Best camera settings for landscape photography

Landscapes flip the priorities: you want everything sharp from foreground to horizon, the lowest noise possible, and time isn't usually a constraint — so a tripod and a small aperture rule.

Recommended settings

Mode: Aperture Priority or Manual

you choose the depth of field; light is steady

Aperture: f/8 – f/11

the sweet spot for front-to-back sharpness

ISO: 100 (base)

cleanest files and widest dynamic range

Shutter: Whatever exposes correctly

on a tripod, slow is fine

Focus: Single AF a third into the scene

maximizes depth of field front to back

Support: Tripod

lets you use base ISO and small apertures without blur

These are starting points. Want them dialed in for your exact camera and lens?Ask the coach →

Why these settings

Depth of field and image quality matter more than speed, so you stop down to f/8–f/11, drop to base ISO for the cleanest file, and put the camera on a tripod to make any shutter speed workable.

Beginner tip

Use a tripod and the 2-second timer — even pressing the shutter can shake the camera during a long exposure.

Going further

Avoid going past f/16; diffraction starts to soften the whole image, undoing the depth-of-field gain.

Common mistakes

Shooting handheld at high ISO when a tripod would give a far cleaner file.
Stopping down to f/22 and losing overall sharpness to diffraction.

FAQ

What aperture for landscapes?

f/8–f/11 gives the best balance of depth of field and sharpness on most lenses. Past f/16, diffraction softens the image.

What ISO for landscapes?

Base ISO (usually 100) for the cleanest file and widest dynamic range. A tripod lets you use it regardless of shutter speed.

Settings for your camera

The same landscape photography settings, tuned to a specific body — crop reach, clean ISO, autofocus and setup steps for your camera.

Learn more

aperture depth of field iso dynamic range

Prefer a guided, gear-aware version? Open the landscape recipe →