The best Nikon lenses for DSLRs in 2024: brilliant lenses for Nikon F-mount

Choosing the best Nikon lenses for DSLRs means answering a couple of questions – but don't worry, they're not difficult! The first thing to establish is what sensor size your camera uses – full frame (FX) or APS-C (DX) – as this will affect which lenses are available. The second, much more fun question is... what do you want to shoot?

Lenses for Nikon DSLR cameras come in two sizes: full frame or APS-C (DX). You can use any full frame lens on a DX camera, but there will be a 'crop factor' which makes the lens's angle of view look narrower. This doesn't matter much with telephoto, portrait, or macro lenses, but with smaller DX-format cameras you need ultra-wide lenses and standard zooms designed for the smaller format. You can use DX lenses on a full frame camera, but they will automatically crop to the smaller sensor size.

And as for what you want to shoot – well, that's a lot more subjective. In this list we've included a range of zoom and prime lenses for just about every type of shooting, from majestic landscapes to pixel-perfect portraits. You can scroll to the bottom of the page for our 'How to choose' section if you need a little guidance in making your choices. And if you're still looking for a camera, check out our essential rundown of the best Nikon cameras, which includes several DSLRs.

Rod Lawton

Rod is an independent photography journalist and editor, and a long-standing Digital Camera World contributor, having previously worked as DCW's Group Reviews editor. Before that he has been technique editor on N-Photo, Head of Testing for the photography division and Camera Channel editor on TechRadar, as well as contributing to many other publications.

The quick list

Best Nikon lenses in 2024

Ultra-wide-angle zooms

For everyday photography, a standard zoom (or ‘kit’) lens offers excellent versatility but often won't go as wide as you need for interior shots, tall buildings, and sweeping landscapes. For this, you’ll need a wide-angle zoom, typically kicking off with a 10mm focal length for DX-format lenses, or 14mm for full-frame FX lenses. Naturally, a wider viewing angle enables you to get more into the frame. With wide-angle zooms, you have to get the right one for your camera’s sensor size. You CAN fit full-frame wide-angles on a DX-format Nikon, but the 1.5x crop factor means you are paying for a more expensive lens and losing much of that wider angle of view, so it’s just not worth doing. 

Best ultra-wide zoom

Own-brand Nikon lenses are often relatively expensive compared with third-party equivalents from the likes of Sigma and Tamron. That’s certainly the case with this lens, which is much pricier than the likes of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art and the Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2, the latter boasting the bonus of optical image stabilization – though these lenses aren't as easy to get hold of as they used to be. The Nikon is solidly built and delivers good all-round performance but loses out slightly to the Sigma for outright image quality.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 ED review for more details 

Best for landscapes

The mighty Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED(seen above) might seem the most obvious contender for an ultra-wide landscape zoom for Nikon’s FX-format DSLRs, but we actually prefer the equivalent Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art. Compared with both of those, Nikon’s 16-35mm lens naturally has a less generous maximum viewing angle and aperture rating, but is less expensive to buy and has the advantages of featuring a filter attachment thread and optical stabilization. For landscape photographers, it’s the most sensible option.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR review for more details

Best third-party ultra-wide

Nikon’s own-brand AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is legendary as a pro-grade ultra-wide zoom for FX-format cameras, but the Sigma 14-24mm delivers equally stellar sharpness and contrast. Better still, it beats the Nikon for control over color fringing and distortions, both being incredibly well controlled for a zoom lens as wide as this. In fact, this is probably the best Nikon lens for landscape and architecture fans. The top-performance optics are wrapped up in a superbly well-engineered and fully weather-sealed barrel. The maximum viewing angle isn’t quite as extreme as in Sigma’s 12-24mm Art lens, but the image quality is better. More importantly, the new Sigma 14-24mm outperforms the equivalent Nikon lens and is less expensive to buy.

Read our full Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM review for more details 

Best DX ultra-wide

There’s a lot to be said for the Nikon AF-P DX 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR as a ‘landscape’ lens. When you’re clambering over tricky terrain in pursuit of landscape photo opportunities, the last thing you need is a bag of heavyweight camera kit. This remarkably compact ultra-wide zooms weighs just 230g, but it still packs in some useful features like 3.5-stop VR and stepping motor-based autofocus which gives quick performance for stills and smooth, near-silent transitions while shooting movies. Image sharpness is also good, though fringing and distortion are pronounced if you don't enable in-camera corrections. Even so, this is still a great value ultrawide zoom at the price.

Read our full Nikon AF-P DX 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR review for more details

Best DX landscape lens

A major upgrade over Tamron’s original 10-24mm ultra-wide zoom for APS-C format cameras, this one has improved optics, 4-stop VC (Vibration Compensation) stabilization, and a new HLD (High/Low toque-modulated Drive) autofocus system. Weather-seals are also added, plus a fluorine coating on the front element to repel moisture and aid cleaning. The image quality is very good and, overall, it’s simply the best Nikon-fit DX format ultra-wide zoom. It beats Nikon’s long-standing AF-S DX 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED lens for performance and image quality, and is much less expensive to buy, although it’s twice the price of Nikon’s budget 10-20mm VR zoom (which you also might like to consider if you’re on a budget). 

This lens is harder to find these days, though easier in some territories than others. You may find your best bet is to shop second-hand. 

Read our full Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD review for more details

Standard zooms

Nikon’s ‘kit’ zooms supplied with its DX and FX format bodies offer pretty good performance and image quality, along with big savings when you buy the camera and lens as a complete package. However, they have limitations in zoom range, maximum aperture and overall quality, and since this is lens you’ll be using for much of your everyday photography, you might want to think about getting a better one. More up-market standard zooms may have a faster, constant aperture of f/2.8 to enable faster shutter speeds in poor light and better background separation (defocus). Alternatively you might want a standard zoom with a longer focal range than your kit lens to cope with a wider range of shooting situations. 

This is another time when you have to get a lens to match your camera’s sensor size – so get a DX size standard zoom if you have a DX format Nikon, or FX for a full frame Nikon. If you use a full frame FX standard zoom on a DX Nikon, the effective focal length will be too long and you won’t get a wide enough angle of view.

Best standard zoom

Nikon’s latest and greatest F-mount ‘trinity’ standard zoom for DSLRs is built like a tank and is relatively large for this class of lens. Image quality and overall performance are the key aspects of the design, with no concession to keeping the size and weight down. It’s certainly super-sharp but relatively uninspiring in terms of color fringing and distortions.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR review for more details 

Best all-in-one

We have to admit that this lens was our personal favorite ‘superzoom’ and go-lens for a walkabout and travel photography for many years, until Nikon’s Z system cameras came along, accompanied by the Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR. Built for DX-format DSLRs, the 18-200mm is more refined than the AF-S DX 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR and more manageable than the oversized AF-S DX 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR, while still giving a highly useful ‘effective’ zoom range of 27-300mm in full-frame terms.

Read our full Nikon AF-S DX 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II review 

Best Sigma standard zoom

Nikon’s latest AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR might look like a top choice for full-frame Nikon DSLRs, but it’s a beast of a lens and hugely expensive to buy. This Sigma lens isn’t as fully weather-sealed as the Nikon, but it’s still immaculately well-engineered. It’s physically shorter and marginally lighter but matches the Nikon for all-around performance and image quality. Sharpness and contrast are spectacular, while bokeh is lusciously smooth. Colour fringing, distortions, and vignetting are very well controlled. Autofocus is very quick and extremely quiet, while the 4-stop stabilizer is just as effective as the Nikon lens’s VR system. At around half the price of the Nikon lens, the Sigma is vastly better value.

Read our full Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | A review for more details 

Best DX standard zoom

With class-leading wide-angle coverage and a generous zoom range, this lens is equivalent to using a 24-120mm lens in 35mm camera terms. The widest available aperture shrinks from f/2.8 to f/4 at longer zoom settings but the upside is that the lens is smaller and lighter than constant-aperture f/2.8 zooms and has a longer zoom range. High-tech attractions include an electromagnetically controlled diaphragm, ring-type ultrasonic autofocus, a focus distance scale beneath a viewing panel, four ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements, and Nano Crystal Coat. Keep-clean fluorine coatings are also applied to the front and rear elements. We think this is a better choice than Nikon’s old and unstabilized 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom and the best Nikon lens for anyone who wants to upgrade their standard zoom.

Read our full Nikon AF-S DX 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR review for more details

Telephoto zooms

Once you’ve got a Nikon camera and a kit lens, a telephoto zoom is a good first additional purchase. In fact, it's probably the best Nikon lens for beginners to get. With telephoto, we often recommend getting a full-frame (FX) lens even if you’ve got a smaller DX format Nikon DSLR. That’s because there’s no penalty in focal range and magnification – the ‘crop factor' of the smaller sensor increases the effective focal length of the lens, which is just what you want from a telephoto! The other advantage is that if you do upgrade to a full-frame Nikon in the future, you can carry on using your telephoto lens.

Best professional zoom

With an epic feature set matched by the top-notch build quality, all-around performance, and image quality, this is a stunning 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. It builds on the success of previous editions, bringing a raft of new features including fluorite glass, uprated optical stabilization, and an electromagnetically controlled aperture diaphragm, although the last of these makes it incompatible with some older Nikon DSLRs. The only catch is that the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports lens performs every bit as well and is much less expensive to buy.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR review for more details

Best all-purpose zoom

A perennially popular kit lens option with cameras like the Nikon D750 and D780, it’s also a wise buy in its own right. The generous 5x zoom range stretches from a wide maximum viewing angle to useful telephoto reach and image quality remains impressive throughout, boosted in handheld shooting by 3.5-stop optical stabilization. Considerably more compact and lightweight than the latest Nikon AF-S 24-70mm lens and at only half the purchase price, it’s a good choice if you don’t need the faster f/2.8 aperture

Read our full Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR review for more details

Best sports lens

This is the ideal focal range for a telephoto zoom, and there are lots of similar 70-300mm lenses on the market. But although this Nikon lens costs more, it’s well worth the extra outlay. It has an AF-P (Pulse motor) autofocus system that’s super-fast and basically inaudible in operation, along with an electromagnetically controlled diaphragm. New-generation VR (Vibration Reduction) gives enhanced 4.5-stop performance and adds a ‘Sport VR’ mode. This enables easier tracking of erratically moving objects in the viewfinder, as well as avoiding any slowdown in rapid continuous shooting. The lens has a tough, weather-resistant build although, as with the vast majority of stepping-motor lenses, there’s no focus distance scale. All-round performance is excellent and image quality is absolutely top-drawer. It might seem expensive right now, but this lens will prove its worth in the future.

Read our full Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR review for more details

Best telezoom

This pro-grade Nikon super-telephoto zoom is massively improved over the original ‘AF’ lens which had dreadfully slow autofocus and relatively ineffective optical stabilization. The ‘AF-S’ edition puts that to rights with speedy ring-type ultrasonic autofocus and 4-stop VR. However, its telephoto reach is a little limited by the latest standards and it’s very pricey to buy. On balance, we prefer the much less expensive Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR review for more details

Best long-range zoom

For some subjects, you need more magnification than a regular 70-200mm or 70-300mm lens can provide. This is where you need a super-telephoto of up to 600mm focal length, and this is where the new breed of 150-600mm zooms is ideal. This is the best Nikon lens for wildlife and long-range sports fans and could be especially good for aviation nuts. For outright image quality, the more expensive Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports lens is our top choice, but this ‘C’ lens offers a better cost and weight compromise for most people while covering the same focal range. This ‘C’ (Contemporary) lens is almost a full kilogram lighter in weight than Sigma’s ’S’ (Sports) version. It’s not quite as extensively weather-sealed but still very well made, almost as sharp, and has the same range of up-market features and controls. Overall, it’s the more sensible buy if you need a lens like this occasionally rather than all the time. It’s designed for full-frame FX Nikons, and on a DX-format Nikon with the 1.5x ‘crop factor, it gives an amazing 225-900mm effective focal range.

Read our full Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C review for more details

Macro lenses

The ‘macro’ badge is plastered over many zoom lenses but they only tend to offer a maximum magnification ratio of 0.2x to 0.5x at best, which isn’t ‘real’ macro photography at all. Most dedicated macro prime lenses, however, deliver a full 1.0x magnification. Basically, an object will be reproduced at full life size on the camera’s image sensor so, on a DX format body, a standard postage stamp would practically fill the entire frame. Just like with telephoto lenses, it can pay to buy an FX format macro lens, even if you’re shooting with a DX format body. The 1.5x crop factor won’t hurt, and you’ll have a lens that will work on a full frame camera too if you decide to upgrade in the future.

Best DX macro

This little lens is only about half the length and a third of the weight of a 'pro' lens like Nikon’s 105mm macro lens for FX-format cameras, so it’s easy to squeeze into a spare corner of your camera bag. With an ‘effective’ focal length of 60mm, it’s ideal as a standard prime lens for general shooting too, combining a fairly fast aperture rating with the excellent optical performance. Sharpness is excellent across the entire image frame, from f/2.8 all the way to f/16. Colour fringing is absolutely negligible and there’s virtually zero distortion. The only catch is that, for full 1.0x magnification, the minimum focus distance from the focal plane is a mere 16cm and, because the inner barrel extends, the working distance from the front of the lens to the subject shrinks to just 35mm, which is a bit close for comfort. Nevertheless, if you own a DX Nikon and shoot macros only occasionally, this is the best Nikon lens for the job.

Read our full Nikon AF-S DX 40mm f/2.8G Micro review for more details

Prime lenses

Here we come to the best prime lenses for Nikon DSLRs, including a range of options at all different focal lengths. Primes carry a number of advantages over zooms – while you lose versatility and flexibility, you gain optical quality and low-light performance thanks to the larger maximum aperture. Prime lenses excel at producing images with a shallow depth of field, which is especially good for portraiture. Many photographers also simply prefer them as they can make you more active and engage, encouraging you to work by moving your feet rather than simply twisting a zoom ring. 

Best lens for bokeh

Shorter, slimmer and less than two-thirds the weight of the directly competing Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, the Nikon has an identical focal length and aperture rating. It’s more manageable for handheld shooting although the purchase price is more difficult to swallow. It’s a more high-tech affair than the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G and Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G but the Sigma 105mm still has the edge for beautiful bokeh.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED review for more details

Best portrait prime

The combination of an 85mm focal length and f/1.4 aperture is perfect for portraiture on a full-frame camera. It enables a comfortable shooting distance and a tight depth of field, so you can make the main subject really stand out against a blurred background. Typical of Sigma’s ‘Art’ line of prime lenses, this one has a relatively large build with a complex optical design. Indeed, it’s about 50 percent longer than the competing Nikon lens and nearly twice the weight. The pro-grade construction includes weather seals and the overall finish is immaculate. Sharpness is exceptional across the entire image frame, even at the widest aperture of f/1.4. It outperforms the pricier Nikon 85mm f/1.4G lens in this respect, while also beating it for minimizing color fringing and distortion. It’s the best portrait lens for full-frame portraiture on Nikon DSLRs – if you can live with the weight!

Read our full Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A review for more details

Best nifty-fifty

The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is a great lens, but heavy and expensive and perhaps a bit too much for many Nikon DX camera owners. For budget portraiture on a DX-format body, look no further than this Nikon 50mm f/1.8. It’s two-thirds of a stop slower but performs very well and is cheap to buy. Considering the downmarket price, the build quality feels pretty good, right down to the weather-sealed metal mounting plate. The lens comes complete with a hood, despite the front element being deeply recessed within the barrel. You get ring-type ultrasonic autofocus complete with full-time manual override and a focus distance scale positioned beneath a viewing panel. One final advantage is that this is actually an FX full-frame lens, so if you move up to a full frame Nikon in the future, you can use it as a compact standard lens.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G review for more details

Best documentary prime

Only about half the weight and little more than a third of the price of Nikon’s faster AF-S 28mm f/1.4E ED, the f/1.8G is a much better buy for most photographers. The generous but not overly extreme wide-angle field of view makes it very versatile for street photography and general walkabout shooting, while the fast aperture rating enables handheld shooting even under low lighting conditions, both indoors and out. Image quality and all-round performance make it a very attractive prime proposition.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 28mm f/1.8G review for more details

Best wide-angle prime

Sometimes we all feel the need for speed, and an f/2.8 zoom just won’t cut it. This prime lens gives the same generous viewing angle as a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 or 24-120mm f/4 at their shortest zoom setting while being more than one or two f/stops faster respectively. It’s therefore great for freezing action under low lighting conditions, enabling a faster shutter speed without needing to bump up your camera’s ISO setting.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 24mm f/1.8G ED review for more details

Best travel prime

With a great combination of wide perspective and shallow depth-of-field, the Irix 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly is a superb option for portrait and travel photographers. The manual focus is always going to be a challenge at such wide apertures, but with practice, this can be a powerful tool in your arsenal.

Read our full Irix 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly review for more details

Best prime for architecture

This Nikkor offers a wider viewing angle than a standard zoom lens, along with a faster f/1.8 aperture. It’s great for shooting everything from architectural interiors to expansive landscapes and cityscapes, and the night sky. Sharpness is mostly excellent, apart from at the edges of the frame when using very wide apertures, and build quality is very good even though the lens is refreshingly compact and lightweight. It’s quite pricey to buy but good value nonetheless.

Read our full Nikon AF-S 20mm f/1.8G ED review for more details

How to choose the best Nikon lenses for DSLRs

Which Nikon DSLR lenses to get? Some photographers have a very clear idea about their favorite subject matter and it's pretty easy to recommend lenses. Other photographers like to experiment with all kinds of subjects – so if that sounds like you, then you might need a few different lenses, not just one!

There are many, many types of lenses out there, but we've distilled the range into five key types that are universally popular:

1) Ultra-wide zoom: For when you need to get more into the frame. Most people imagine a telephoto zoom to be the most useful extra lens you can have, but actually, a wide-angle zoom can be even more useful, especially if you are interested in travel photography and capturing cramped interiors, big landmarks, or narrow city streets. 

Read more: Best wide-angle lenses for Nikon

2) Standard zoom: These offer a versatile focal range, allowing you to shoot anything from landscapes to portraits and chances are, you've already got one as these are bundled with Nikon cameras to get you started. While these are good all-rounders that are designed to be compact and affordable before anything else, in time you might decide you need a replacement that offers a longer focal range, a constant maximum aperture or just better all-round picture quality. 

Read more: Best standard zoom upgrades for Nikon

3) Telephoto zoom: Most people pick one of these to go with the standard zoom that came with their camera. They are the obvious choice for anyone interested in sports and wildlife photography, or any other time when you can’t get close enough to your subject. 

Read more: Best telephoto lenses for Nikon

4) Macro lens: For subjects so close they're right under your nose. Regular lenses can focus quite close, but not close enough to fill the frame with tiny insects and other close-up subjects. But macro lenses are designed to get much closer and are optically optimized to give crystal-clear close-ups. 

Read more: Best macro lenses

5) Portrait lens: For flattering features and background blur. The best portrait shots combine an undistorted perspective with a soft background blur. A regular zoom lens might give you the right perspective, but only a dedicated portrait lens with a wide maximum aperture can give those atmospheric blurred backgrounds. 

Read more: Best portrait lenses

How we test lenses

Our team reviews and tests Nikon DSLR lenses both through standardised lab tests and by using them in real-world conditions for different uses. We find the combination of lab and real-world testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics of the lens.

Our lab tests are carried out in scientifically controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite – analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. 

To choose the best Nikon DSLR lenses to include in this guide, we considered our lab test results and our hands-on reviews. We also considered what each lens is useful for to provide recommendations for different needs. We also factored in value to make recommendations for photographers on different budgets. You can read more about how we test.

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