5 Best Landscape Lens for Nikon D850 – A Complete Guide
Are you looking for the best landscape lens for Nikon D850? I am a proud owner of the model myself and I was in the same position not too long ago. One would think that being an intermediate amateur photographer for over five years it would be easy to choose an appropriate lens. But boy was I wrong. To be honest, when I started researching which lens I should buy, I was quickly overwhelmed by all the information from the web. The more articles I read and the more videos I watched, the more I was confused.
Until I finally talked to my friend Jim, a professional photographer, and told him about my problem. We sat down and discussed what I really need and what I will be using my new lens for the most. At the time I was also not yet determined about the budget. So together we compiled a list of 5 best landscape lenses which I will be sharing with you today. With his help, I finally made my purchase. And I am super happy with it ?.
The best landscape lens for Nikon D850 is the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR. This lens is ideal for normal shots and more importantly wide-angle shots. The key feature here is its Vibration Reduction. We will cover more details about that under the camera description.
This is also the lens that Jim recommended and I purchased in the end. I have been using it for quite a while now and I must say that I really enjoy taking landscape photos with it. Especially image stabilization features make it possible to take landscape shots while holding the camera. For these kinds of shots, I would normally have to use a tripod. But with NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G I can forget it at home ?.
Which are the best Landscape Lenses for Nikon D850 – For any budget
As I already mentioned, at the time of making my purchased I didn’t decide on the budget yet. So Jim recommended me a few lenses from different price ranges and explained the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. I taught this was really helpful so I decided to share this information. Below is a list of the best landscape lenses for Nikon D850 currently on the market. I finally decided to stretch my budget a little and go for the Best Overall lens. But there are also some great and more affordable choices.
Invalid table id.NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED – Best overall Landscape Lens for Nikon D850
There are more than a few reasons why this lens is now my favorite landscape lens for my Nikon D850. Firstly, most of the time when you will be taking landscape shots you will have a high f stop (narrow aperture) setting. This means more of the scene will be in focus but also less light passes through the lens onto the camera sensor.
To compensate for this effect you will have to use a longer shutter speed. But if you are holding the camera in your hand a slower shutter speed may make your image look blurry.
This is where the Vibration Reduction function comes. It negates any shaking of your hand allowing for longer shutter speeds without compromising on the sharpness of the photo. You can leave your tripod at home from now on ?. VR is the main feature of why I decided to purchase this lens in the end. And it is also one of the main features why I believe this is the best overall landscape lens for Nikon D850.
One downside worth considering may be the size. But for me, compared to 14-24 lens it is not so bad. I will take quality over size and weight any day.
- Ideal for wide-angle and "normal" shots
- Maximum aperture: f/4 ; Offers two focus modes, M/A (autofocus with manual override) and M (manual)
- Lens construction: 17 elements in 12 groups
- Image stabilization, vibration reduction (VR II) up to 4 stops
- Nikon F mount for FX and DX DSLRs
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED Fixed Zoom Lens
This is a prime lens and has the benefit of being faster than the previous one. 35 mm is usually the longest focal length that can be seen as a wide-angle lens. It encompasses more of the scene than a 50 mm lens would without introducing any noticeable distortion. This is the reason why this lens can still be used as a landscape lens. 35 mm focal length is also kind of a balance where you can really use this lens for many different types of photography. The disadvantage however is obvious, you are limited to only one focal length.
- Lens not zoomable; 35 millimeter focal length, Macro Focus Range : 0.25 meter
- 52.5 millimeter equivalent focal length on DX Format cameras; F1.8 maximum aperture, F16 minimum
- Ultrasonic type AF motor with full time manual focusing; 58 millimeter filters; Note: Refer the user manual before use
- Note: This is an FX format F mount lens. FX and DX lenses can be mounted on all Nikon DSLR cameras. However, using a DX lens on an FX camera or an FX lens on a DX camera will result in a 1.5x crop factor
- 35 millimeter focal length, macro focus range: 0.25 meter. Rear focusing system
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
Some photographers would argue that this is one of the best landscape lenses of any brand on the market. In fact, many Canon users frequently use adapters to be able to use it. It is handling scenes with a wide dynamic range really well. Which is one of the most important features a landscape photographer should be focused on.
One obvious drawback is its price. And it is pretty heavy too so you should keep that in mind. Especially if you bring your camera on your hiking trips.
- Focal Length Range: 14 -24 millimeter
- Minimum focus distance 0.9 feet. (0.28 meter), minimum f/stop 22
- Lens construction 14/11 (2 ED glass elements, 3 aspherical lenses and 1 Nano Crystal Coat)
- Angle of View: 114° - 84°
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED Fixed Lens
This 20 mm ultra-wide view lens is perfect for capturing landscapes or architecture. If you are looking for a lens specifically to capture wide scenes then this one is very much worth considering. However, if you want a little more variety out of your new lens, then you may consider some lenses with variable focal lengths on this list.
Being a price lens it is the fastest nikon ultra-wide angle lens and also bring very consistent optical performance.
- Compact, lightweight, FX-format lens that combines the ultra-wide perspective of a 20mm focal length, the low-light capabilities and shallow Depth of field of an F/18 maximum aperture and the superb optical characteristics of an advanced NIKKOR prime lens
- Maximum reproduction Ratio: 0.23x.Aspherical lens elements and extra-low Dispersion glass elements with Nano Crystal Coat combat sagittal flare and chromatic aberration for superb, sharp Rendering across the entire frame
- Innovative silent Wave Motor (SWM) uses ultrasonic waves for fast, accurate, near quiet autofocusing as close as 78-inches from your subject
- Delivers a 20mm, 94 Degree angle of view that's ideal for stills or motion capture, minimum focus Distance is 0.66 feet from focal plane
- Produces beautifully blurred backgrounds in your photos and HD videos and lets you shoot at lower is settings to retain high image quality at its maximum aperture setting of f/18
Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8D Lens
If you are really tight on your budget you are not left with many options. But luckily Nikon is still offering some great performing lenses such as NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8. I chose this lens as the best affordable landscape lens for Nikon D850 because it is fast and light. Having a fixed 28 mm focal length it is a true wide-angle lens that makes great landscape shots.
- Compact, lightweight wide angle lens for general photography
- 74 degree (53 degree with Nikon DX format) picture angle for candid, portraits, and travel photographs
- Nikon Super Integrated Coating for minimized flare and ghost, providing good color balance
- Exceptionally light at only 7.4 ounces
- 0.85 Foot close focusing distance
Why Lens matters for Nikon D850 Landscape Photography?
Aside from the camera body, a lens is the most important piece of equipment that can make the photo look great or bad. Some photographers would argue that a lens is even more important than the camera itself. Well, surely the lens cannot take the photo by itself. But a difference between a masterpiece and an average everyday photo can sometimes be just a choice of the right lens.
When you decided to take the photo of the landscape you must first imagine in your head what you want your final result to look like. Which objects you want to capture into the frame, what should the composition be, should everything be in focus or should there be elements that appear blurry. Only by having the right idea you can then proceed to choosing an appropriate lens.
Lenses matter because they change the way you compose your photographs. Every lens has its own way of “seeing” the world. Wide angles let you emphasize different elements compared to telephotos, and other aspects of a lens – things like weight, flare performance, maximum aperture, and sharpness – also can matter significantly for the type of landscape photos you take.
Most Important Features of Nikon D850 Landscape Lens
- APERTURE is probably the most important to consider for landscape photographers. It defines how much light passes through the lens onto the camera sensor. But it is not only that. The aperture also defines the depth of field, which is how much of the scene is in focus. The larger the aperture, the more light passes through the lens and the shallower is the depth of field. This basically means that only the subject at the focus distance will be sharp while the rest of the scene will be blurry. For landscape photography, we want just the opposite so we use a small aperture setting to achieve deep depth of field. Of course, this may not always be the case, depending on the composition you may want to achieve.
- FOCAL LENGTH is important when deciding how wide of a scene we want to capture. Lower focal lengths like 14 to 24 mm are considered wide-angle lenses while 35 to 50 mm are closer to natural human perception. Above 60 mm we are talking about telephoto lenses. For landscape photography, we are usually using we were normally using wide-angle lenses since we want to include as much scene onto the frame as possible. But balance and composition are also important so a 14 mm setting will not always be the optimal choice.
- VIBRATION REDUCTION: We talked about it at the best overall landscape lens for Nikon D850. It comes in useful especially when you go on a hike and want to take spontaneous photos. You don’t want to bother setting up your tripod for every opportunity that comes along to get a sharp photo.
Final Thoughts
There you have it ?. Choosing a landscape lens for my Nikon D850 was not an easy task. When you pay a lot for your camera you also want to make sure you buy the right lenses for your desired type of photography. As an amateur photographer, I was confused at first. But after talking to one of my best friends who is a professional photographer we managed to find the perfect lens for me.
I hope you found my guide useful and it will help you make the right decision also for yourself. Oh, and if you have a question you are welcome to comment below or contact me through the contact form. I am always happy to exchange experiences with my fellow photography enthusiasts. Wish you tons of great landscape photos with your new lens ?.
