It is widely known within camera enthusiasts’ circles that no matter how good a set of properties a stock camera has, they simply cannot unveil their full potential unless you equip them with a powerful lens.

To discuss this further, and hopefully help you decide yourself for your own set, we’ve assembled a list of lenses that would fit and work optimally for the Nikon D5500.

Before we delve into top Nikon d5500 lenses, however, a couple of words on the various types of lenses and how they get produced.

Dig in!

Best All-in-one Lenses for Travelling and Everyday photography

All-in-one lens is best when you can choose only one lens to carry around with you.

While it won’t have the sharpness of the primes lens or cool looking curves of Primes, it will do an excellent task at any type of photography.

They have the most extended working margin and are a substitute for every lens, from macro to telephoto. Photographers who travel a lot but can only carry one or two lenses are the best nominees for the all-in-one type.

Besides risking to get dust in your camera, switching lenses is an exhausting task that takes your precious time.

This is where the all-in-one lens can come in handy, and we got just the right lens for your favorite Nikon D5500 Camera.

By far, the best property of this lens is its great versatility, allowing you to cover a vast range of different focal lengths without ever changing your optics.

Compared to the older versions of this model, this one offers all the excellent characteristics of its predecessors, while being much lighter and cheaper.

For example:

It retains the maximum magnification of x32, the minimum focus distance of 1.6 ft, as well as the angle of view from 76 to 520 degrees.

About the only downside can be the casual softness or the autofocus acting up then and again.

This bulky all-in-one lens comes equipped with specialized vibration reduction technology, enabling you to create high-quality, sharp images no matter what focal length you shoot from.

Additionally, its sturdy build and increased weight (compared with some other Nikon lenses), ensures that you will always make blur-free sharp photos.

In our humble opinion, this lens ranks among the sharpest lens for Nikon D5500. 

Its limited zoom range, however, means that it wouldn’t necessarily prove the best solution if you plan to make some wildlife or distant scenery photos. 

If you need a lens precisely for this purpose, then we propose you consider the 300 mm version described above or read on about the lenses below.

If you’re a bit tight on your budget and require an all-inclusive versatile lens, then this 18-250 mm solution from Sigma may be a perfect choice for you. 

It is almost two times cheaper than the models from Nikon, and while this drop in price does come due to certain technical shortcomings, it is safe to say that you won’t regret getting yourself one of these Sigma’s lenses.

In comparison to the Nikon’s lenses, these tend to have problems with the pronounced softness in the corners, and with the less durable barrel. (the lower quality materials used in its build are to blame)

Nevertheless:

Thanks to its decreased weight and a considerably lower price, this lens still manages to find its audience among the optics connoisseurs.

Best Prime Lenses for Portraits and Modeling

Portrait photography is one of the most popular types since it’s present everywhere in the world.

Prom night, family gatherings, and weddings are only a few examples where portraits are represented.

The prime lens is what you need on these occasions.

Distinction from zoom or all-in-one lenses is no ability to zoom in or out. Since there are fewer parts, Prime lenses are compact and cheaper. 

Sharpness is an important characteristic, and the quality of photos taken with this kind of lens is on the next level. Momentous photographers need at least one prime in their collection.

This lens is boasting some high zoom properties and a fair focal length. It can be a perfect option for your travels as it is versatile enough to cover all of your photographic needs, from elaborate wide-angle shots to sophisticated portraits. 

Thanks to this versatility and the advanced technology it was built in, it also performs brilliantly in the sharpness department, offering rather quick and reactive autofocus.

Also, among its strengths are the significantly reduced distortion as well as the vibration reduction technology, which can dramatically enhance the hand-held photos.

All of these impressive characteristics, however, do seem to put this model at a disadvantage when it comes to its price, which is quite high even for a Nikon lens. 

Overall:

This item easily ranks among the finest portrait lenses for Nikon D5500.

Also, the autofocus with this model is a real treat, as its speed and sharpness make the preparation process for taking a photo a piece of cake.

Its small size contributes to a great extent to its feather-light properties in the weight department, as it weighs only 6.6 ounces. 

All that being said:

This compactness quite literally does come at a price, so if you’re a bit tight on your budget, you might want to consider some of the other portrait models on this list.

A slightly less expensive solution possessing almost all of the essential characteristics of the Nikon’s 50 mm model, comes in the shape of this 35 mm lens, which will not let you down during your traveling photo exploits. 

One of the cheapest options on our list Nikon 35mm model is a very sharp lens with great features.

For under 200$, it’s one of the best lenses you can get for portrait photography. Autofocus is fast and quiet, and the lens itself works great in low light conditions. 

Another great alternative to a typical Nikon lens, comes with this 17-70 mm model from Sigma, offering an excellent focal length which will cover long distances with ease. 

What’s even better, these impressive range properties do not come at the cost of low light performance, as this lens will perform brilliantly with every light setting within reach of its focal length.

About the only negative aspect of this model is the visible softness in the corners, particularly noticeable in wide-open environments with little room for elegant settings.

However:

This turns out to be but a minor issue if we take into account that this 70 mm lens comes less expensive when compared to Nikon lenses. 

Best Telephoto Lenses for Wildlife and Action Photography

When it comes to taking a photo or a video from an object that is far away, such as in wildlife photography or sports, your best bet is a telephoto lens.

They are strictly designed with this in mind, so zooming without loss of quality is their strong point.

Because of zoom ability, their bodies are more massive when compared to other lens types.

They are usually bulky and often more expensive then primes. 

Keep reading to learn what lens we consider to be the best telephoto lens in 2020 for Nikon D5500.

This particular 200 mm model is no longer produced by the Nikon company, having been discarded recently in favor of a newer alternative with roughly the same specifications. 

The reason for such a decision on Nikon’s part is mainly due to its low-quality plastic build, meaning that what you get from the newer 200 mm VR II version pretty much amounts to improved housing.

The price follows suit with the newer model, being almost twice as expensive as this lens, and in all fairness. At the same time, the enhanced build quality does present a significant improvement, we would still advise you to get yourself the older model, as it is less expensive and offers a proper 200 mm experience. 

Offering an incredible 300 mm of zoom, this Nikon’s heavy-duty lens is definitely among the very best options for telephoto DX-form cameras. 

It’s packed with great corrective features, which are crucial for any long-range zoom lens. 

For example, the advanced vibration reduction this model boasts will enable you to take steady shots without worrying about shaky hands.

Also, it focuses reasonably quickly, ensuring that you won’t miss a crucial photo-worthy moment somewhere in the distance, and to make this model even more attractive, it features excellent sharpness regardless of the given range.

Among its disadvantages, we would count perhaps only the slight underperformance in the circumstances with reduced light, as well as the price, which can present a proper challenge for your resources.

Best Macro Lens for Flowers and Macro Photography

When it comes to Macro or close-up photography, you must own at least one Macro lens.

They have better minimum distance focus meaning you will be able to capture all the details from extremely close.

One of the features is sharpness, which is inviolable with macro lenses.

Don’t forget:

Real macro lenses have a 1:1 ratio, which allows them to take shots from near distances.

We did a few tests, compared photos taken from different options and decided on which is the best macro lens for D5500 Camera in 2020.

When it comes to the precise photography and recording some still lifes, this Nikon’s 40 mm solution would probably be one of the best solutions currently on the market. 

It delivers precisely where it needs to, with its enhanced sharpness properties enabling you to make detailed and precise photos at a close distance.

The minimum focusing distance is at 6.4 inches, leaving plenty of room to catch even the smallest details of your subject of choice.

It is, therefore, the optimal weapon of choice if you plan to take shots of food, or various products at a close distance, for advertisement purposes, for example.

Also, it is quite inexpensive for a Nikon product, meaning that once in a while, you get the top quality for an agreeable price. 

Best Wide-Angle Lenses for Landscapes and Urban areas

If you are interested in any type of photography above, the wide-angle lens will come in handy.

The large field of view allows you to contain more of what you see in the picture. Photos taken with a wide-angle lens have a unique feel to it because of curves toward corners.

Since D5500 is a DX-format camera, every photo taken with it will act as 1.5 times longer.

Nikon and other third-party companies such as sigma have this in mind when designing their glass, so you don’t have to worry too much. 

We did test more than a couple of Nikon lenses and decided that two lenses deserve to be on this list.

Another great alternative to a typical Nikon lens, comes with this 17-70 mm model from Sigma, offering an excellent focal length which will cover long distances with ease. 

Of course, being ranked among best wide-angle lenses for Nikon D5500, there will be certain distortions at the full ends, and the low light performance may not be an exactly top-notch, but when it comes to zoom it shows some rather advanced properties considering its class.

That being said, this lens can be an excellent choice if you plan to take photos of architecture and landscapes, where you will get the very best of its performance.

On the flip side:

It doesn’t come equipped with a vibration reduction feature, which may present some problems for the beginners.

While it can be said to underperform in comparison to Nikon’s lens, this Tokina’s solution still offers some impressive properties, especially when it comes to its surprisingly delicate sharpness and decent low-light performance.

This lens would perhaps be best suitable for some outdoor events with a lot of people and a diminished light setting, like at weddings and various other similar events.

The reason this wouldn’t work as well with landscape photography is the slightly pronounced distortion at the ends, making it unfit for environments where you need to take your shots at a greater distance.

Best kit lens for Nikon D5500

Just in the case of wondering here is our choice for what we consider to be the best kit lens on the market in 2020:

Brilliant for beginners and casual photography enthusiasts, this Nikon’s 55 mm lens is one of the best options for the everyday unofficial photos.

Should you attempt to take some long-distance photos, you may experience some heavy distortion, of course, but this can be corrected up to a point using the built-in option in the camera itself.

Other than that, it’s not advisable to use it in low light settings.

All in all:

This model is a great beginner’s kit lens, which will provide you with a great introduction to the world of photography. 

If you are a more advanced photographer, check out some of the other models on this list, and you will surely find just what you need!

Zoom Lenses vs Prime Lenses

Starting off with zoom lenses, it is fair to say that they are better well-rounded and offer a more enormous scope of different kinds of shots than the regular prime lenses.

Best zoom lenses for Nikon D5500 are usually able to cover a wide range of photos, from telephoto to wide-angle, making them considerably more versatile and beginner-friendly.

Prime lenses, on the other hand, have a fixed focal length but are much faster and provide excellent quality in the low light settings. Also, they are quite cheaper and lighter than zoom lenses.

If you want to know what is the best Nikon D5500 Lens?

Here is the thing:

If you want the best lenses to keep reading this article:

To be safe, if you’re a rookie with cameras but can afford bulkier optics, it would probably be a good idea to get yourself a zoom lens first, since they are more versatile and generally more comfortable to use in all environments. 

The Separate Manufacturing and The Third Party Lenses

When choosing a brand new lens, you may as well take into consideration buying one from a third party company.

The good thing about them is that they are typically much cheaper than their Nikon counterparts while still managing to retain the majority of the essential characteristics.

On the downside, the non-Nikon produced optics do tend to have specific inferior properties. For example, some of the most common issues with the lenses from Sigma (a Japan-based third party company), are their slow autofocus mechanics as well as the decreased sharpness.

This is mainly because their optics are made to fit other types of cameras too, which makes them less well-rounded since they’re not concentrated on one model in particular.

The most important third party lens manufacturers are Tokina, Tamron, as well as the aforementioned Japan-based Sigma. 

Now that we’ve acquainted ourselves with some of the ins and outs of the versatile world of lenses, let’s take a closer look at the detailed characteristics of the models best suited for the Nikon D5500:

What is perfect lens for Nikon D5500?

And this wraps up our list of best lenses for Nikon D5500! We hope you enjoyed the ride; now it’s only a matter of jotting down your exact needs and singling out your perfect match.

If you are on a budget, you may consider buying a used lens, since you get better quality for the same price. 

Read our buying guide section for guides such as Nikon D5300 lenses and Nikon D5200 lenses, to get some useful insights if you decide to go that route.

Happy shopping!