2019 top camera and lens combinations for Landscape photography

Essential features:
1. Dust and moisture resistance
2. Portability
3. Wide-angle coverage
4. Wide dynamic range coverage
5. Raw file support

BEST VALUE – Top 3 camera and lens for Landscape Photography

You may be forced to look at older models and will almost certainly have to accept kit lenses and 1080p video, but it’s possible to take decent landscape shots with the following combinations, all of which are priced below AU$1000. We’ve excluded cameras that don’t have viewfinders and those that don’t offer raw file capture.

Nikon D3500 with AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens

This keenly-priced kit combines a camera with a 24.2-megapixel sensor and EXPEED 4 image processor with a lightweight, stabilised standard zoom lens. At an average street price below AU$700, it represents good value for money. Comfortable handling and a logically-designed menu system are augmented by a Guide Mode that provides shooting tips on the monitor screen.

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II with M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III EZ lens

With an overall weight of less than 500 grams, this combo offers 16-megapixel resolution plus 5-axis in-body stabilisation. Features include a large, easy-to-use EVF, a silent shooting mode, touch-AF shutter release, 4K time-lapse recording, focus bracketing, a built-in flash and the popular Art Filter settings in a compact metal body.

Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens

Simple controls, 4K video, a built-in EVF and a pop-up flash give this model an advantage over Canon’s other cropped-sensor mirrorless cameras. Useful functions include eye detection AF and Tracking AF as well as silent shooting. It is also the first Canon camera that can automatically transfer images via Wi-Fi to a connected smart device after each shot.

ADVANCED/PRO – Top 3 camera and lens for Landscape Photography

Sony α7R IV with FE 12-24mm f/4 G lens

Combining Sony’s highest-resolution ‘full frame’ camera with its widest zoom lens, this kit weighs a modest 1230 grams, but includes dust and moisture resistance, fast and quiet autofocusing and superior imaging performance. SteadyShot stabilisation in the camera body allows hand-held shooting in low light levels for obtaining great images during the ‘golden hours’ around dawn and dusk.

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R with Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 MACRO O.I.S. lens

Another high-resolution ‘full frame’ camera, this time combined with a more versatile 24-105mm lens with better close-up capabilities. The camera’s 47.3-megapixel CMOS sensor supports a multi-shot High Resolution mode than can capture images up to 187 megapixels in size. Dual I.S. 2 stabilisation in the camera body and lens provide up to 6 stops of shake correction, aided by a gyrosensor and accelerometer in the camera body.

Nikon D850 with Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G lens

Combining a 45.4-megapixel BSI (backside illumination) sensor with a capable EXPEED processor, the D850 is a versatile all-rounder that can deliver superior JPEG and raw file recording plus 4K video without cropping the frame as well as offering an APS-C crop option. Multiple exposure, Interval and Time-lapse shooting, and focus shift capture, add depth to its capabilities. The wide-angle zoom lens is large and heavy but a good partner for the D850, which provides built-in corrections for the inevitable aberrations that occur with lenses in this class.

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