10 Best Nikon Lenses to Buy in 2020

by | Dec 10, 2017 | 0 comments

best nikon lenses to buy
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Each year there are more new models and types of Nikon camera lenses produced all around the world. This is, of course, good news for photographers, but having greater number of choices may result in hesitancy when you are trying to choose best lens for yourself.

Thats why its very important to do your research when you are on the market for your new lens! In this article we will do exactly that, so keep reading to discover which lenses have best value for the price in 2020!

Before we start, I just want to mention that you are better off reading lens guides for a specific camera, such as Best lenses for Nikon D7500 guide, as it will better help you understand what the right lens for that particular camera is (or in this example, Nikon D7500).

We Researched like Maniacs…

Like every year, we once again researched all previously tested lenses, compared them to one another. Also, we tested couple of new lens thoroughly! Long story short, it took over 60 working hours to test all available lens & come up with this list. It was long and exausting task, but we finally managed to pull it off and deliver you best deals!

Its important to say that lenses are very complex, and one lens which is perfect for one photographer may not be best solution for another. It also depends from the style of photography you are into.

For example: Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED is really AMAZING all-in-one lens, and it will work great for almost any beginner who need only one lens for everything, but if you are, lets say, only interested in shooting portraits then Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED would be far better choice, because its ideal for wide-angle shots and taking portraits!

We tried to include different type of lenses in this list, so no matter what your preference are, you will find lens for you! With that being said, here are Top 10 Nikon Lenses to buy in 2020:

Here is Top 10 Best Lenses to Buy in 2020

10. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens

First on the list is comparatively the cheapest, but also great solution if you are planning on taking good looking portraits. Its similar to the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 with mostly same characteristics, meaning it possess great sharpness while avoiding blurs & defects. Its made completly out of plastic, but it does have metalic lens mount, which is always a nice thing to have.

The lens itself have 2 mods, auto/manual & manual. This means that when you set it to autofocus, you can still manually focus the lens as long as you keep the focus lock button pressed. The focus ring only turns about 100 degrees, and its worth mentioning that its not the smoothest in the market, but for the price, its actually quite good.

The Nikon 35mm f/1.8G Lens is dust resistant, allowing you to shoot photos in most weather conditions. Minimum Focusing Distance is 0.3 meters & f4 is minimum aperature your kit lens will be able to shoot zooming at 35mm. This specific lens performs excellent in low light situations.

If you neglect few minor issues this lens may have, such as build quality, The Nikon 35mm f/1.8G Lens will certainly outperform any lens withing its price range. We Highly recommend this lens if you are on budget and looking for fast portrait lens!

9. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED

This Nikon 16-85mm Lens is great option for travelling, because its versatile enough to cover wide range types of photography, from wide-angle shots to stunning looking portraits while maintaining photos quality. It also offers great zooming perfomance and thanks to its advanced built in technology The Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Lens is capable of very quick & reactive autofocus.
Also, its worth mentioning that this particular lens has reduced vibration technology which will enhance quality, especially when you are not using tripod! So if you are one of those people who like to take photos with their hands this techonology will allow you to boost your photo quality dramatically.

The only disadvantage of Nikon 16-85mm Lens is the high price point when comparing to other models, which can be turn-down for some people, but still, you are getting well built Lens from Premium manufacturer that offers great zoom, remarkable sharpness, fair focal length and its versatile enough for couple of types of photography.

Bottom line – If you are in need for a Nikon lens that is especially good in portraits shooting, but can also be carried when travelling because of its versatility, Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED might just be the perfect lens for you from the list!

8. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED

If you think previous Nikon lens is versitile, wait till you get your hands on Nikon 18-300mm lens!

This is DX Lens meaning its designed for crop sensored DSLR from Nikon such as D7200 D5500, 3000 series etc..
It can go on full frame, but again, its more designed for DX range.

Nikon 18-300mm is travel lens, so its basically starts you off at the wide angle or 18mm and it takes you all the way up to 300mm.

So if you are looking for All-in-one lens that has amazing properties, this lens is definitely for you.

You will be able to photograph lovely sun rise, sunset, panarama landscape, or zoom in on bird on three, sport events and much more.
The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED provide you UNBELIEVABLE focal range.

Also, this model is smaller & lighter then its previous models, and as such its more convenient for travel.

Its a VR lens of course, so the lens gives you an optical stabiliztion, to help steady those shots, which is particulary hendy when using the long end of zoom. It also has lock option, which is always nice feature to have available.

So for all of you travel photographers out there, or even just for photographer who doesnt want to change the lenses, and just want one to do it all, this is definitely the lens for you!

7. Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II

Nikon 18-200mm VR lens is ideal for enthusiast photographer who wants one lens tocover all shooting situations.
It would be great combination to take on holidays if you are looking to cover subjects as deverse as landscapes, portraits, wildlife and artitecture cause it offers great optical perfomance at both wide angle and telephoto. This 18-200mm range equates to 27-300mm in 35mm format so its the lens you can keep on your camera at all times.

Nikon 18-200mm lens is well built with a solid feel and just like previous model, it also has Vibration Reduction Technology which will allow you for much better quality in low light without tripod. Its has extra-low dispersion glass elements to help control chromatic abberrations.

This lens focuses down to 18 inches across zoom range so it even works for macro photography.

If you are looking for one versitile lens that you can keep on your camera at all times, then you should pick Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Lens, because it offers great value for the money!

6. Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED

From the first glance at this lens we can see that its geared at the profesinals photographers as much as Amateur users. The zoom and focus ring, as well as bottom of the lens itself are sealed against dust and mousure.
This Nikon Lens has all the systems that are needed for uninterrupted workflow. Another interesting feature is Exclusive Silent Wave Motor allowing for quiet & unobtrusive work. Glass on this ultra wide angle zoom LENS is from the highest quality and its description includes abbreviations covering three of the most desired types of glass: N, ED and AS.

Even if this is not macro lens, you can easily focus from as close as 10cm, which can be useful if you dont want to change lenses during these situations. On the other hand, the wide-end of 16mm is simply impressive because of how much it can fit in a frame.
There are smaller distortions on the edges of the photo, but nothing too much visible. Also, its worth mentioning that this can easily be fixed in post production.

On the longer 35mm end this lens provides amazing results, and its most used by many top class photographers.

Whether you want to use this lens for street photography, or to shoot some portraits, Nikon 16-35mm will provide you with incredible sharpness and versatile zoom range. When you pair these advantages with built quality, weather sealing and VR technology, as well as the price, which is cheaper then most competitors, you get one of the best lenses ever.

5. Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VR

Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VR is probably one of the most sharpest lenses on our list & its also much ligher then its similar model Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 which allows for easier hand held photos. It will also provide you with greater depth of field and other advantages.
Keep in mind that even that Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VR is usually much sharper lens, f2.8 brings more flexibility and in some conditions it may even perform better. Like we mention before, there is no perfect lens, and it all depends from your needs, style of photography and budget.

And speaking of budget, Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VR provides great value for the price since it’s considerably less expensive then similar lenses in same category.

So with which type of photography does this lens perform best? Its perfect if you are shooting some high-intensity sports-related events or if you are into wildlife photography. Also if you are shooting sports and wildlife more often, then you can also consider the lens below, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED.

Bottom line, Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VR is very small, very lightweight lens that is really, really sharp, and with great price value, its definitely a must have lens in 2020!

4. Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED Lens is beast and with a focal length from 200 to 500mm this lens is also perfect for sports and wildlife. Another thing we like about this lens is constant aperature of f-5.6, cause you dont have to worry about aperature changing on you when you kick it all the way to its focal length.
Some other really cool featuers about this lens is how light way it is. It weight in at only 5 pounds, so its also easy to take off your tripod and go hend held. Another thing that makes it really easy to go hend held its the fact that it gives you 4.5 stops of Vibration Reduction.

Couple of other cool features about Vibration Reduction on this lens is that Nikon Added an sports mode that makes it easy to capture a crisp vibrant photos while shooting in high frame rate. It also has great minimal focus distance,so even when you are shooting with 500mm you can still focus on subjects as close as 7.2 feet.

So if you are sports or wildlife photographer we highly recommend buying the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED Lens!

3. Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G

Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is actually great in terms of build quality despite being a little plastic. Its a lot lighter then previous versions of this lens, and it is much sharper. Minimal focusing distance is 2 feet and 6 inches.
This is one of the sharpest 85 nikon lens. It is ultra sharp at every aperture from edge to edge, so if you need sharp lines you will not be disappointed.

The lens itself isnt super special, it doesnt have nanocoating, doesnt have any of that special stuff, but it is a very quick lens. The focusing is really fast and the manual focus is really smooth. It works very well in natural light and the lens hood provides good protection form lens flare.

Considering that you can get this lens right now for less then 500$, speak for itselfs. It has great performance for a price, and we promise you wont be disappointed with it. Great Lens with great reviews!

2. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED

If your passion is to photograph the landscapes then the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED should probably be in your inventory, or at least at “must buy” list. This is a wide-angle zoom lens, its really made for DX sensors of these cameras. It has outstanding quality, and you will be able to capture stunning landscapes with all the details from left to right and through the entire focal range.
This is a compact all in one lens that you should keep with your camera all day for almost any situation, from shooting wide-angle landscapes to telephoto close-ups. One of the great things about Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED is that it has built in VR, Vibration Reduction, so you can capture great image even without your tripod. You can also zoom in all the way, so you can photograph objects far away and you will still get crips images that will be sharp and focused.

There are really many good things we can say about this lens, but we need to finish the list so here is verdict:
If you are looking for amazing all-in-one lens, Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED is the perfect choice for you. Trust us, this lens is outstanding!

1.Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR

Although each lens on this list is great and all of them has amazing quality, Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED is for the reason the #1.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR is most versatile lens, ever, it can take you from a wide-angle to a mid-zoom, which is amazing for different shots and angles that you can capture.

It is also best lens in many other aspects, such as shooting many other objects, from wildlife and landscapes, to portraits and wedding photography. Nikon gave this lens huge upgrade in built quality as well as the quality of the photos you can capture using this Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR Lens. As you already know VR stands for Vibration Reduction, which is always nice thing to have to boost quality of your hand held shoots, but at this price point, VR is expected.

Also, Nikon added a Nano Crystal Coating which will help minimize ghosting and flare in brigher light.

You may also notice the letter “E” on the lens, and this stands for new Nikons electromagnetic aperture mechanism which will help you when shooting non stop with fast shutter speeds.

Nikon also integrated a fluorine coating on the lens surfaces which will protect your lens from moisture dust and smudging which allows you to shoot in almost any conditions.

If you can afford it, Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR is most versitile and one of the best zoom lens. Quality is outstanding, performance is great and, again, if you can afford it, go for it!

Wrapping Up

Hopefully this article helped you make your choice and get the perfect lens for you in 2020!

If you are still not sure what is the best lens for you, make sure to read our buying guides to find out perfect choice for your personal needs.

Good luck!

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10 Best Nikon Lenses to Buy in 2020
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10 Best Nikon Lenses to Buy in 2020
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Discover 10 Best Nikon Lenses for new 2020 that will put smile on your face. Each Nikon Lens on this list has outstanding quality & value!
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