The Perfect Landscape Lens

Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f2.8L II, 31mm, f/16, 1/50 sec, tripod.

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I have been searching for the perfect landscape lens for a 35mm system since I was shooting film , ok so now that I've shown my age, what is the perfect landscape lens?

To me the perfect landscape lens would be a zoom as sharp as the best primes and with enough resolution to shoot f/64, but oh wait thats what the Large Format segment has, so now what? well at 35mm our minimum aperture is usually f/22, beyond that and diffraction would make our images so fuzzy you could hardly tell what you where looking at.

I never shoot beyond f/16, and with some lenses I wont go beyond f/11, with my newest lens, the EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, I have the first lens that Im not afraid to shoot at f/16, although it is sharper at f/11 I will still go to f/16 without hesitation and that is due to its resolution.

 Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f2.8L II, 35mm, f/16, 1/50 sec, tripod.

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Canons super wide could still use some improvement now that the 24-70 and 70-200 have been improved to the point of equaling or bettering the competition, but I still like my EF 16-35 f/2.8L II and will stick with it.

I keep getting asked, "what is a good landscape lens" my answer is always, the best lens you can afford, not every one can afford the f/2.8 zooms or want to carry them all, I know I don't want to carry all that weight, there are compromise lenses, you just need to figure out their limitations and use them at there optimum aperture. Focal length? well I use 16mm all the way up to 300mm for landscape, but typical landscape images I take are probably between 24mm and 35mm.

So right now, my perfect landscape lens is the EF 24-70f/2.8L II

Ross 

Images In Light 

Park Butte

Image: 5D Mk II,16-35 f2.8 L, 23mm at f10, 1/50 sec, hand held 3 stop GND.

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Mt Baker from Park Butte
Image: 5D Mk II, 16-35 f2.8 L, 29mm at f16, 1/25 sec, hand held 3 stop GND.

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Definitely one of the most beautiful hikes in the state, Park Butte on the south side of Mt Baker or Kulshan (the Indian name) just a couple hours from the trail head and just 2 1/2 hours north of the Seattle area.

Three trails lead off to different parts of the mountain, photo opportunities abound on these trails, with Kulshan in view most of the time. Get up Railroad Grade to climbers camp and to see a glacier tumble off a cliff or make your way up the Roman Wall to summit the mountain. Great wildlife opportunities all summer and fall color the first week of October.

Black and white conversion done in Lightroom.

Ross

Images In Light

My favorite Image for 2009

Image: 5D Mk II, 17-40 f4 L, 3 stop soft GND, Mt Baker B and W.

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Kulshan (the Lummi indian name), The most prominent active volcano in the The North Cascades and part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. Renamed Mt Baker in 1792.

Ross Murphy Images In Light