LocalNavy433 Photography

Hello and how the hell are you ? If this is your first time here thanks for stopping by.  In this blog we are going to talk about what is the best landscape Photography camera.  This is a very subjective thing to be asking and the only true answer is the best camera for Landscape Photography is the one that you choose to use.  I say this because it is a very personal journey to become a Landscape Photographer.  When you first start out in this journey you only need a basic beginner level DSLR or Mirrorless camera that will allow you to get out there and explore what type of photographer you want to be.  During this phase you are going to be experimenting with depth of field, composition building, and composites.  This is something that we all go through to become a Landscape photographer and that is part of the process. 

During this process you are going to be told that you absolutely need a full frame camera to accomplish this.  Now there is truth in that if you are wanting to print large photos to be sold but lets be real for a minute.  For the most part that is going to be the end goal but for the most part that is only going to be for the group of people that are truly good at this craft so the question is at this point in your career you have to ask do you really need the larger format for a Landscape Photography.  The short answer is unless you are printing your images really large and I mean larger than 30×45 then yes you need the full frame or even medium format camera.  The average Landscape Photographer is going to be posting online and at that point the larger format is going to be a waste of money. 

Now I can say this because I have shot with the full frame system and the APSC system and for how I am shooting right now the only time that I need a full frame camera is when I want to print my images larger than 30×45.  This is the largest that I can print an image for a client at this point and they turn out wonderful and the clients that have purchased that size from me have been happy with the way the photo turned out.  Full disclosure the 30×45 print size is rather large for a APSC camera and you have to let the client know about the proper viewing distance for this size of an image is minimum of 6 feet.  This is due to the fact that the detail is not going to be there when trying to view it up close because the image is being stretched so much and the DPI is just nasty looking at a foot away from the image.  

The type and size of printing that you are going to be doing will determine what type of camera you are going to need.  This is why most people are stating that you need the full frame systems to print really large.  This is something that I have come up against and yes I would love to get the full frame system but the fact is I rarely print an image at 30×45 so the need for a full frame camera is not there for me but it might be for you.  The only thing that you need to be a good Landscape Photographer is A) camera that you love and want to use and B) really good lenses.  Those two things are it nothing more nothing less.  The lenses you choose are going to determine how sharp your images are going to be. 

Now those lenses don’t have to be the latest and greatest on the market but they cannot be the cheapest either.  This is where you are going to have to research which lenses work best for the camera that you have chosen.  This is also a subjective area in photography because you have to find the lenses that work the best for how you want your images to be.  The camera and lenses are something that you will find most people online will say that you need the latest and greatest in order to get the best images.  The truth is you are the artist so get the gear that fits A) who you are and what you want to show the world and B) the camera and lenses are just tools that help you achieve your vision. 

The type of camera you get is going to be determined by two things your budget and your vision.  In order to know what your vision is you have to be out there shooting to know what type of images you like to take.  This is something that is only going to be known to you.  I cannot say what type of camera is best for you.  I can only say what is the best camera that is best for me and what my vision is.  I can make suggestions based off of what you tell me that you want to do with your photography and the truth is the entry level cameras out there are good enough to last you for years and get the images that you want.  The lenses play a bigger role in that and determine the vision that you have while standing on top of the mountain getting your images.  

You see I am shooting all my images on used gear that is older because of two thing budget and vision.  I don’t have the money to get the gear that I know would help me with my vision but I have the gear that expresses my vision the way that I want right now.  I shoot with a Canon 80d and three lenses that give me the focal lengths that I love the most.  You see the three lenses render the colors the way that I want and that is why I have them.  I have the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 for my night sky shots and the close up landscape shots that I love.  My pano lens is the Canon 17-40mm f4 L lens and the sharpness of that lens on the 80d is crazy good and I love the way that the images look coming out of that lens.  My favorite lens is the Canon 24-105mm f4 L v1 and it allows me to get the images that are closest to what the human eye is seeing.  All my lenses have a purpose to express my vision and that is the point that I am trying to make with this blog.  In order to choose the best camera you have to know what type of lenses you want to use with that camera and it is going to take time to make those choices. 

You cannot go off what a photographer recommends you have to go off what you want out of a camera and the only way that you are going to know that is by getting out there and shoot.  I stayed with the kit lens (18-55mm f3.5-5.6) for two years before I knew what type of lenses that I wanted and how the images were going to look with it.  For one I love the way that the Canon lenses render the colors and how sharp they are.  Getting the most out of the cheaper gear comes down to learning technique on how to take an image.  I could show you some images that will blow your mind and you would not believe me when I tell you that they were shot with a Rebel t6 and the kit lens. 

The gear is just a tool and gear only really matters after you have refined how you are shooting.  At that point is when you need to get the better lenses and the better feature rich body.  Take the techniques that you have learned while shooting with the basic gear and apply it with the better lenses and the better feature rich body and you will have a great setup.  The problem and I have fallen for the trap of needing the best and newest gear is instant gratification of getting that killer image that everyone loves.  The truth is time is the only thing that is going to make you a better photographer and learning how to use the gear that you have.  You need to learn how to make a compelling image, and you also need to learn how to take the photo in order to get the most out of your gear.  What the online photography community is not telling you the truth about photography and that is you need to practice.  Calling yourself a photographer is just a license to learn how to become a great photographer.  

The more that you shoot the better you will be in the end.  The trick to finding the best camera for a certain genre of photography comes down to learning how to take a photo rather than getting the best gear for an image.  So when people say that gear doesn’t matter they are right until the gear does matter.  The only time that the gear really matter is when it is holding you back from getting the image.  My gear is not holding me back and am still working on what my vision is.  So to end this on the right note the best camera that you need for Landscape Photography is your eye.  That is the cheapest and best tool that you could ever have for this genre of photography.