The Sony A7 series of cameras is, in a word, incredible.
These full frame beasts pack a huge punch but are packaged in a tiny body, making them ideal for landscape photographers.
They're easy to carry around, user-friendly, and there are a ton of lenses available for them for landscape photography.
Let's have a look at a few of my top lenses for landscapes with the Sony A7 series cameras.
ZEISS Batis 18mm f/2.8: A Must-Have Prime Lens
As I noted in this article last week, the ZEISS Batis 18mm f/2.8 is a killer lens that has a boatload of features:
- Focal length - 18mm
- Max aperture - f/2.8
- Lens elements/groups - 11/10
- Floating elements design that minimizes aberrations
- OLED display on the barrel that shows focus distance and DOF
- Dust and weather sealed
- Weight - 11.6 oz
- Dimensions - 3.94 x 3.15"
- Price - $1,499.00 at Adorama
Obviously, many of the features listed above make this a fantastic lens for landscapes.
The 18mm focal length paired with a full frame sensor offers a beautifully wide view of the landscape.
The OLED display on the barrel is a handy feature with its focus distance and depth of field displays to help you get the focus just right.
I'm also super impressed with the weather sealing on this lens - I'm not at all worried about sand at the beach getting into this guy. It's built like a tank!
On top of that, it's small, lightweight design pairs perfectly with the small, lightweight A7 series cameras.
Add in exceptional sharpness and lightning-fast autofocus, and you have a recipe for one of the best Sony lenses for landscapes.
Get a complete review of this lens in the video above by Jay SonyAlphaLab.
Learn more about the ZEISS Batis 18mm f/2.8
Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 Z OSS: A Versatile Zoom
If it's a versatile zoom lens you're after, Sony's own FE 16-35mm f/4 isn't a bad choice at all.
Check out these specs:
- Focal length - 16-35mm
- Max aperture - f/4
- Lens elements/groups - 12/10
- OSS image stabilization
- Dust and moisture resistant
- Weight - 18.27 oz
- Dimensions - 3.07 x 3.88"
- Price - $1,348.00 at Adorama
Obviously, sometimes you need a good zoom lens because not all landscapes are conducive to zooming with your feet.
With a nice zoom range of 16-35mm, this lens will get you super wide shots all the way up to the familiar-looking 35mm range for instances in which you want to cut out clutter or focus the viewer's attention on a smaller aspect of the landscape.
As you'd expect with something made by ZEISS, this lens is supremely sharp with virtually no distortion thanks to five aspherical elements, one advanced aspherical element, and three ED elements. That's just all the more reason why this is one of the top lenses for landscapes with the Sony A7.
Like the ZEISS Batis lens outlined earlier, this lens is small, lightweight, and well built.
It has OSS image stabilization, ZEISS' T* coating that suppresses reflections (perfect for those landscapes with lakes, ponds, and other water features), and is fantastically sharp.
With all those features, why wouldn't you want this lens in your photoshoot camera bag? Plus, it's about $850 cheaper than Sony's 16-35mm f/2.8 version.
For a detailed look at this lens, check out the video above by Christopher Frost Photography.
Learn more about the Sony FE 16-35mm f/4
Sony FE 12-24 f/4 G: An Ultra-Wide Beast
If it's ultra-wide landscape shots you're after, the 12-24mm f/4 G is one of the best landscape lenses for Sony that money can buy.
With specs like those listed below, this lens is ready to rock any landscape:
- Focal length - 12-24mm
- Max aperture - f/4
- Lens elements/groups - 17/13
- Dust and moisture resistant
- Weight - 1.24 lbs
- Dimensions - 3.43 x 4.62"
- Price - $1,698.00 at Adorama
Since this is the shortest focal length lens you can get for a Sony E-mount camera, there's no lens better-suited to capture ultra-wide-angle views of breathtaking landscapes.
True to form, this lens is impeccably crafted and offers top-of-the-line resolution from corner to corner at any aperture.
In fact, you'll find that the refined optics in this lens allows you to photograph scenes with jaw-dropping clarity and sharpness.
This lens is also compact, lightweight, features a handy customizable focus hold button, dust and moisture resistance, and Sony's Nano AR Coating, which suppresses reflections, flare, and ghosting.
See this lens in action in the video above by Mark Galer's Alpha Creative Skills.
Learn more about the Sony FE 12-24mm f/4 G