Which zoom lens to choose for Nikon. The best Nikon lenses for professional photographers

This article talks about lenses that, in our opinion, any enthusiast or professional photographer who owns a Nikon system should have in their arsenal. We can confidently recommend the selected samples; each of them is the optimal choice in its class of optics, and together they cover almost all typical shooting scenes.

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The Nikon system has nearly a hundred lenses to solve a variety of problems and for any budget. In addition, Nikon cameras are famous for their compatibility with their lenses of previous generations, therefore, taking into account the secondary market, the fleet of branded optics is extremely wide. However, we also included in this review lenses from third-party manufacturers that are alternative to branded optics in terms of capabilities and price.

All review lenses are divided into two large categories: the first is for cameras with APS-C (DX) sensors, and the second is for cameras with full-frame sensors (FX).

Versatile APS-C zoom

AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4G ED VR

This versatile lens is rarely included with a camera; instead, Nikon cameras are usually equipped with a zoom with a focal length range of 18-55 mm. The AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4G ED VR lens is perfect for replacing a standard zoom when its capabilities no longer suit the photographer.

NIKON D5600 / Nikon AF-S DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Nikkor SETTINGS: ISO 200, F11, 1/500 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

NIKON D500 / Nikon AF-S DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Nikkor SETTINGS: ISO 450, F2.8, 1/640 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

As befits a reportage lens, the AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4G ED VR is equipped with a fast ultrasonic autofocus drive with continuous manual focus adjustment and an image stabilizer with an efficiency of up to 4 steps.

Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO

Another interesting replacement for a standard zoom is Tamron's travel zoom with a minimum focal length of 16 mm. The field of view at this distance is 10% wider compared to the 18 mm focal length, which simplifies both landscape photography and working in tight spaces, and also emphasizes the perspective more intensely. The maximum focal length of 300 mm is common for travel zooms. The lens demonstrates quite decent image quality throughout the entire range of focal lengths. The length of the lens when folded is only 9.5 cm, weight - 540 grams, filter diameter - 67 mm.

The Tamron 16-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD MACRO focuses from a distance of 39 cm, providing a shooting zoom of 0.34×, so the word MACRO in the name seems quite justified. The stabilizer adequately holds the image at a shutter speed of 1/20 s and a focal length of 300 mm, and also does not freeze, since it uses an electronic gyroscope. The lens hood is included in the package. In the line of travel zooms for Nikon cameras, this is not the only lens, but, in our opinion, it is the best in terms of its combination of advantages.

Wide-angle APS-C

AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED

Ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with 2.4x magnification and a field of view from 109° to 61°. The minimum focusing distance is only 24 cm, which allows shooting with a magnification of 0.20×. The lens, with a diameter of 82 mm and a length of 87 mm, is quite weighty - 460 grams. Ultrasonic autofocus, manual sharpening is always on, nothing rotates during focusing.

The optical design ensures minimal aberrations, high contrast and sharpness. This is not an empty advertising claim - the lens is indeed almost orthoscopic, with minor vignetting and well-corrected chromatic aberration. Despite its hefty price tag and its ability to only work with DX cameras, we recommend this lens to anyone who needs a good wide-angle zoom for all occasions.

Long throw APS-C zoom

AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

This lens will be useful for those who do not have enough maximum focal length in the “kit” lens included with the camera. The focal length in it changes by a factor of 5.5, the angle of view in the telephoto position is only 5°20’ - this is almost 10 times less than the field of view of a normal lens and approximately corresponds to the capabilities of 10x binoculars.

The built-in stabilizer allows you to shoot at a shutter speed 3 stops longer than what is considered safe when shooting without a stabilizer. The nine-blade diaphragm produces round bokeh highlights. The filters for this lens need a fairly affordable diameter, only 58 mm, and the lens hood is included. The AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens is not afraid of dust and moisture, which is especially useful since long-focus lenses are most often used to shoot outdoors.

APS-C portrait lens

AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G

A portrait lens is often the first of those that are purchased in addition to the standard zoom included with the camera. AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G at the same time - optimal choice. The focal length allows you to shoot from a comfortable distance of 1.5-2 meters, which is convenient when shooting close-up. The aperture ratio by the standards of portrait optics is not record-breaking, but due to this the depth of field does not cause inconvenience in case of inevitable focusing errors. The 73 mm long lens weighs 350 grams, so the camera does not pull forward and is comfortable to shoot.

As the aperture closes, the pattern changes from pleasantly soft to razor-sharp, which is useful: to different persons different pattern fits. This sets the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G apart from universal optics, where the effect of the aperture is not so pronounced. In our opinion, based on , this is the optimal lens for a beginning portrait photographer. And for the experienced one too.

APS-C macro lens

AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED

This lens is useful for those who do macro photography. It, as befits a macro lens, provides a 1:1 shooting scale and a minimum focusing distance (18.5 cm). Inside there is an almost perfectly round 9-blade diaphragm. This lens does not have image stabilization, but it does come with a lens hood, and the front lens barrel does not rotate, so you can attach a macro flash to it.

The lens works equally well with full-frame cameras and cropped ones. In the second case, the field of view is 26°30’ diagonally, which is quite suitable for portrait photography. The razor-sharp design of a macro lens will not decorate every portrait, but, for example, for male portrait or a headshot AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED on a crop camera is quite suitable.

Versatile APS-C Prime Lens

AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

This is, without exaggeration, an excellent lens with a normal field of view, which is what we are talking about. Sharp straight from the open aperture, fast, with excellent resistance to oncoming light, light and compact. The field of view is 44° - almost ideal for natural perspective transfer.

NIKON D750 / Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED Nikkor SETTINGS: ISO 450, F1.8, 1/40 s, 35.0 mm equiv.

With a weight of 200 grams and a length of 52.5 mm, the lens does not weigh on either the pocket or the camera, and the high-speed ultrasonic drive does not slow down the shooting - just right for street photography. AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G is an excellent addition to the standard DX format zoom, and often a replacement for it.

For each lens I indicate estimated price, lens weight and filter thread diameter. Convenience and quality of the lens, i.e. Its most important properties cannot, unfortunately, be expressed in one or two numbers, but I will insert detailed comments where necessary. In addition, the article “Criteria for selecting lenses” is entirely devoted to the parameters of photographic lenses. You can read about what the letters in the names of lenses mean in the article “Marking Nikon lenses”.

It is advisable to use only full-frame lenses on full-frame Nikon FX cameras. Despite Nikon's stated mutual compatibility of FX and DX systems, using DX lenses on an FX camera makes no sense, since the size of the image projected by a DX lens is not sufficient to cover a full-size sensor, and the edges of the frame will inevitably be cropped.

Best Lenses for Nikon FX

There's no point in including a mid-range zoom like the 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G VR - you'll use it too rarely as it will largely duplicate the functions of other lenses. In addition, the 50mm f/1.8G is lighter than any zoom and has a larger aperture.

Instead of three lenses, you can take just one 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, but it will lose to the combination described above both in aperture ratio, image quality, and in the total range of focal lengths, winning only in convenience.

If you are going to regularly go on hiking trips, then it makes sense to take a lighter one as a standard lens. 50mm f/1.8D, and as a wide-angle – 20mm f/2.8D or 24mm f/2.8D. But, frankly speaking, full-frame cameras are too large for us to seriously talk about “light” FX kits. The cropped Nikon D5500, complete with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR DX II and 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR DX II, is still better suited for the role of a travel system.

Professional kit

Traditionally, professional photographers who shoot frequently and extensively use two lenses—a telezoom and a wide-angle zoom—usually on two separate cameras. This allows them to work very quickly. If the photographer plans to shoot in low light, he can take with him a normal fast prime lens like 50mm f/1.4G, but the basis of the system is always two zooms.

For your camera. And today, continuing the topic of choosing new optics, we will tell you about the most popular and indispensable lenses from Nikon, necessary for this or that type of photography. A similar selection for Canon optics will appear a little later.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? – Nikon 50mm F/1.8D for portraits and street photography

The Nikon 50mm F/1.8 D prime lens is one of the most popular and indispensable lenses in the optics lineup. This one is inexpensive and high quality model will be an excellent purchase for those who want to get better image quality than when working with a standard kit lens. The excellent price/quality ratio of the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8 D makes it one of the most sought after. Nikon 50 mm F / 1.8 D has been produced by the company since 1978, which already indicates its indispensability in a photographer’s arsenal. The large aperture allows you to work even in low light conditions, and the standard focal length provides a wide range of scenes that can be captured with its help.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? – Nikon 24mm F/1.4 AF-S G for landscape photography

Not only is this one of the best wide-angle lenses in the world that you can get for a relatively small price, but it is also one of the best models, released by Nikon. The Nikon 24mm F/1.4 AF-S G lens offers amazing aperture and the ability to work in the most different conditions lighting. The model's wide range of vision allows you to shoot architectural structures, nature and interior. Nikkor 24mm F/1.4 AF-S G provides greater depth sharpness and allows you to shoot with manual focus.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? Nikon 35mm mm F/1.8 DX for street photography

You can buy a Nikon 35 mm mm F / 1.8 DX for a little more than $200. The model is considered one of the best lenses for DX cameras. Manufacturers promise instant focusing and beautiful image. The focal length of the optics ensures fruitful shooting of portraits and documentary street shots.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? Universal superzoom Nikon AF-S DX 18-200 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

A versatile lens with a wide range of focal lengths, the Nikon 18-200mm VR DX is suitable for photography in almost all shooting situations. It covers the range from wide-angle to telephoto, thereby allowing you to use the model to realize all your ideas. The affordable price of the 18-200mm VR makes it a great option to buy. When used skillfully, the lens will make it possible to shoot even the most original scenes. You can photograph the stars and moon, wild animals and even sporting events. In a wide-angle position, the Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm will allow you to photograph landscapes and architecture.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? – Nikon 135mm F/2 DC AF for photographing distant objects

Users note that – Nikkor 135mm F/2 DC AF is one of the sharpest Nikon lenses that provides good quality Images. The model allows you to convey excellent bokeh in photographs, making it an excellent tool for creating portrait photographs.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? Nikon 14-24mm F/2.8 AF-S for landscape photography

A fast wide-angle lens with a constant F/2.8 aperture makes it possible to capture high-quality landscape and interior photographs. The Nikon 14-24mm F/2.8 AF-S lens is available to photographers for a fairly high price, around $1,400-$1,600, so those who are serious about shooting landscape shots will most likely be able to afford it. The fact that the lens is zoom gives more freedom when shooting with a more or less wide view.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? Nikon 85mm F/1.4 AI-S for beautiful bokeh

Another high-quality and fairly expensive lens for portraits is the Nikon 85mm F/1.4 AI-S. The lens' powerful aperture offers unimaginable photo quality and the ability to create picturesque bokeh when photographing. The high cost of the model is due to the high-quality assembly and complex optical design of the model. The lens helps create sharp, clear photographs of excellent quality.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? Nikon ED 70-180mm F/4.5-5.6D AF macro lens

One of Nikon's popular macro lenses is the Nikkor ED 70-180mm F/4.5-5.6 D AF. This is almost the only macro lens released by the company. It is designed for close-up photography of small objects. It can be used on cameras with both cropped and full-frame sensors. Special elements of the optical system help reduce chromatic aberration and create incredibly high-quality shots.

Which Nikon lens should you choose? Nikon 300mm F/2.8 ED-IF telephoto lens

The Nikkor 300mm F/2.8 ED-IF telephoto lens is one of Nikon's most sought after, albeit very expensive, lenses for nature photography and sporting events. The advantage of the lens lies primarily in its powerful aperture of F / 2.8. It is fast and powerful enough to fix sports competitions indoors and on fresh air. The lens is available only by pre-order, since few people can afford professional optics for shooting wildlife. The Nikon 300mm F/2.8 ED-IF is priced at over $5,500.

To determine the lens you need, think about what exactly you want to capture. There are several types of photography: landscape, portrait, macro photography, reportage photography, etc. Although there are several universal lenses, most good glasses are still “tailored” for specific purposes.

Kit lens 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 VR

This is the most versatile lens. The focal length of 18-55 mm encourages you to try yourself: with such a lens you can get a good landscape, a good portrait, and even macro photography. On the other hand, zoom lenses with variable focal lengths have a big disadvantage - weak aperture, so a photo with a standard universal lens may seem dim and dark.

Nikon portrait lenses 35 mm f/1.8G DX, 50 mm f/1.8G and 85 mm f/1.4G

Portrait photography, especially wedding photography, requires lenses with fast apertures. But, in this case, such an advantage as a variable focal length is lost, and the photographer will have to increase or decrease the distance to the subject on foot. This is not very convenient, but it pays off well with bright, rich photos with beautiful bokeh. In terms of quality, these three lenses are equivalent, only the focal length differs. As a rule, Nikon 85mm f/1.4G is used more by professionals.

Shooting nature, landscapes - Nikon 16-35 mm f/4G VR

For landscape photo shoots, as well as photographs where as much as possible is needed wide angle overview (for example, where you need to place greatest number people), it's worth taking a wide-angle lens. The Nikon 16-35mm f/4G VR zoom may be an ideal option, since the variable focal length will allow for creativity and will not limit the width of the frame.

Nikon 28-300 mm f/3.5-5.6G VR superzoom for travel photography

For shooting on trips, where the aperture required for portrait photo sessions is not required, you can use classic options superzooms, like Nikon 28-300 mm. Such a lens will make it possible to capture the smallest details that are far from you. It can also be used for photographing wildlife, since the focal length allows you to not get too close to the subject.

Nikon 105 mm f/2.8G VR Micro-Nikkor macro lens

For lovers of macro photography, there is a fixed focal length lens Nikon 105 mm f/2.8G VR Micro-Nikkor. There are also other macro lenses, but this moment Nikon 105 mm is ideal in terms of aperture and focal length ratio. Other Nikon lenses designed for macro photography can only be used in the studio, using tripods and artificial lighting.

Publication date: 11.09.2015

What lenses are suitable for my camera? This question is often heard from beginning photographers looking for a replacement for the “kit” lens included with the camera. Of course, the ideal purchase option would be to check the lens in person in the store. But many people buy equipment online and are afraid to buy a pig in a poke. What should you pay attention to in the lens description so as not to make a mistake with your choice? Let's find out.

Bayonet is the head of everything!

Bayonet is a special mount responsible for installing the lens on the camera. It is needed both for physically attaching the lens to the camera and for exchanging data between them, for which special contacts are provided in modern mounts.

Nikon D610 camera with Nikon F mount

Nikon F- mount SLR cameras Nikon. All lenses with this mount can at least be physically mounted on the camera. The name of the mount for which the lens is made is always indicated in its characteristics. The Nikon F mount was developed by Nikon back in the mid-20th century. Thus, on your modern camera with this mount you can install even very old Nikon lenses released decades ago. This will be especially interesting to lovers of antique optics.

So, to yours DSLR camera Nikon will accept any lens that has a Nikon F mount. In principle, the article could have ended here, if not for one “but”. By itself, the Nikon F mount will only guarantee the physical compatibility of the camera and lens. But how do you know whether the camera’s automation and autofocus will work?.. Moreover, today some lenses are designed only for cropped cameras. How to distinguish them from the rest, and are they suitable for full-frame cameras? To do this, you need to learn to read the name of the lens. And especially pay attention to some abbreviations. There's a reason the lens names are so long - they contain a lot of useful information!

• How do you know if a lens is designed for crop only or if you have full-frame optics? Let us recall that SLR cameras are divided according to the size of the light-sensitive sensors installed in them: full-frame (having sensors the size of a regular photographic film frame) and cropped, that is, cropped (they have a slightly smaller sensor installed). Some lenses are designed so that they can only project an image onto a smaller, cropped sensor. Thus, manufacturers make their design easier and cheaper.

In the case of Nikon lenses, everything is simple. Cropped lenses have an abbreviation in their name DX. Full-frame lenses do not have it. For example, the Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX Nikkor lens is designed only for crop, while the Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.8G ED Nikkor is designed for full-frame cameras.

• Is it possible to install a cropped lens on a full frame camera? Yes. With Nikon devices this is quite possible! But you need to remember that optics designed for crop on full-frame cameras will produce strong vignetting - darkening at the edges of the frame. By the way, the darkening strength will depend on the specific lens model. At the same time, full-frame Nikon cameras recognize when a DX lens is installed on them and simply crop the frame to fit the size of the cropped matrix. This is how a full-frame camera turns into a cropped one. This function, by the way, can be disabled in the camera menu and you can get full-frame images with strong darkening at the edges. In principle, this darkening can even be used as a kind of creative technique!

Of course, if you have a full-frame camera, it’s hardly worth buying a specially cropped lens for it. However, if you switched from “crop” to full frame and you still have a cropped lens, keep in mind that you can continue to use it with the new device.

Is it possible to install a full-frame lens on a cropped camera? Undoubtedly! At the same time, all its functions will be preserved. The only thing worth considering is the crop factor. On cropped devices, all lenses “zoom in” closer. This is worth remembering when choosing optics, so that it doesn’t turn out that you are shooting in a cramped room, and the lens does not allow you to take a general shot.

Will auto focus work? All modern Nikon lenses with the abbreviations AF and AF-S in their names are equipped with autofocus capabilities. But there are subtleties here.

Lenses marked AF use a motor located inside the camera to achieve focus: the motor rotates and moves the lens lenses to focus. This type of autofocus drive is popularly called “screwdriver” due to the similarity of the part that protrudes from the mount and is responsible for moving the lenses in the lens, with the end of a screwdriver. There is no “screwdriver” autofocus drive in the most affordable and compact cameras 3xxx and 5xxx series (for example, Nikon D3200, Nikon D3300, Nikon D5300, Nikon D5500). So if you put a lens designed for “screwdriver” autofocus on such a camera, autofocus simply will not work - you will have to aim it manually. In this case, the focus confirmation function will work. It works as follows: the photographer selects the desired autofocus point, and then manually turns the focus ring on the lens. A rangefinder built into the camera (it is present in all modern Nikon cameras) will tell you in which direction to turn the lens focusing ring, highlighting the corresponding indicators in the camera viewfinder (they are located in the lower left corner). They also work with automatic focusing, but with manual focusing they become most useful.

Symbols for the focusing process in the viewfinder:

	Focused
	The lens is focused closer than necessary
	The lens is focused further than necessary
(flashing)	Automation cannot determine focusing accuracy. This happens when there is insufficient lighting or when trying to aim at a very uniform, low-contrast object (for example, a white ceiling). In this case, try to combine the focus point in the viewfinder with some contrasting object in your future frame.

However, “screwdriver” lenses are gradually becoming a thing of the past, long ago giving way to a more modern series of lenses with ultrasonic motors located directly inside the lens. Such lenses are designated by the abbreviation AF-S, and they work faster and much quieter than their “screwdriver” counterparts.

With AF-S lenses, autofocus will work on all modern Nikon cameras.