The 5 Best Cameras For Landscape Photography - Spring 2023 Reviews

The Sony α7 IV is the best camera we've tested for landscape photography. This hybrid mirrorless camera can pretty much do it all, and it's a great fit for high-quality landscapes thanks to its 33 MP full-frame sensor. It isn't the highest-resolution option on the market, but it's a step above its predecessor, the Sony α7 III, and most other cameras in this price range, giving you just a touch more leeway to crop and edit your photos.

Beyond its stellar image quality, it's well-built, with a weather-sealed body that'll give you a bit more peace of mind when shooting outdoors on rainy or snowy days. Sony cameras are also amazing for battery life, especially relative to other mirrorless cameras. You'll get plenty of shots out of this camera on a full charge, which is great for longer shooting days. Throw in a wide range of native and third-party lens options, and you've got one of the best landscape photography kits for enthusiasts.

While the Sony α7 IV will get you remarkably high-resolution photos, the enthusiast-oriented Nikon D780 is a fantastic DSLR for landscape photography for a little less money. Since it's a DSLR, it has an incredible battery life, so it can easily last you throughout long shooting days at remote locations. It's also remarkably well-built, weather-sealed, and feels great in the hand, with plenty of physical controls and customization options. It also has a tilting screen that makes it easy to frame your shot from a tripod.

Aside from its design and ergonomics, it's well-suited to landscape photography because of its excellent backside-illuminated sensor. At 24.5 MP, it has a lower resolution than the α7 IV, but for most users, it'll be more than enough to give you some cropping leeway and make reasonably-sized prints. It also has a fantastic dynamic range and high-ISO performance for trickier lighting conditions.

If full-frame options like the ones above are out of your price range, the Fujifilm X-T4 is one of the best APS-C models we've tested and a great option for landscape photography. It's portable, making it easy to take on long hikes, and it's weather-sealed, meaning less worry on rainy days. Inside is a 26 MP sensor with good dynamic range that takes excellent photos straight out of the camera. It also has a solid battery life for a mirrorless camera, which is great for long days on the go.

The Nikon Z 5 is a fantastic alternative to the Fuji, with a full-frame sensor with more dynamic range and better low-light capability. However, it isn't as well-rounded if you're interested in other types of photography in addition to shooting landscapes. Nikon Z lenses also don't come cheap, especially the premium S Line, which offsets some of the savings you'll make by going with an entry-level full-frame like the Z 5. It's a less portable camera with a slightly worse battery life than the X-T4.

Though mirrorless cameras offer many advantages in areas like autofocus and shooting speed, these features are less important for landscape photography, meaning a crop-sensor DSLR like the Canon EOS 90D makes for a solid mid-range option for those who can't afford a full-frame model and don't want to give up having an optical viewfinder. Fitted with a 32.5 MP crop sensor, the 90D delivers good image quality right out of the box, with a good amount of dynamic range to bring out detail in high-contrast landscapes. The higher resolution is also great if you want to get prints of your photos.

Unfortunately, it isn't as portable as mirrorless options like the Fujifilm X-T4, making it a bit less convenient to carry around during long shooting days. On the upside, it feels very comfortable to shoot with, thanks to its large handgrip, intuitive control scheme, and easy-to-use menu system. It's also weather-sealed, meaning you can shoot in more adverse weather conditions, and it has a fantastic battery life that can easily last for a whole day or more, depending on your shooting habits. Overall, it's a great choice if you're interested in a crop-sensor DSLR that won't break the bank and feels easy to shoot with.

If you're on a tighter budget or are just getting into photography, getting an entry-level camera like the Nikon D5600, or finding any other used DSLR, is a great way to get started. This model is built around a great APS-C sensor with impressive dynamic range for those trickier high-contrast landscapes. Like the Canon EOS 90D, it's got an excellent battery life and great ergonomics, along with simple, intuitive controls that make it a great choice for beginners.

A budget mirrorless option like the Canon EOS M50 Mark II can be a good choice if you're just starting. However, while it's more portable, it has a significantly shorter battery life, and lens options are more limited. The D5600, on the other hand, has a long line of DSLR lens options, so you can easily step up your landscape game as your skill level increases.