7 Best Canon Lenses for Landscape Photography in 2024

If you love capturing the beauty of nature, then you’ll want to know what are the best Canon lenses for landscape photography. With so many options available, it can be tough to know which lens will best suit your needs for capturing stunning landscapes.

Our top choice is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, chosen for its versatile focal range and sharpness. This lens allows photographers to capture everything from wide landscapes to more detailed close-ups. Landscape photography covers a wide range of styles, so we’ve also chosen six other lenses for landscape photography, each with unique features to suit different shooting styles.

What Is the Best Canon Lens for Landscape Photography?

Selecting the best Canon lens for landscape photography involves considering sharpness, focal length, and build quality to withstand outdoor conditions. Our list includes Canon and Sigma lenses, chosen for their ability to capture vast, detailed landscapes. From ultra-wide angles for expansive views to telephoto lenses for distant details, each lens offers unique advantages for landscape photography, ensuring you have the right tool for any scene.

Our Favorite Canon Lenses for Landscape Photography

Let’s take a closer look at our favorite Canon lenses. From ultra-wide angles capturing vast landscapes to telephoto lenses bringing distant details into focus, there’s a perfect lens for every landscape photography enthusiast. Explore these options to find the best fit for your photography style.

The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is simply one of the best, most versatile lenses you can buy for a Canon. No surprise, then, that it is a good option for landscape photography. This is partly due to its wide focal range which allows you to capture vast landscapes at 24mm and zoom in for detailed shots at 70mm. But also due to the lens’s impressive sharpness, especially from edge to edge, which is important for capturing the fine details in nature.

Although the optics are superb, it does have some barrel distortion at 24mm. This can affect straight lines in landscapes, making them appear curved. But, this distortion can be fixed with editing software. The lens lacks image stabilization, which isn’t a big issue for landscapes since many photographers use tripods for stability during long exposures.

You will find this lens attached to countless professional photographers’ Canon cameras because it excels in such a wide range of situations. It’s a firm favorite with wedding photographers, but also for street photography. In fact, it is such a handy focal range, and such high quality, that it often functions as a standard lens. So, you might by it for landscapes, but you’ll probably use it every day.

The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is a top pick for landscape photographers. Its wide focal range from 15mm to 35mm captures vast scenes with ease. The lens is sharp across the frame, making every detail stand out. Its build is tough, ready for outdoor shoots in rough weather. Weighing 1.85 lbs (840 g), it’s manageable for hikes.

This lens has superb image stabilization (IS), a big plus for shooting in low light without a tripod. IS helps keep shots sharp at slower shutter speeds. The autofocus is possibly the fastest you will find, and stays on point, even in dim conditions. For landscapes, the ability to switch to manual focus is handy, especially for fine-tuning focus on distant subjects.

The Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM is an exceptional lens, that will breathe new, expansive life into your landscape work. You’ll also find it works superbly for architectural shots and real estate. 

The Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM combines a very useful zoom range, with a fast maximum aperture, making it a great choice for landscape photography. You can capture vast scenes in sharp detail, from edge to edge. It’s built tough, ready for outdoor adventures, and weighs 1.74 lbs (790 g), making it a solid choice for photographers on the move.

Its f/2.8 aperture performs well in low light, allowing for creative shots with a shallow depth of field. While it lacks image stabilization, using a tripod can easily overcome this in most landscape settings. The autofocus is reliable, quickly adjusting to changes in the scene. For landscapes, the manual focus option is a plus, offering precise control over the shot.

If you tire of pointing your Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM at the land, then turn it to the sky, as it makes an excellent astrophotography lens. The quality of its optics makes this an expensive, but worthwhile investment.

The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM is a lens with exceptional performance and a fast maximum aperture making it a solid choice for landscape photography. Its focal range, from a moderate wide-angle to a short telephoto, covers many scenarios in landscape shooting. The constant f/2 aperture is impressive, allowing for low-light captures without sacrificing sharpness. In fact, the sharpness at every aperture and focal length sets this lens apart. Weighing 3.15 lbs (1.43 kg), it’s on the heavier side, heavier than zooms with longer focal ranges, which might be a consideration for those trekking long distances.

Sharpness is top-notch across the zoom range, ensuring that every detail of the landscape is captured with clarity. The lens handles chromatic aberration and distortion well, making images look natural and sharp. Its construction is robust and designed to withstand the elements, which is crucial for landscape photographers often working in challenging conditions.

As we’ve already seen, the 28-70mm is a professional’s favorite, and with this lens, Canon has taken an old favorite and upgraded it for their mirrorless cameras. It’s faster, sharper, and heavier than its EF cousin. It is a superb lens for daily use across a range of genres.

The Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM | A for Canon EF is a top choice for landscape photographers seeking wide, dramatic scenes. Its ultra-wide zoom range captures expansive views with minimal distortion, making it perfect for vast landscapes and architectural shots. Weighing 2.5 lbs (1.2 kg), it’s relatively heavy but manageable for short hikes or trips where capturing wide perspectives is key.

Sharpness is exceptional across the zoom range, ensuring every detail of the landscape is crisp. The lens handles chromatic aberration well, thanks to its advanced optical design, resulting in clear, vibrant images. While it lacks image stabilization, its wide aperture allows for sufficient light, reducing the need for long exposures in many situations.

This lens stands out for its build quality and optical performance, making it a solid option for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Its versatility and image quality make it a valuable addition to any landscape photographer’s bag, despite its weight and size.

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens is a powerhouse for capturing distant landscapes. Its zoom range allows photographers to pick out specific features of the landscape, such as wildlife or distant peaks, bringing them closer with clarity. Weighing about 3.49 lbs (1.6 kg), it’s hefty but worth it for the image quality it delivers.

You probably won’t rely on this as your only landscape lens, but there are many opportunities to use a telephoto for striking landscapes. Sharpness is exceptional across the zoom range, ensuring that every detail in the landscape is captured with precision. The lens’s image stabilization is a big help, allowing for sharper images even when handholding in lower light conditions. It’s a pro-level lens, that belongs in the outdoors, and the weather sealing helps to keep it working in bad weather.

This lens stands out for its versatility and optical performance, making it very useful for landscape photographers who also venture into wildlife or sports photography. Its weight and size are considerations, but for the image quality and flexibility it offers, many find it an indispensable part of their photography kit.

The Samyang 14mm f/2.8 MK2 for Canon EF is a manual focus prime lens that excels in landscape photography. Its ultra-wide angle captures vast scenes with impressive sharpness, making it ideal for expansive landscapes and night skies. Weighing 1.41 lbs (639 g), it’s relatively light for its class, enhancing its appeal for photographers on the move.

This lens boasts minimal distortion for its wide focal length, a crucial feature for maintaining straight horizon lines in landscapes. The added weather sealing in the MK2 version ensures durability in various outdoor conditions, from dusty deserts to misty mountains. It’s incredibly good value for an f/2.8 lens, mainly because of its manual focus design. Of all photography genres, landscape photography is particularly suited to manual focus. You’ll probably find yourself fine-tuning your AF lens anyway. So it’s no great sacrifice. 

For those who value image quality and are comfortable with manual focusing, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 MK2 offers great value. Its solid build and optical performance make it a useful tool for capturing the beauty of the natural world, despite its lack of autofocus.

Conclusion: The Best Canon Lenses for Landscape Photography

We think there is something for everyone in this review of the best Canon lenses for landscape photography. We’ve considered focal range, sharpness, and build quality. All to help you choose the right lens for capturing stunning landscapes, whether you need wide angles for expansive views or telephoto lenses for detailed shots.

Our top choice, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, stands out for its versatility and edge-to-edge sharpness, making it ideal for a wide range of landscape scenes. There are six other lenses reviewed, offering options for every photographer’s needs.