Why You Should Consider a Superzoom Lens for Landscape Photography

Superzoom lenses are often overlooked because their extreme focal length ranges mean inherent compromises in image quality, but in recent years, we have seen some impressive advances that make them viable options for a lot of work. This excellent video features an experienced landscape photographer making a case for using a superzoom lens for landscape work.

Coming to you from Steve O'Nions, this interesting video discusses the merits of using superzoom lenses for landscape photography. I am a fan of my Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM, as it is hard to argue the convenience of having every practical focal length available at all times. Beyond that convenience, there are a few further merits for landscape work. First, shooting landscapes often involves long hikes, and saving weight can make a big difference for your comfort. Second, if you are shooting in inclement conditions, minimizing lens changes can help to ensure the safety of your equipment. And while superzoom lenses won't give you top-shelf image quality, because you normally shoot landscape images at narrower apertures, you can expect a bit of an improvement from their wide-open performance. Check out the video above for O'Nions' full thoughts on the topic. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
3 Comments

I'm an Olympus guy, and my favorite lens is the 12-100 f/4 PRO (24-200 in old money). So he's not wrong, except that this lens is optically quite decent throughout the range. Funny thing is I bought it for a trip where I didn't want to carry a lot of kit, and it ended up being my go to lens. Go figure.

I bought a 24-200 to use on my Z7 for hiking. It too has become almost permanently attached to the camera.

These modern superzooms are very good.

Not able to go on hollydays often, when I go, I take with me all I can, so even my 150-600 Sigma, and I have used it indeed for landscapes, given I use a Nikon D500, and before that a D7000, it means that it works as 225-900, which sometimes gives very impressie pictures.