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If you have the talent and know-how for landscape photography, all you need to elevate your art is a quality camera meant for shooting landscapes to enhance image quality. Finding the best camera for landscape photography depends on your preferences and, of course, the features the camera offers.
Having trouble choosing? We put together this guide to help. In it, you’ll learn about the features of the best cameras for the job and we even included some of the best cameras for landscape photography we found this year.
To get inspired, check out our tips for landscape photography.
What to Look for In Choosing the Best Camera for Landscape Photography
The right features for the best camera for landscape photography can be a bit subjective, depending on the photographer. However, there are a few main features that every landscape photographer can agree on.
Dynamic Range
The dynamic range is one of the most important features to look at when deciding which camera is the best for landscape photography.
This is the camera’s ratio between the minimum measurable light intensity to the maximum measurable light intensity. In other words, the shadows in an image and the highlights in an image.
For a landscape photography camera, you need a wide dynamic range. Since you’re taking such a wide shot with different elements, you don’t want to have to worry about overexposed or underexposed images.
The dynamics of the camera will match the dynamics of the image you’re ready to capture.
Image Sensor Size
The next feature to check out before purchasing a camera for landscape photography is the sensor size. This decides how much light the lens requires to capture the perfect photo. The information it collects includes light color and intensity.
Once this information hits the lens, the shutter speed decides how long the cames needs to read the information. The ISO sensitivity determines how much light should be amplified for the perfect image as it saves it to the camera.
Since a landscape photo is a wide image, you need a high sensor size. The higher the image sensor size, the more information the camera can process to make its decision.
A full screen is one of the top options for landscape photography and one of the largest sensor sizes at 36mm x 24mm. This doesn’t crop the image so what you see when you capture the image is what you get.
Resolution/Megapixels
The resolution is measured in megapixels and is the amount of detail the camera is capable of capturing in an image.
Lower resolution cameras capture grainy or noisy photos that prevent you from seeing the beautiful details you wanted to capture in the landscape. So, when it comes to landscape photography, the higher the resolution, the better. It will capture all the details that caused you to want to photograph the landscape in the first place.
A Live View
A live view on a camera is just the ability to see what your lens is pointing at through a screen. This comes in handy when you’re a landscape photographer because you can see the entire image instead of being limited by the lens.
3 Best Cameras for Landscape Photography
Here are our top choices for landscape photography cameras, along with some of the key specs.
Canon Eos 5D Mark IV Camera (Body)
Dynamic Range: This Canon EOS model is about 12 stops of dynamic range, including in low light.
Sensor Size: It’s a full-frame sensor camera so it won’t crop the image after it’s taken unless you specify it. The full-frame of the EOS ensures you get beautiful shots.
Resolution: The Canon EOS is high-resolution at 30.4 megapixels.
Live View: It has a touchscreen live view so you can see every detail before you take the shot.
Other Features:
- The ISO range is 100 32000 with 50 102400 expansion.
- It shoots up to 7 frames per second.
- There’s a 61 point AF system with 41 cross points to create huge vertical views.
Learn more about the Canon EOS 5D at Amazon.
Nikon D850 FX-Format Camera (Body)
Dynamic Range: This Nikon model has an amazing range of 14.8 stops.
Sensor Size: It has a full-frame camera for a full image when you shoot with it. This sensor has no optical low pass filter and also uses the Back-Side Illuminated (BSI) Full Frame Sensor.
Resolution: The high-resolution on this Nikon model is superb at 45.7 megapixels which is pretty high for a DSLR camera.
Live View: It has a touchscreen live view that can tilt at different angles, perfect for examining what the lens is aiming at so you get the right shot.
Other Features:
- It has an ISO of 64 and it can be expandable down to 32, the lowest ISO of any DSLR camera.
- This DSLR can take nine frames per second.
- Its AutoFocus allows you to take images even very low light situations.
- There’s a “Silent Photography” setting that ensures the camera is completely silent when it takes a shot.
Learn more about the Nikon D850 at Amazon.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX1 RII Camera (Body)
Dynamic Range: The dynamic range for this Sony model is 13 stops.
Sensor Size: it uses a full-screen sensor with a back-illuminated structure. Sony promises the highest number of focal-plane phase-detection AF points.
Resolution: This camera is very high-resolution with its 42.4 megapixels, another great resolution for a DSLR.
Live View: The live view on the camera is three inches and LCD to create a quality image that matches what you’re looking at. It also tilts up and down so you can see from different angles.
Other Features:
- This Sony camera has the world’s very first user-selectable optical variable low-pass filter.
- The viewfinder is retractable so you can view your shot accurately before taking it.
- It uses a 35mm F2.0 ZEISS Sonnar T lens with macro compatibility. The macro shift ring allows you to focus on subjects that are 5.5 inches in front of the lens.
Learn more about the Sony RX1 at Amazon.
The Bottom Line
Landscape photography is a fun field to work in and the right camera can up your landscape game. We hope this guide helps you find the best camera for landscape photography.
