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Three Amazing Landscape Lenses, Great for Both Photo and Video
By Nathan Lee Allen, Canon Creator
As a professional landscape photographer, videographer, and content creator, I need two things from a lens. One, it has to be lightweight, portable, and travel-friendly, and two, it has to have hybrid features that perform beautifully for both photo and video. Whether I’m deep in a slot canyon in Utah or exploring the rugged coastline of Oregon, I want the lenses I bring to be able to capture both photo and video and do it well, without missing a beat.
Luckily, Canon has built a lineup of RF lenses that perfectly meet that need. On a recent trip to Utah, I had the chance to test out three of those RF lenses, that have quickly become my go-to options for landscape photo and video content, especially when size and weight matters.
The best part? All three lenses have three important features for shooting landscapes:
- Smooth, silent autofocusing
- A durable, lightweight, portable build and design
- Optical image stabilization built into the lens
Whether I’m shooting landscapes, lifestyle, or even portraits, these three lenses offer everything a hybrid creator like me could want.
Let’s break these three lenses down further.
RF16-28mm F2.8 IS STM Lens
Best for: Wide-angle landscapes, tight spaces, and creative perspectives
Up first is the Canon RF16-28mm F2.8 IS STM, and let me just say, if you prefer a wide-angle lens for traditional landscape compositions, this is the lens for you.
But what’s so great about this lens is that it’s compact, lightweight, and built for movement. Whether I was shooting a narrow slot canyon, a sweeping desert vista, a sprawling sandstone arch, or just the inside of my buddy’s rooftop tent, his lens performed best when space matters. Shooting at 16mm with this lens gave me the ultra-wide view I needed to capture the vast, dynamic landscapes of the Southwest.
The constant F2.8 aperture is a huge plus—not only for low-light environments like slot canyons but also for capturing smooth, cinematic video with shallow depth of field when you need it. The built-in optical image stabilization (IS) helps when shooting handheld video, especially in tighter quarters where tripods aren’t practical or possible to shoot on.
This lens is a great option for landscape shooters who want maximum flexibility in the field—whether you want ultra-wide or something a little tighter. And the best part? It’s small enough to throw in your camera backpack–or even put in your back pocket–and not weigh you down.
RF28-70mm F2.8 IS STM Lens
Best for: Versatility, all-day shoots, and hybrid creators on the go
If I could only bring one lens on a trip, it might just be this one.
The Canon RF28-70mm F2.8 IS STM is what I consider the perfect mid-range zoom for travel and landscape creators. It covers the sweet spot for everything from wide environmental portraits to tighter, detail-rich compositions. During this trip, I shot with it at almost every location we visited, from Moab to Monument Valley, and that focal range came in handy again and again.
What stood out to me the most was the lens’s balance of performance and portability. It's lightweight, fast, and incredibly sharp across the zoom range. Whether I was snapping stills of incredible vistas or capturing video of the moments in between, this lens handled it all. And with the same hybrid features—like smooth and silent STM autofocus and optical IS—it made transitioning from photo to video seamless.
It was even light enough to be mounted to a vehicle for an amazing front passenger perspective that was so immersive, it felt like reliving the moments when I replayed the footage.
This lens is a true workhorse that has earned a permanent spot in my landscape and travel kit, especially when weight and size are big factors for deciding between lenses (e.g. backpacking or hiking).
RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM Lens
Best for: Compression, scale, portraits in nature, creative framing, and unique perspectives
Now, let’s talk about a lens that completely changes the way you see landscapes: the Canon RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM. This lens is part of Canon’s L-series, which means it’s weather-sealed and built like a tank—but what’s amazing is how small and light it is for such a durable 70-200mm telephoto lens.
Weighing in at around 1.5 pounds with a retracted length of around 4.7 inches and a fully extended length of around 7 inches, this 70-200mm lens is so small, it doesn’t even feel like it should be in the same category as other 70-200mm lenses. That small size and weight make it a perfect option for travel and outdoor content.
But the biggest reason I love shooting landscapes with this lens and 70-200mm lenses in general is the beautiful compression this lens provides in the images and footage it captures. Landscapes feel bigger. Layers feel more dynamic. Distance feels more dramatic. And when I added a human subject into the frame, the results were stunning. You get that epic, cinematic look that really adds emotion and scale to a composition.
What makes this lens even better is how it performs for video. With its fast, near-silent autofocus and 5-stop optical IS, I was able to shoot handheld footage that felt steady and polished. Whether I was isolating layers of landscape or adding in a human subject for scale, the results were fantastic.
If you’re someone who thinks landscape photography is only about wide angles, this lens will open up a whole new world for you, as it did for me.
Final Thoughts
Whether you're just starting your landscape journey or you’re a seasoned professional looking to add to your travel and landscape kit, these three Canon RF lenses provide the perfect balance of a durable, lightweight, portable build with hybrid features like smooth, silent autofocusing and optical image stabilization that help you create beautiful images and footage, no matter where your next adventure takes you.
Until next time—get out there, explore, and go create something awesome!
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