences determine the aspects of a lens that would be best for landscape photography, generally speaking traditional landscape photographer prefer lenses with relatively wide or normal focal lengths (20mm to 35mm) and small apertures (F16 to F64). Most lenses offered in DSLR kits meet these general standards.
Tags: landscape photography, field focus, apertures provide, best landscape, best landscape photography, focal length, focal lengths
