Nikon landscape photographers have always loved how sharp Nikon and Nikkor lenses have been. In both the new Z-Mount and the classic F-Mount (AF-S, actually), the current crop of Nikon lenses continues that fine tradition.
Some more great news is that you can pick up a Nikon lens for landscape photography for lower prices when you shop at my favorite store, the online platform MPB.
MPB specializes in used or pre-owned cameras, lenses, and other photography accessories. Since expert equipment specialists and avid photographers run MPB, you can be sure that saving money on used gear won’t cost you in other ways.
I’ve used MPB for several years, and I love their lower prices, even on current equipment, and I am especially glad they stand by their products with accurate descriptions, a 7-day return window, and a 6-month warranty. I have also taken advantage of trading in or outright selling my extra photography gear to them, saving me even more money.
So, if you’re looking for your next Nikon lens for landscape photography, I have several solutions to please you both regarding how good the lenses are and how much you can save by buying them as used gear.
Table of Contents:
- The Nikon Mystique - Super Sharp Lenses
- Z-Mount Nikon Lens for Landscape Photography
- Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S
- Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4.0 S
- AF-S Nikon Lens for Landscape Photography
- Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR
- Nikon AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED
- Final Thoughts - Best Nikon Lens for Landscape Photography
The Nikon Mystique - Super Sharp Lenses
Thinking about what lens would qualify as the best Nikon lens for landscape photography brings back to my mind starting in serious photography and learning all I could from any source.
One thing that stood out was that certain lens makers had an outstanding reputation for building high-quality lenses. Nikkor lenses by Nikon were always in the upper echelon of the most wanted lenses.
Nippon Kogaku, AKA Japan Optical Co., was formed in 1917 from a merger of three Japanese optical firms, one of which dated to 1881. They had hired several German optical engineers to work with their genius engineers to form the best lenses for various photographic formats.
Nikkor as a brand name began in 1931, and things pretty much exploded from then. WWII saw Japan's camera and lens makers becoming nationalized for the war efforts, but they retained their autonomy as optical companies. Canon Hansa, Fujinon, and Minolta Rokkor were also in this realm of superb lens-making.
Nikkor lenses started becoming popular in the Western world because of the service members and photojournalists buying Nikkor lenses for their Leica and Contax rangefinder cameras in the late 1940s and early 50s. High-quality Japanese lenses flooded the Western world of photographers because of their stellar quality and favorable exchange rate. The Nikkor mystique was born!
By this time, Nikon, Canon, and Minolta were also making their own high-quality 35mm cameras. Optical science being what it is, anyone investing in lens making could make super sharp, high-quality lenses. It wasn’t only the German lens companies making top-tier lenses.
The commitment of these Japanese optical companies to ultra-high quality was seen in how particular they were every step of the way to maintaining excellence in lens manufacturing. Case in point: both Minolta and Nikon went so far as to source their own sand for the silica needed for the raw glass blanks that would be melted down into their lens elements.
Here is a YouTube video from Tony & Chelsea Northrup detailing some of this history. It’s about the length of a Breaking Bad TV episode, but I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane:
For those of you who have been reading Photography Talk for a while, you know how much I love the modern world of digital photography for landscape photographers. But we all came from somewhere, which is why I also love looking back to the past to show us what we have to look forward to in the future.
The best Nikon lens for landscape photography is basically standing on the shoulders of giants (to misquote Sir Isaac Newton), those genius optical engineers who created a platform of excellence for our modern lenses.
Now, on to my recommendations of a great landscape lens for Nikon Full Frame mirrorless cameras and DSLRs!
Z-Mount Nikon Lens for Landscape Photography
Mirrorless cameras are undeniably the future of digital photography. Nikon has hit a series of home runs with their various Z Series cameras. Nikon Z Series cameras are amazingly rugged and host superb sensors for all types and styles of photography, including landscape photography.
Here are two choices of many lenses that could be your best Nikon lens for landscape photography:
Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S
The Nikon Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S is a fast aperture wide angle lens that allows some special optical tricks since it’s both very wide angle and very fast.
This is a favorite focal length for landscape photographers since it’s significantly wider than normal and yet has no discernible wide-angle distortion when used properly. Since it has a large maximum aperture, this lens is somewhat large, but it balances very well on each of the Nikon Z Series Full Frame cameras.
Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4.0 S
The Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4.0 S is the smaller and one-stop slower version of the fantastic 14-30mm f/2.8 lens. This f/4.0 version is super sharp and has a focal length range many landscape photographers like for ultra-wide angle coverage.
The Z Series of Nikon Full Frame mirrorless cameras has a compact size and weight compared to a similar style DSLR, so using a more compact lens can allow some freedom for landscape photographers trekking through a wilderness area.
AF-S Nikon Lens for Landscape Photography
Since DSLR cameras are still in production, despite news reports declaring their death, my recommendation for the best Nikon lens for landscape photography will have to include the Nikon Nikkor AF-S lenses meant for their Full Frame DSLR cameras such as the D850, D750, and D6.
Here are two good options I found on the online platform MPB:
Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR
The Nikon AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR is a fantastic lens that is a good candidate for the best Nikon lens for landscape photography and a multi-purpose lens for portraits, product photography, and very close-up macro photography.
The Nikkor 105mm lens series has long been a favorite of Nikon photographers. I remember fondly the extreme sharpness of my first serious portrait lens, the Nikkor 105/2.5. This lens is one of the Nikon Micro lenses, meaning it is specially corrected for flat-field reproduction in ultra-close focus situations.
A short telephoto lens is a great focal length for landscape photography, allowing you as a photographer to key in on a limited field of view in the scene without introducing too much telephoto compression. If 105mm wasn’t a good focal length for landscape, why did Leitz make a 105mm f/6.3 lens for their screw mount rangefinder cameras and call it the Mountain Elmar?
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED
The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED carries on the tradition of the original 20mm Nikkor for optical excellence and very low distortion for an ultra-wide angle lens. This newest version has a very fast aperture for a 20mm lens of f/1.8. It’s a bit heavy, but it balances all Full Frame Nikon DSLRs nicely.
Final Thoughts - Best Nikon Lens for Landscape Photography
Realistically, the best Nikon lens for landscape photography to satisfy your wants and desires could be almost any lens Nikon makes, from recently discontinued to a current production model.
Choosing my favorite used camera and lens store, the online platform MPB will get you into your next lens for much less money while still providing you with the peace of mind of a real warranty and high-quality choices.
Learn More:
- Nikon Z9 vs Sony A1
- Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S Review
- What Is the Best Camera for Landscape and Wildlife Photography?