Best Landscape Lenses for Nikon D7500 (2023 Guide and Review)

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When I was a portrait photographer, my real passion was landscape photography.

Although I shoot a lot of subjects now, I still spend a lot of time on landscape photography.

I always explore the beautiful natural surroundings on long walks and runs with my camera. I have a very deep connection with nature; therefore, I never feel lonely.

I often browse Instagram and 500PX for inspiration when I’m at home.

My feeling is that more and more landscape photographers are now using advanced equipment and post-production techniques to create more and more visually striking photos.

Photos using long-time exposures, photo stacking, and ultra-wide angle lenses are everywhere on the web.

The Nikon D7500 can create even more stunning images, as long as it is paired with a great ultra-wide angle lens.

I’ve listed 3 best landscape lenses for Nikon D7500, with prices ranging from 400$ to 900$.

Meanwhile, I’ve explained how their specific features matter to landscape photography based on my test and experience.

In the end, you will know which one is best for you.

Let’s get started!

Which D7500 Lenses Are Best for Landscape Photography

Sigma 10-20mm F3.5

Is the Focal Length Good for Landscape Photography?

The first lens of my photography journey was an 18-300mm lens. I hadn’t tried many lenses at that time. I thought a lens with a minimum focal length of 18mm was perfect for landscape photography, until I tried a true landscape lens with a minimum focal length of 10mm.

Since then, I was hooked on ultra-wide angle lenses. They don’t just include more stuff in the frame. They stretched perspective and imbued photos with dynamism and drama.

They took my landscape photos to the next level.

Is It Easy to Use for Landscape Photography?

This D7500 lens is an internal focus lens. It focuses by moving the inner lens groups instead of rotating the front lens element.

This is very important for landscape photography.
As landscape photographers, we often carry a variety of filters with us. One of them is the polarizing filter.

Once I went to a beach to test my new circular polarizer. I attached it to my lens and rotated it to a perfect angle. All the unwanted reflections disappeared in the viewfinder. The sky became so clear; the sea water was so blue. I was impressed by the effect of my new filter. Then I started to focus, and found things changed in the viewfinder.

I was so confused, and finally, I figured out the polarizer was rotating along with the front of the lens during focusing.

I was upset!

But that won’t happen to Sigma 10-20mm, thanks to its internal focusing design.

The lens also features an HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) focusing system. The autofocus performs fast and quietly. I found it was also accurate most of the time.

That said, I often manually focus when photographing landscapes. The lens has a nice focus distance window which indicates the distance of my current focus.

I can use the rubber ribbed ring at the front to set the focus at the infinity mark.

I need to turn it at an angle larger than 120° to switch from minimum focus distance (MFD) to hyperfocal distance. This makes my adjustment much more precise.

How Is the Image Quality?

This lens is an updated version of Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6. Although both lenses are trendy in the market, the new one is a huge improvement over its predecessor in many areas, including sharpness, distortion,  chromatic aberrations, etc.

It has 1 more aspherical element (a total of 4), which improves its ability to control distortion and spherical aberrations.

More importantly, all the lens elements are bigger, increasing the filter size from 77mm to 82mm.

Because of all the improvements, its image quality is even slightly better than that of Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5. But it is also a bit bulkier and heavier.

Summary

It is a pretty good lens, both from the perspective of test results and buyer reviews. I think it is the best ultra-wide angle lens with an extremely short focal length for Nikon D7500.

Check the video below to see its independent test with sample images:

Nikon 10-24mm F3.5-4.5

Nikon also produces matching ultra-wide angle lenses for its cameras. This lens is also a great match for D7500. You can always trust Nikon’s quality.

This lens has a wider range of focal length than the previous Sigma 10-20mm F3.5. This gives your more freedom for composition.

It also has a rather extreme focal length of 10mm. The corresponding angle of view is 109 degrees. This perspective is far beyond the range of the human eye. So the expansive visual effect it delivers is quite dramatic.

Does It Produce High-Quality Images?

The images taken with this D7500 lens are almost as sharp as the previous Sigma lens. They are sharp in the center throughout the entire focal length.

The sharpness in the edges is also decent, even at the shortest focal length.

Nikon applies 3 aspherical elements to reduce aberrations and distortion and 2 extra-low dispersion elements to reduce color fringing.

Flare and ghosting are also well controlled, thanks to Nikon’s special coating that covers the front lens.

Is It Easy to Use for Landscape Photography?

The autofocus motor works very fast and silently inside the lens. This Nikon lens also has a switch on the camera barrel that allows you to switch between manual focus and autofocus.

Besides, you can always rotate the manual focus ring directly to override the autofocus.

This design is handy for using the hyperfocus technique to achieve the deepest DOF.

Autofocus performs inside the lens barrel, so the front lens element won’t rotate when you use a filter.

How Is the Build Quality?

Its build quality is not top-notch. But it is outstanding among Nikkor consumer lenses.

It has a high-grade plastic lens barrel and a metal mount.

The metal mount is also covered with a rubber seal to provide a certain level of protection against dust and moisture.

Summary

It is a solid performer for landscape photography. It is the best first-party landscape lens for Nikon D7500.

Check the video below to see its independent test with sample images:

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8

Sigma 18-35 F1.8 lens is the most collectible lens for Nikon APS-C DSLRs. It deserves the highest praise for its unbeatable performance.

Having this D7500 lens is like having multiple prime lenses with focal lengths ranging from 18mm-35mm. For this reason, I think it is also the most cost-effective lens for Nikon D7500.

This lens overthrows the conventional perception that only prime lenses can have a maximum aperture larger than f/2.8. The release of this lens was, therefore, a smash hit.

Why do so many photographers well receive it? Let us look into this in more detail.

Miraculous Sharpness

This lens is sharper than the sharpest Nikon prime lenses, such as Nikon 85mm f/1.8GNikon 50mm f/1.8GNikon 35mm f/1.4G, etc.

That is unbelievable!

These prime lenses are sharp thanks to their simple construction. For instance, the famous Nikon 50 f/1.8G has only 7 lens elements in 6 groups. But Sigma 18-35 F1.8 has 17 lens elements in 12 groups —  almost doubled in number.

It is challenging for the light to pass through so many glass elements without losing its nature.

Moreover, chromatic aberrations are quite well controlled due to the use of 5 Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements.

Distortion and spherical aberrations are also limited thanks to the 4 high-end aspherical elements. It also has a Super Multi-Layer Coating in order to minimize lens flare and ghosting. The rounded nine-blade diaphragm also helps render smooth and beautiful bokeh.

In short, its sharpness will definitely shock you.

Will It Last Long?

As a landscape photographer, sometimes I have to deal with harsh weather conditions.

Even if I have some experience in researching, preparing, and planning my photo trip, I am still at the mercy of nature.

This lens could help my situation.

The lens barrel is constructed with a Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) material. The material is much better than normal plastic because it expands at the same rate as aluminum as the temperature changes.

This allows it to be used with metal without internal deformation with temperature changes. Besides, it also offers exceptional hardness.

As a result, the lens can withstand extremely hot and cold temperatures without sacrificing its performance.

Can It autofocus?

The answer is yes. Thanks to the integrated HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), the lens acquires focus quickly and silently. It focuses internally so the front element won’t rotate when you use a filter. In case you want to use the hyperfocus technique, simply turn the focus ring at any time.

Is the Focal Length Suitable for Landscape Photography?

This Nikon D7500 lens is a great addition to the lens with a super short minimum focal length, like the previous Sigma 10-20 F3.5.

Although it can not create a dramatic perspective, it has a broad range of focal range which allows more room for composition.

You can use 35mm to explore the city, creating street or interior photography. Or, you can get close to your subject for portrait photography.

Besides, its maximum f/1.8 is also useful for low-light photography. With such a big aperture, more light will pass through the lens. Therefore, you don’t have to increase ISO for a faster shutter speed, as high ISO can bring noise into the images.

Summary

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 is a groundbreaking lens dedicated to a crop-sensor camera like Nikon D7500. I’m glad Sigma was able to create such great masterpieces.

Check the video below to see its independent test with sample images:

Meet the Author


Wei Mao

Wei was a cruise photographer who worked at Disney Cruise Line. He is a lucky traveler who has been to more than 20 countries with his camera while working on an around-the-world cruise. Photography has changed his view of the world forever. Now he wants more people to benefit from photography through his blog.

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