When you first start with landscape photography, the gear considerations can be overwhelming. If you’ve tried visiting a photography forum, I am sure you’ve been bombarded with hundreds of different suggestions and options. All of these are of course grounded in the personal opinions of the people you are asking. With so many different manufacturers and products, the choices really are endless.

In this video Stefan Malloch (international award winning photographer), goes into the details on which gear he believes you should be focusing on as a beginner. I followed a similar path when I first started out. As a result I feel like his tips and suggestions are very realistic and a good place to start.

Affordable is a bit of a tricky word as it can mean a lot of different things to different people. This is especially true for photography which is an expensive hobby. I will try to be mindful of my suggestions which are as follows:

Camera

When I first started with photography, smart phones did not exist (yes, I am getting a bit older now). My very first camera was a Canon Powershot point and shoot camera which I strategically “borrowed” from my parents. It stuck with me for a couple years before I upgraded to an APS-C interchangeable lens system (Canon T2i). After years of learning on the T2i, I eventually moved up to professional full frame setups.

When you are first starting out however, definitely use what you have first. That is by far the cheapest option to get your feet wet. Smart phones these days are incredibly capable and with good light and technique, can produce amazing images. In fact, they are so feature packed you can probably avoid starting with a point and shoot altogether. Once your skill outgrows the features of your smart phone and your interest is still strong then consider investing into standalone gear.

Of course, we are making the assumption that you have reached that point which is why you are still reading. In that regard, my recommendation would be to start with an APS-C camera system from Sony. All manufacturers make fantastic cameras these days so, again, this is strictly my personal opinion. The Sony a6400 is the best camera in the USD $1000 range. It is fully capable of producing professional quality images with its amazing dynamic range and high ISO capabilities. It has a robust autofocus system with 425 phase and contrast detection points. Finally, it can also shoot 4K video if that is something you would like to eventually dabble in.

Keep an eye out for those seasonal sales and you can snag one at a fantastic price.

Lens

Lenses is where you always want to spend most of your money. If the camera body is the brain, the lens is the eye. Without a strong eye, how will the brain get a clear picture?

The most affordable option is to go with the kit lens (16-50mm F3.5-F5.6 OSS) as per the camera link above. The main drawback to this lens is the variable aperture. This means that when you are zoomed out to 50mm, your aperture will be F5.6 or higher. In low light scenarios this can be a bit “slow” and you may need to compensate with a higher ISO. However, this lens is very capable of producing fantastic images!

If your budget is a bit higher, there are a couple other lenses I would like to suggest. As you know, landscape photographers generally tend to shoot very “wide”. We want to capture those beautiful sweeping vistas after all. Given Sony prime lenses are around the same price as fixed aperture telephoto zoom lenses, my other two recommendations are as follows:

  • 16-70mm f4 Vario-Tessar T* ZA OSS – This lens gives you an APS-C effective range of 24-105mm. As an example, I am using the full frame equivalent of this lens. F4 is not the fastest, but stays consistent through the entire zoom range which is manageable.
  • Sony E 16-55mm f2.8 G – If your budget is slightly higher, this lens would be perfect for landscapes. It has the effective APS-C range of 24-82mm and a constant F2.8 aperture. F2.8 is good enough for low light situations especially given the ISO capabilities of the Sony a6400.

Tripod

A tripod is one of the most essential tools for a landscape photographer. You will be out in the elements and having as much stability as you can get is an invaluable asset. It is also a creative tool. Do you want to try some astrophotography landscapes or a timelapse? What about those beautiful long exposure shots of waterfalls, piers, clouds and much, much more? Your camera is going to need to be still for minutes, hours or even days. Unless you have the stamina and grip strength of a Terminator cyborg you are going to need a tripod.

I have spent countless hours researching small, lightweight and cost efficient tripods for my hiking trips. As a result, this is probably the easiest recommendation to make in this post. In my opinion the SIRUI AM254 carbon fiber tripod with K20X ball head is the best bang for your buck.

There are of course cheaper options (even in the carbon fiber lineup) from third party manufacturers. However, please do yourself a favor and stay away from the $20 Bestbuy tripods. That is the equivalent of putting cheap tires on a performance sports car. I would imagine you don’t want to slam into a wall at high speeds. Similarly, I am going to assume you don’t want your camera setup slamming into the ground or falling off a cliff from a gentle breeze.

Additional Gear and Accessories

I would recommend, like in the video above, that you get some spare batteries and a couple good quality SD cards. A portable power brick is always nice if you are out shooting for several days as it lets you charge your batteries on the go.

If you decided to do some video as well. Having an external mic is going to make a big difference to your audio quality.

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