Any recomendations for Nikon Wide-angle lens for Landscape

[david_carson]

If you are hiking, buy a 20mm or 24mm f/2.8 prime. Your back will thank you.

[eric_bowles]

You can probably add the Sigma 15-30 and 12-24 to your consideration. Both are ultrawide angle lenses that work on both FX and DX bodies. The 15-30 has a rear filter, but also has a front lens cap that turns into a filter ring that would allow extra wide filters.

 

My experience is you need at least 12mm for DX bodies to provide something wide enough for landscapes. On FX bodies this translates into 17-18mm. The need for filters is certainly important for leandscape, so generally you would stay away from lenses that do not permit filters.

 

I can also confirm that the 24-70 is nowhere near wide enough for wide landscape images on a DX body. On recent trips to Acadia and Yosemite I found the 12-24 needed to be kept handy. If you get a 24-70 lens - which is wonderful - an ultra wide angle lens is mandatory with DX bodies.

[ilkka_nissila]

What kind of landscape images do you get at 12mm? I think the images look more weird than anything else, with exaggerated foreground and tiny background features. I can imagine using 12mm (on DX) for architecture for special effects, but landscapes? I prefer my landscape images to resemble what I see in person.

[tbs]

"If you are hiking, buy a 20mm or 24mm f/2.8 prime. Your back will thank you."

 

I do a lot of hiking. I love my 24mm f/2.8 prime.

[andy a.]

Shun, I like your foliage shot at 14mm better! Haha, I guess I'm just one for empty/negative space.

 

 

Back to the op, the bottom line is that you are not going to find the perfect wide angle for both fx and dx. What may be the closest match, the 17-35, is itself a compromise since better glass is now available.

 

Here's one thought. I have the 11-16 on my D300 and 24-70 on my D700. Both are pretty darn fine and light enough for me. But of course I want the 14-24 now, ultra-wide naysayers be damned. It is true that you should let your creative vision drive your focal length and not the other way around, but my impractical opinion is a lens can never be too wide, too long, or too fast.

[wildflower art]

A lot of zoom lovers here, but I have to recomend primes.

 

Such as the 20 3.5 which is perfect for suns wuth star shapes

 

Such as the 28 2.8, which is excellent for near far shots.

 

The 24 3.5 is a tilt shift lense for aritechtual photography that is also good for landscapes.

 

The 17-35 2.8 and 14-24 2.8 are excellent zooms, but are zooms.

 

I would like to recomend the website

 

www.johnshawphoto.com.

 

He is a professional landscape photographer. He has a book on landscape photography with 35 mm.

 

If you want to go _really_ wide, you could get the sigma 12-24 zoom, which covers full frame, even if it vignettes at the ends.

 

Also, you could buy a rangefinder bessa or leica and get the voigtlander 12 5.6 which is the widest lens.

 

Matt