Mainly because there is not enough useful information and lens buying guides on the internet, most lens review sites don’t make enough effort to thoroughly test each lens out of the bunch and then select the winners.

For this reason, I decided to write an ultimate best Nikon D3200 lenses buying guide for 2021. It should help everyone to choose the perfect Nikon D3200 lens.

Here’s the thing:

If you read this entire guide, you will be confident about which lens to choose. Lenses that are included in this guide will increase your Nikon D3200 photo quality enormously.

I covered 5 of the most essential lens types:

• Macro lenses
• Wide-Angle lenses
• Prime lenses
• All-In-One lenses
• Telephoto lenses

Before I show you the best lenses I need to, as always, say a few words about the D3200 camera itself.

Here’s the table of contents, in case you want to skip to the specific part.

Why is Nikon D3200 a Great Choice?

Nikon D3200 is a compact camera from the Nikon company, and it was released to the public in April 2012.

Even tho this is an older model, it’s still quite popular and offers decent performance for what you pay for.

It is an excellent choice for beginners and people who are just starting with photography. If you combine it with a fantastic pair of lenses, it will satisfy even the professionals.

It has a 24MP CMOS DX-format sensor that allows for 4 frames per second continuous shooting, which combined with 11 AF points, and 3D tracking offers clear photos with crisp details.

There is an ability to film full HD video, and it also has decent processing speed thanks to the Expeed 3 processing sensor.

But here’s the problem:

Even tho this masterpiece offers excellent value, it still needs a quality lens; otherwise, you won’t get optimal performance, and the quality of your images will suffer.

I spent over 2 weeks researching and writing this guide, testing, and comparing over 30 different lenses to come up with a list of the top 9 best lenses for the Nikon D3200 camera.

I addressed special attention to the quality of the lens itself, build quality, and features. The price of each lens has also been taken into account. As lenses are expensive, you want to make sure to get the best value from your purchase.

Sit down, grab a drink, and keep reading this well-researched Nikon D3200 lenses guide.

But before I show you the results, here’s the table of the best lenses for Nikon D3200 included in this guide.

Best Prime Lenses for Portraits

1. Nikon 50mm f/1.8G

Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is the prime budget lens intended for anyone who is looking for one of the best portrait lenses for Nikon D3200.

It’s very sharp and works well in low light conditions, providing you with a foundation for shooting portraits with precise details even at night time.

The most important part?

This Nikon D3200 50mm lens is reasonably cheap, meaning it is an excellent solution if you are on the budget, and don’t want to spend too much on a lens.

The body is compact, maintaining a small size while offering fast processing and many great features such as autofocus, which is fast and quiet.

It will make the process of shooting photos much easier while the compact body contributes to the light properties in the weight department.

The focal length is fixed at 50 mm, while the Minimum Focus Distance is around 1.48 ft allowing you for closer shots.

One of the features is the Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor, which always comes in handy.

The great thing about this prime lens is that it’s optimized for edge-to-edge sharpness on both FX and DX-format D-SLRs cameras.

Keep in mind that Nikon 50mm f/1.8G is not zoomable and is made out of plastic, but still, the build quality is excellent.

Listen:

It is undoubtedly one of the “must-own” Nikon D3200 prime lenses if you are serious about portrait photography.

2. Nikon 85mm f/1.8G

The second great option on this list is Nikon 85mm f/1.8G, which I consider to be the best portrait lens for Nikon D3200.

The focal length is fixed 85 mm, while the Minimum Focus distance is 0.8m.

You already know:

Since it is produced by the Nikon company, it is expected to have many great perks and features. One of the most useful ones is the Manual/Autofocus mode switch, which allows you to switch between manual and auto-focus at the press of the button.

As for real-world use, it produces sharp portraits with stunning details. Color and image rendition is top-notch, while a larger aperture provides decent low-light performance.

Bokeh is not as smooth as on more expensive models, but it still provides you with subtle blur effects and a warm user experience.

One of the drawbacks of this portrait lens is focus speed and focus itself. It won’t always be as precise as you may expect it, and speed is not high. However, this is nothing that should worry you or discourage you from buying this piece of art.

Here’s the thing:

When all benefits and downsides of this prime lens are considered, this is, without a doubt, one of the best Nikon D3200 lenses for portraits.

Best Wide-Angle Lenses for Landscapes

3. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8

This is a wide-angle budget solution for photographers who are into landscape photography, yet, it offers the most bang for the buck.

It has built-in two aspheric lens elements and two Super-Low dispersion lens elements and a Multi-Layer coating 77mm filter thread.

Here’s the catch:

Tokina is usually not considered a quality manufacturer by itself, but they did a phenomenal job with 11-16mm f/2.8.

One thing that surprised us is sharpness.

Another great feature that can come in handy is infinity focus, which will provide you with stunning landscapes and beautiful nature shots.

Look:

If you are looking for Nikon D3200 wide-angle lens that will give you a fantastic landscape photography experience, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 should be your first choice.

4. Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G

Nikon 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5G is an excellent choice for every photographer who is looking for a versatile wide-angle lens with functional capabilities.

Look at it this way:

If you can afford the 10-24mm, it is definitely worth the ​purchase.

This is, simply put, the best lens for landscape photography Nikon D3200 camera.

One of the best selling points is excellent-looking images that provide you with plenty of sharpness and a wide-angle of view for beautiful landscapes images.

Another good selling point this lens has is special attention to resetting and correcting the sharpness levels in each photo.

The two built-in ED glass elements will prevent the harmful effects of the chromatic aberration making your shots seem even better.

Three aspherical lenses minimize the adverse effects of lens aberration, which is always useful, especially when you are shooting during bright sunlight.

Silent wave motor or SWM will make the shooting process vibration-free allowing you to concentrate primarily on the photographic experience.

Size is not considered the advantage of this wide-angle lens because there are more compact ones.

However:

Considering all the features and the abilities of this lens, it is not something I can genuinely resent, and this wide-angle lens for Nikon D3200 has an excellent value.

One lens that is better than the previous “Tamron” option is Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G Lens.

We consider this a premium wide-angle zoom lens.

However, if you have money to spend, this might just be the best lens for you if you are into landscape photography.

It has two focus modes: Manual and autofocus with manual override.

Best All-in-one Lenses for Everyday photography

5. Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G

A versatile lens with a bunch of features that are intended for users who want one lens for everything.

The focal length is from 28mm to 300mm, allowing you for a variety of shoots, from portraits to telephoto.

It has a powerful zoom built-in into this device, allowing you to get a close-up shot without physically getting closer.

Also, it has built-in Vibration Reduction II, which helps tremendously in the stabilization of shots taken with the Nikon 28-300mm F/3.5-5.6G lens.

This is an all-in-one lens, meaning it is good at everything but won’t exceed any of the dedicated lenses for a particular type of photography.

Nevertheless:

If you are looking for one lens to do all the tasks for you, this is undoubtedly the answer!

It’s an extraordinary camera lens for Nikon D3200, offering exceptional quality and superb performance.

6. Nikon 24-120mm f/4G

A little bit less versatile all-in-one lens, especially in the telephoto department, yet with a performance that will satisfy you in every way.

It’s one of the best all-in-one lenses, and this is the reason I included it in this Nikon D3200 lenses buying guide for 2021.

It comes with 2 extra-low dispersion elements, which significantly help when it comes to chromatic aberration, and 3 aspherical lens elements.

Build quality is excellent, maintaining the compact body and lightweight while still providing users with plenty of features.

One of the features that I really loved is autofocus, which is fast and precise, allowing for a better photographic experience.

Our conclusion:

The only real drawback is that not everybody has a budget for it. But if you can afford it, you will be blown away by the quality and versatility of this all-in-one lens.

Best Telephoto Lenses for Wildlife

7. Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G

Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G is the first telephoto option on our list for a reason.

It is a budget solution for photographers that need powerful zoom and the ability to close up a shoot without getting too close itself, such as in wildlife or action photography.

It is one of the best zoom lenses for the Nikon D3200 in 2021!

As expected, it comes with built-in VR offering you steady shoots even at the end of the zoom spectrum. Speaking of zoom, it works great with 5.5 times power.

This zoom lens does lose sharpness after 250mm, but it is not that noticeable, and yet it can be fixed in post-processing.

Images taken with a 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G are crisp with precise details, and build quality is on the spot.

Bottom line:

If you are looking for a budget Nikon D3200 telephoto lens, you won’t make a mistake if you choose this one!

8. Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G

This is a high-quality zooming lens for Nikon D3200 when it comes to wildlife and action photography. It does offer some great perks and fantastic performance.

I can honestly say that it is the best telephoto lens for Nikon D3200 from the lenses I tested.

Internal focus help in achieving the fast autofocus, which has two focus modes – manual with auto and manual mode. It’s worth noticing that autofocus mode won’t always perform correctly, so sometimes you do need to change it into manual mode for best results.

It is also very versatile since the minimum focusing distance is only 4.9ft, providing you with a vast spectrum of capabilities, from close-up photography to telephoto.

One drawback of this zoom lens is a telescoping body. Still, it feels comfortable when holding in hand and build quality is excellent, making it up for this.

It’s worth saying that the lens is not as heavy as some may expect, but I do advise you to use a tripod when shooting.

Look:

I can, without a doubt, say that 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6G is one of the best telephoto lenses on the market in 2021. Also, it is certainly one of the biggest lenses for Nikon d3200 on our list.

Best Macro Lenses for Macro Photography

9. Nikon 105mm f/2.8G

Nikon 105mm F/2.8G is a Nikon D3200 macro lens designed for people who are into macro or close-up photography and need a quality D3200 macro lens.

It is exceptionally sharp, producing photos with crisp details and vibrant colors.

Since it has fixed a focal length of 105mm, it is relatively versatile for most kinds of photography shooting with a focus on macro photography.

It has a very short focus distance of 1ft, which is always appreciated in this kind of situation.

The lens itself is compact, reasonably lightweight with excellent build quality. On the other hand, the Nano-Crystal coat and ED glass elements will reduce flare in photos and improve your photo quality by far.

Since this lens is produced by Nikon company, it comes with many features as standard, one of them being VR, which, combined with your camera, will work correctly.

What’s the bottom line?

If you are looking for a fast and quality macro lens, then Nikon 105mm F/2.8G may just be one of the best macro lenses for Nikon D3200.

What lenses are compatible with Nikon D3200?

Most full-frame Nikon lenses (FX) are compatible with a Nikon D3200 camera. But this might not be the most effective solution because the area of the lens goes over the crop-frame sensor.

This means that this part of the image will be removed from the photo. So, since you won’t be able to use all of the crop frames, we suggest that you stick to DX lenses for maximum compatibility.

Another important thing to mention when it comes to compatible lenses for Nikon D3200 is autofocus. See, even tho both AF-S and AF can be used with Nikon D3200, if you want to have the ability to use autofocus, you should choose the AF-S type of lenses.

What is the best Lens for Nikon D3200 Camera?

Finally, we came to the end of this ultimate Nikon D3200 lenses guide.

I hope you will now be able to make a clear and informative decision on which lens to buy for your favorite camera.

But listen:

If you are still not sure what is the right lens for you, I recommend that you check out this option. It is a premium all-around lens from Nikon, which offers excellent performance and high versatility.

One more thing to consider:

Even tho I didn’t choose any lenses from third-party manufacturers such as Tamron or Sigma lenses for Nikon D3200, I do suggest you go for them. They are often cheaper as those companies cut corners to compete with leading brands such as Nikon.

If you can find a good deal on Tamron, Sigma, or Tokina lenses, feel free to get those. Keep in mind that build quality will often not be on the same level as Nikon lenses; however, performance is top-notch. 

What is your favorite lens for Nikon D3200?

I want to hear from you, what is your favorite lens for Nikon D3200, and is there a lens that you think doesn’t deserve to be on this list? Post the answer in a comment section, I reply to every single comment.

Also, want to hear your thought on what is the best Nikon D3200 lens for 2021? Which ones offer the best value, and which ones you would not choose?

You can also read other tutorials (such as Nikon D5200 lenses or Nikon D5000 lenses guide) on this website to learn some interesting tips about photography. We also have many useful tips and tricks that will improve your skills and the quality of your photos.