Best Affordable Camera for Landscape Photography (Top 11!)

The Panasonic DC-G9 is a Micro Four Thirds camera with a 20.3 MP sensor. You might imagine such a small sensor wouldn’t work for landscape photography. But it provides excellent image quality.

You can even produce 80 MP images in the eight-shot composite High Resolution mode. This is best for stationary subjects as there’s no way to compensate for subject movement.

It also features a burst rate of 20 fps, 6.5 stops of shake reduction, and an updated Depth from Defocus AF system.

The magnesium alloy body is weather-sealed. And it has a fully articulating touchscreen and a high-resolution EVF. It also has two SD UHS-II card slots and ports for microphones or headphones, flash sync, USB, and wired remote.

The video quality is good. And you can shoot Ultra HD (UHD) 4K video at anything up to 60 fps or Full HD at 180 fps. You can also capture stills while recording.

The only real problem is the lack of phase-detect autofocus. But that’s more of a problem for sports and action shooters!

The standard lens kit and premium lens kit come with a 12-60mm zoom lens (f/2.8-4 and f/3.5-5.6). Or you can pair it with another wide-angle Pansonic G Series lens.

The Sony a6100 is an entry-level mirrorless camera with a 24 MP APS-C sensor. Like many Sony models, it boasts an excellent frame rate and autofocus system. Plus, it has several custom options.

You can shoot bursts at 11 fps, and the 425-point Hybrid AF system offers real-time tracking of objects, faces, and eyes. You also get a 3-inch tilting touchscreen, a mic jack, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with NFC, a good battery life, and 4K video.

But there are a few issues. The menu system isn’t very user-friendly. There’s no front command dial. And it doesn’t have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) or in-camera RAW conversion.

You also get a lot of “jello” (rolling shutter effect) in 4K / 24p footage. And there’s a heavy crop in 4K / 30p.

There are affordable kit lens options. Or you can pair it with a Sony APS-C lens.

The Pentax KF is a compact DSLR camera with a 24 MP APS-C sensor. It has a portable but durable body that is dust-proof and can operate at temperatures as low as 14 F (-10 C).

It also offers a new selfie-friendly LCD display with a higher resolution and an ISO range topping out at 102,400. And there are new custom image modes. Kyushu works best with fall colors and Katen with summer scenes.

The KF is an upgraded K-70. So it has the same Pixel Shift Resolution system and Shake Reduction (SR) system. And it has an ASTROTRACER and AA simulator.

But there’s a new USB to USB-C connector. And the utility software is now saved on the camera rather than a CD-ROM.

The main downside is that the Hybrid AF only works in Live View. This means you have to put up with the slower 11-point contrast detection system when using the viewfinder. There’s also no 4K video.

The KF has two affordable kits with zoom lenses. Or you can find a good Pentax APS-C wide-angle lens.

The Canon EOS Rebel T8i (EOS 850D or EOS Kiss X10i) is a “high-end entry-level” DSLR camera with a 24 MP APS-C sensor. You also get good ergonomics, 4K / 24p video, a fully articulating touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a mic jack.

But the AF system, while using the viewfinder, is fairly basic, with only 45 cross-type focus points. You only get Dual Pixel AF and face and eye detection for Live View and video. And the video capabilities are also limited.

But Canon has a wide selection of STM (EF or EF-S) lenses you can upgrade to.

The Fujifilm X-S10 is a DSLR camera with the same 26 MP APS-C sensor, image processor, and AF system as in the X-T4. It offers a vari-angle touchscreen, six-stop, five-axis IBIS, and a mic jack. Plus, it has a 20 fps burst rate—or 30 fps with a crop.

Like many Fujifilm cameras, it has many Film Simulation modes, such as ETERNA Beach Bypass.

The video features are especially impressive. The X-S10 offers 4K Ultra HD (UHD) and DCI (cinema-quality) video at 30 fps. Or it has 240 fps if you drop it down to Full HD.

It also supports F-Log for better dynamic range, 8-bit 4:2:0 internal recording, and higher-quality 10-bit 4:2:2 external recording.

But the AF system’s tracking has fallen behind that of other manufacturers. And you need a USB-C dongle to fit headphones.

The camera also has a mode dial rather than the shutter speed and aperture dials on other X Series cameras. That might not be to your taste. But besides the kits lenses, you have a wide variety of Fujifilm XF lenses to pair with this camera.

The Nikon Z50 is a compact DX-format (or APS-C) mirrorless camera with a 20.9 MP sensor. It offers 11 fps, 4K video, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a tilting touchscreen.

It also has an on-sensor phase-detect AF with face and eye detection. And you also get many special effects that you can use for both stills and videos.

But the Z50 has no in-body image stabilization (IBIS), and 4K video only comes with a 1.5x crop.

The kit comes with two Z Series DX (APS-C) mirrorless lenses, which is quite a deal. Otherwise, the lens selection is limited.

But you can buy the Nikon FTZ adapter to use AF-I, AF-P, and AF-S Nikon DSLR lenses. But autofocus only works with the newest lenses with built-in AF motors.

The Canon EOS R10 offers a 24.2 MP APS-C camera sensor in a lightweight mirrorless body. The standout camera features are the fast autofocus system and 23 fps burst rate.

But you also get the usual Canon bells and whistles. These include a fully articulating 3-inch touchscreen, 4K video, and built-in Wi-Fi.

But the R10 has no headphone port, is not environmentally sealed, and doesn’t have GPS.

I you don’t like the kit lens, Canon has a good selection of landscape RF lenses. Unfortunately, there aren’t many affordable RF lenses. And they tend to be quite big. This defeats the purpose of having a lighter camera body!

The Canon RP is the company’s cheapest full frame camera. It has a 26 MP sensor with Dual Pixel AF covering 88% x 100% of the frame. It’s a bit like the EOS 6D Mark II, except with an electronic viewfinder and 4K video.

It also offers a lightweight build, a fully articulating touchscreen, and a converter for EF-mount lenses. But it faces the same problem as the mirrorless EOS R10, with not having cheap or light lenses.

Other disadvantages include the 4 fps burst rate and the heavy crop in 4K video. Finally, there’s only one card slot. And it only takes slower SD UHS-II memory cards.

The Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (or (EOS 250D or EOS Kiss X10) is a very compact DSLR camera with a 24 MP APS-C camera sensor. Again, it has a comfortable grip, a fully articulating touchscreen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

You get Dual Pixel AF for stills and video (except 4K). And Eye AF is available in Live View. But the autofocus system doesn’t work as well using the viewfinder. There is a guide mode, though, to help you learn the basics as you go along.

The limitations include the simplified controls, lack of customization, the 5 fps burst rate, and the heavy crop with 4K video. But these are not especially important for landscape photography.

Again, you can buy only the SL3 camera body without the kit lens and choose another STM (EF or EF-S) lens.

The Canon EOS M50 Mark II (or EOS Kiss M2) is a mirrorless camera with a 24 MP APS-C sensor. Like most Canon cameras, it offers good ergonomics. And it has a fully articulating touchscreen (with vertical video), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.

Plus, it has Canon’s patented Dual Pixel AF. This is an excellent autofocus system—although it doesn’t work with 4K.

Speaking of which, the 4K footage is disappointing (with a rolling shutter effect). And Eye Detect AF doesn’t work very well.

Also, there’s only one control dial, and the livestreaming limitations are frustrating. But these weaknesses don’t affect its performance in landscape photography much!

The M50 has decent lens kits. Or you can choose another EF-mount lens.

The Pentax K-70 is a good-value DSLR with a 24 MP APS-C camera sensor. It’s the first Pentax model to have on-sensor phase-detect autofocus. You can use Pixel Shift to combine four images for better resolution and reduced color noise.

The Shake Reduction (SR) system can also simulate an anti-aliasing filter that you can turn off and on. This lets you choose between sharpness and avoiding the risk of moiré effects.

The K-70 also has exceptional weather sealing. This means you won’t need to worry about taking pictures in rainy or snowy conditions. Just make sure you buy Pentax APS-C lenses that offer the same protection!

The other advantage is the 3-inch fully articulating LCD screen. And it also has a “night vision” feature for astrophotography. If you fit the optional GPS module, you can use ASTROTRACER to track the movement of the stars.

There are downsides with the K-70, such as its weight (1.52 lbs / 688 g), low 6 fps burst rate, unreliable Wi-Fi, and lack of 4K. But that shouldn’t be much of a problem for landscape photographers!