Bumtree Loc: South Florida

Are prime lenses good for landscape photography. (135 Canon L)

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Yes. So are zooms.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Prime lenses are good for any type of photography, but as Captain said, so are zooms!

Jim Bob

No. They can only be used for portraits. They are horrible for landscapes. Geesus.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

I use a 24 mm Sigma as my main landscape lens, particularly if I am going to do any panoramas. If I want really, really WIDE, I have a 10 mm Nikon or a Sigma 19 - 35.
You can use anything for landscapes, it all depends on how much of the site you want to capture. Please see the text where a biographers describes what Ansul Adams took into the field:

Beaumont Newhall narrated Larry Dawson's 1957 film, Ansel Adams, Photographer, and described Adams's photographic gear:

"...A fine craftsman employs different tools for different purposes. Item: one 8 x 10 view camera, 20 holders, 4 lenses -- 1 Cooke Convertible, 1 ten-inch Wide Field Ektar, 1 9-inch Dagor, one 6-3/4-inch Wollensak wide angle. Item: one 7 x 17 special panorama camera with a Protar 13-1/2-inch lens and five holders. Item: one 4 x 5 view camera, 6 lenses -- 12-inch Collinear, 8-1/2 Apo[chromatic] Lentar, 9-1/4 Apo[chromatic] Tessar, 4-inch Wide Field Ektar, Dallmeyer [...] telephoto.

"Item: One Hasselblad camera outfit with 38, 60, 80, 135, & 200 millimeter lenses. Item: One Koniflex 35 millimeter camera. Item: 2 Polaroid cameras. Item: 3 exposure meters. One SEI, and two Westons -- in case he drops one.

"Item: Filters for each camera. K1, K2, minus blue, G, X1, A, C5 &B, F, 85B, 85C, light balancing, series 81 and 82. Two tripods: one light, one heavy. Lens brush, stopwatch, level, thermometer, focusing magnifier, focusing cloth, hyperlight strobe portrait outfit, 200 feet of cable, special storage box for film.

[Ansel's car (a Cadillac) with platform pulls away from camera.]

"Item: One ancient, eight-passenger limousine with 5 x 9-foot camera platform on top."

Bumtree Loc: South Florida

Thank you for your quick response..I am waiting out the rain in Capital Reef

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

i tried to use a zoom lens for a landscape once but everytime i tried to focus, the picture changed size.
finally had to put tape on the lens so it wouldn't move.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Yes.

I use a 45mm F2.8 on a D800 as my go-to landscape lens. On occasion I will use an 85mm F2.8, and less often I will use a 24 F3.5. I prefer the more natural perspective of a longer lens for landscape. I have also used a 24-70, 80-200 and a 100-300, and even a 600 F4 for landscapes. I have a 14-24, but i rarely use it because it is just too wide.

Jim Bob

I know exactly what you mean. I have routinely experienced the same issue.

Leitz Loc: Solms

Most definitely. In fact, before zooms were invented nearly every landscape photographer in the world used prime lenses.

Erik_H Loc: Denham Springs, Louisiana

Nearly? What were the others using, pinhole cameras?

Bumtree Loc: South Florida

Thank you for the info.i will give it a try here in Capital Reef

Leitz Loc: Solms

Correct.

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

I'm old enough to remember when about the only choice you had was primes.
A 135mm might prove to be a bit long for landscapes but otherwise no problem.

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

Any lens is good for landscapes. Just depends on the perspective you are trying to show.