Landscape photographers often argue about the practical value of superzoom lenses. A lens with a broad focal range sounds appealing, but is it truly effective in real-world use?
Coming to you from Mads Peter Iversen, this insightful video explores exactly why a superzoom lens can make a difference in your photography. Using the Tamron 28-200mm as a practical example, Iversen demonstrates that modern superzoom lenses have come a long way in quality. They offer versatility across various focal lengths, allowing you to quickly move from wide landscapes to zooming into details without swapping lenses. Iversen addresses image quality concerns too, conceding that while a superzoom lens won't necessarily match specialized high-end primes, today's options deliver surprisingly sharp and clear results, even suitable for professional landscape prints. The positives clearly outweigh minor compromises for image quality when balanced against convenience and speed.
Coming from personal experience, Iversen highlights how superzoom lenses dramatically simplify the process of capturing fleeting environmental conditions. Instead of facing the hassle of removing lenses in dusty or windy environments, exposing the camera sensor to unnecessary risk, a single lens reduces these risks. This lens format allows for quicker reaction times, enabling you to immediately switch focal lengths when unexpected opportunities arise—moments that you can't afford losing. Moreover, modern cameras' built-in image stabilization mitigates any stability concerns that super \zoom lenses without built-in stabilization might present.
One of the less obvious yet significant advantages Iversen discusses is creative freedom. A smaller, lightweight lens encourages you to experiment with new perspectives, angles, and compositions that might be physically cumbersome or time-consuming with heavier gear. Beyond inspiring creativity, it lets you focus more thoroughly on your surroundings. Also noteworthy is the significant benefit regarding travel scenarios—particularly for landscape photography, where hiking distances are long, and weight and pack space matter tremendously. Substituting multiple lenses with one versatile option opens space for carrying other essentials or even specialized lenses if needed. Iversen illustrates this clearly with his typical combination: pairing a superzoom and a compact wide angle lens covers virtually all landscape scenarios.
Iversen also counters the presumed disadvantage involving the lens aperture. Most landscape photography doesn't require extremely wide apertures, since you're rarely dealing with low-light conditions without a tripod or aiming for shallow depth-of-field photography. In fact, the variable aperture of super zoom lenses becomes advantageous since it aids in keeping the lens compact and lightweight. Iversen points out that price-wise, superzoom lenses typically cost significantly less than professional-grade lenses with narrower zoom ranges, providing an affordable alternative without sacrificing quality significantly. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Iversen.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, "Photographing the World: Japan II - Discovering Hidden Gems with Elia Locardi!”
First I think you miss spoke about telephoto lenses not having OSS/IS and primes having them, I have no idea why primes do not have other than primes would be more expensive with it also to much to have in a prime with most having wide apertures and may be most used in a studio or on a tripod or on mirrorless cameras with IBIS.
Oh well, Back in the Canon days of old, around 2000 and beyond with many types the 50-500 and 60-600mm both in magazines (the dark ages) that made them the perfect travel lenses due to OSS/IS, I would look at in a camera store but that long bazooka looking part went out so far was a no sell for me.
But then came Sony mirrorless cameras and the Mod 2's had IBIS that made primes even more stable hand held and the telephotos even got a few more stops with IBIS + a lens with IS/OSS.
I on the other hand started with the A7SM1 for about 3 years not knowing about IBIS till when I bought a A7RM2 and a FE 12-24mm F4 lens (no IS/OSS) but used first on a long trip to Arizona to Antelope Canyon where I forgot my tripod plate for my camera and paying for the tour and not able to go back I experimented while all others had Canon and Nikon's doing tripod mounted long exposures I tried single capture then bracketed 3 at +/- 2EV and all looked good so I went on doing hand held captures and later on a night tour, the tour guide had a LED lantern set daytime light, the guide laughed at doing a hand held at night but I said back you brought the light no problems. To add I was using a unheard of 12-24mm the 12mm no mirrored camera had.
Now to present days having a A7RM5 + Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS I am able to do 5 at +/- 2EV during sunrise/sunsets Blue Hours hand held for faster walk abouts for more framings in seconds vs missing a lot of captures. Using the 24-240mm in APS-C mode i get in camera cropping at 36-360mm look also. Next a APS-C lens E 10-18mm F4 OSS 2013 lens I can use in Full Frame mode at 12mm -18mm (18mm if you remove the light shield) a lens at 12mm unheard of when doing Milky Way's in 2015 with my A7SM1 and beyond while I and others were trying the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 (really bad lens).
A next back those many years was the Voigtlander Heliar-Hyper Wide 10mm f/5.6 Aspherical Lens for Sony E that made a Full Frame filling the entire frame like a panorama but with top and bottom came out in 2016. Today we have the Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF Autofocus Lens (Sony E) get the Full Frame filled like a panorama with the top and bottom of 2024.
So we add the Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF Autofocus Lens (Sony E) with front treads for filters + E 10-18mm F4 OSS for a very small 12mm with with front filter treads + the FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS for 24mm to 360mm (camera cropped) so all together 10mm to 360mm add the best telephoto the Sony FE 200 600mm f 5.6 6.3 G OSS with a 2x Teleconverter and in APS-C mode you go to 1800mm (in camera drop) that will fill a full frame of a close up of say the moon or that bird feeding hatchings at 100 yards away as well as that one bringing some stuff for nesting, you can just get a heavy duty binocular harness to hang it from ready for that fast capture without digging in your camera bag first.
1. night tour hand held laying down pointing up, see the stars.
2. While other stand at the edge doing multi layered panoramas I took one capture hand held and got more.
3. out birding getting a super closeup some 100 yards away getting narrow FOV blur with bird EYE AF
4. yes on a tripod for that long exposure 12mm f/4 while my guide went back to secure everything. years before Canon or Nikon were mirrorless or with a 12mm f/4.