10 Best Nikon D60 Lenses That Will Enhance Image Quality [In 2023] 📸

Feb 9, 2023 | Buying Guides

Do you want to know what is the best lens for Nikon D60 in 2023?

Then, you must know that:

Buying the Nikon D60 lenses that best suit your needs is not easy.

The market contains different lens types for specific situations and other manufacturers.

Best lenses for Nikon D60 guide

Also, there aren’t enough valuable websites to guide you through buying a lens best suited to your needs.

And on top of that, if you consider that some of these lenses can cost well over a thousand dollars, it becomes clear why buying the right Nikon D60 lens is essential.

For this reason:

I decided to write this easy-to-read, in-depth guide for Nikon D60 lenses. By the end of this article, you will learn the best lens for you!

Let’s dive into the results without spending more time on the intro!

There are five most essential lens types:

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

Choosing the right Nikon D60 lenses for your needs depends mainly on your goals and expectations.

Here are the results!

Editor's Choice
Best Runner Up
Best Budget
Description:

Exceptional portrait lens with stunning clarity and beautiful bokeh for capturing captivating images.

Description:

Versatile zoom lens with a wide aperture for breathtaking wide-angle shots and razor-sharp details.

Description:

Affordable all-purpose lens offering impressive performance for photography enthusiasts on a budget.

Editor's Choice
Description:

Exceptional portrait lens with stunning clarity and beautiful bokeh for capturing captivating images.

Best Runner Up
Description:

Versatile zoom lens with a wide aperture for breathtaking wide-angle shots and razor-sharp details.

Best Budget
Description:

Affordable all-purpose lens offering impressive performance for photography enthusiasts on a budget.

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G Lens

Capture stunning detail with Nikon's 35mm f/1.8G lens; optimal sharpness, stellar low-light performance, and bokeh mastery await.

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Nikon 35mm f/1.8G – This appears to be the right solution for those who don’t want to spend much money on the f/1.4 version.

It is notably cheaper than the f/1.4 version but is also more compact and twice lighter, at only 305 grams.

The lens is excellent for low-light photography but also for isolating subjects from a background from close range because of its large maximum aperture of f/1.8.

This lens is designed to work on both FX and DX cameras. It’s handling of ghosting is excellent.

Considering its sharpness, color rendition, micro-contrast, autofocus performance, and accuracy, this lens is impressive for its price.

Besides all these strengths, you might have some optical issues with it. For example, vignetting levels are pretty high, and its handling of bokeh is relatively weak.

In conclusion, it is a perfect choice for everyday photography needs.

Pros

  • Quite affordable
  • SWM AF system
  • Small and light
  • It takes in a bit more light in comparison to similar f/2.8 lenses

Cons

  • Clunky autofocus

Best for Macro photography

Nikon 40mm f/2.8G Lens

Unleash your creative potential: Nikon 40mm f/2.8G Lens captures mesmerizing details with precision and clarity, perfect for macro photography enthusiasts.

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  • Lens Type: Normal
  • Mounting Type: Nikon F (DX)
  • Focal Length Range: 40mm
  • Minimum Focus Distance: 0.162 m
  • Weight: 0.52 pounds
  • Dimensions: 2.56 x 2.72 x 2.72 inches

If you are a photo enthusiast who needs an affordable macro lens with good performance characteristics, this lens might be what you are looking for.

It has a Silent Wave Motor/AF-S. It allows the lens to autofocus on all modern Nikon DLRSs silently.

It also has a Super Integrated Coating that remarkably reduces lens flare and ghosting.

It is a small, light lens that weighs only 280 grams, making it very easy to use. The 1.0x reproduction ratio, 0.53 ft minimum focus distance, seven semi-rounded diaphragm blades, three focus modes with autofocus override, and a 52mm filter size are notable features.

On the other side:

Its biggest weakness is the short focal length when shooting macro. In conclusion, this Nikon D60 macro lens is the best for large to medium-size macro photography and portraiture.

Also, food photographers will love this lens.

Pros

  • Image stabilization feature
  • Autofocus is compatible with some Nikon DSLR models
  • Equipped with plenty of complementary features
  • Rubber grommet sealing

Cons

  • Expensive

Best for Sports Videography

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Lens

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 is a revolutionary lens from a Sigma company that has excellent build quality and produces stunning and sharp images

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Sigma announced the professional-grade Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 for DX/APS-C format only. It caught a lot of attention in the media for being the first-ever f/1.8 zoom lens.

The lens provides an excellent range for various needs and applications thanks to its focal range equivalent to 27 mm-52.5 mm in 35mm format.

Despite its fast constant aperture of f/1.8, you still have an opportunity to shoot in low-light conditions. Previously, you could do that only with fast-aperture prime lenses.

The lens comes with a hypersonic motor for silent and fast autofocus. If you are comfortable with a reverse rotation of the focus ring, handling will not be a problem.

The main complaint goes to its autofocus accuracy issues. It is also a shame that a lens like this does not exist for FX.

In general, the performances of this Nikon D60 zoom lens are awe-inspiring.

Pros

  • Superb FOV
  • Ultrasonic AF motor
  • Nearly soundless method of operation
  • Rapid target acquisition

Cons

  • FBig and bulky construction

Best for Close-Up photography

Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G Lens

This wide-angle lens from Nikon is great for close-up shots and low-light situations and it comes equipped with vibration reduction and silent-wave motor.

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First of all, this is one all-plastic lens.

It has the newest stepping motor, which makes the focusing faster and quieter than the standard silent wave motor used on most standard Nikon lenses.

This lens is constructed to be small and lightweight, weighing only 205 grams. This is also one of its main advantages.

Also:

This lens allows you to override autofocus by rotating the focus ring, and you can do it any time, making it very practical.

Although the barrel is made of plastic, it is not the most vulnerable because of the extending front element. On the other side, limited zoom range and aperture values limit the versatility of use.

The complaint might also go to solid barrel distortion at 18mm, but it doesn’t change the fact that the list of strengths is much longer.

In conclusion, this is a lightweight, small, and portable lens with excellent image quality.

Pros

  • Silent-Wave motor
  • Vibration reduction technology
  • Exceptionally versatile lens
  • Very easy to use

Cons

  • Flimsy and easy to break

Best for Interior photography

Nikon 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6G Lens

This is one of the most popular Nikon lenses made from durable plastic, it includes a Super Integrated Coating and shots sharp images.

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This all-in-one lens was first introduced in November of 2005, and very quickly, it became one of the most popular Nikon lenses.

Nikon updated this popular lens in July 2009 to respond to customers’ feedback.

The new lens uses rounded diaphragm blades to improve the aperture, includes a ‘Super Integrated Coating’ to diminish flare and ghosting, and adds a zoom lock switch to address persistent issues with zoom creep.

Sharpness is one of the areas where improvement was made. For example, stopping down to Æ’/8 offers significant progress, taming the corners dramatically and producing a standard performance of between 1 and 1.5 blur units.

This lens is made of durable plastic with a matte black finish.

It comes with a petal-shaped hood. Nikon made some excellent improvements with this updated version, and if we consider its price, we can say it is a great all-in-one lens.

Pros

  • Great image stabilization; can be used without a tripod
  • Takes ultra-sharp photos quickly
  • Huge zoom
  • Lightweight and durable

Cons

  • Best used by experienced photographers due to enhanced sensitivity to background lights

Best for Sports and Travel photography

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G Lens

A telephoto lens from Nikon that has good build quality, compact body that feels comfortable in hand while providing steady and precise images.

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This is a surprisingly affordable lens, but you also get the quality, which is every photographer’s dream.

Another good thing is that the lens is convenient, although it is pretty heavy (it weighs 425 grams).

It brings even the most distant objects closer because of its 300mm maximum focal length.

There is one tip:

Photos will look much better if you use them with the tripod. The image stabilization makes hand-holding effective in most normal lighting.

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens shows its full potential in outdoor photography, so it is mainly used for photos of nature, wildlife, and animals.

That means that this lens will be your best friend on your journeys. On the other side, inside photos might not turn out great without the proper OCF.

Pros

  • One of the most versatile lenses
  • Unparalleled zoom quality
  • Excellent optics
  • Advanced micro-contrast capturing

Cons

  • Very expensive

Best for Portrait photography

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G Lens

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G is a versatile prime lens has beautiful bokeh effect and it is amazing for any kind of weddings, portraits or general photography.

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This lens is excellent for low-light photography because of its large aperture.

The lens is more durable, just like on the old Nikon 85mm f/1.8D, for the front lens element that does not extend or rotate during autofocusing.

Like many Nikon lenses, this lens also contains a silent wave motor, which provides quiet focusing and imparts the ability to use autofocus with a manual focus override.

Super Integrated Coating, which this lens also has, reduces lens flare and ghosting. It is made of plastic on the outside and has a metal mount, so it has an average weight of 350 grams.

The complaint goes to field curvature, ghosting, flare, and pronounced focus shift, which is typical for most fast prime lenses.

Pros

  • Incredibly affordable
  • Autofocus and great zoom
  • Decently versatile
  • Small and compact

Cons

  • Not the most durable Nikon lens

Best for Night photography

Nikon 35mm f/1.4G Lens

An impeccable contrast and high quality images are something you can expect from this high-end lens from Nikon, including many other great features.

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  • Lens Type: Wide Angle
  • Mounting Type: Nikon F (FX)
  • Focal Length Range: 35mm
  • Minimum Focus Distance: 1.0 ft (0.3 meters)
  • Weight: 1.32 pounds
  • Dimensions: 3.54 x 3.27 x 3.27 inches

This Nikon 35mm f/1.4G lens was introduced in September of 2010 and quickly became a great candidate for many types of photography, such as a wedding, portrait, or landscape. The choice is yours!

The optical technology of this lens is intended for both FX and DX sensors.

The complaint might be its weight and size because it weighs 600 grams. But it does not necessarily have to be a bad thing.

On the other side, this lens is a perfect solution for bad weather conditions. It continues to work correctly, even in dusty conditions, and you can clean it easily afterward. The main complaint goes to the 67mm filter thread instead of the standard 77mm thread, primarily based on the high price of this lens.

In conclusion, this lens is an excellent choice for indoor and outdoor photography if you are ready to invest in it.

If not, you might reconsider buying some other, cheaper, but also the quality lens.

Pros

  • Built to last
  • Nano-Crystal coating
  • Rapid target acquisition
  • Anti-reflection layers

Cons

  • Very expensive

Best for Architectural photography

Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G Lens

Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G is a wide angle lens that ofers superior sharpness and it produces beautiful photos with stunning effects.

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This lens is relatively small, but it might be heavy on a more petite camera body since it weighs 460 grams. It is one of the entirely Nikon D60 compatible lenses with every Nikon DX camera.

The quality of the build seems to be very decent, with a high-grade plastic barrel and a metal mount. Unlike the already mentioned Nikon 35mm f/1.4G lens with a 67mm filter thread, Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G has a standard non-rotating 77mm filter thread, which is much better.

The autofocus turns out to be fast and quiet, and this lens also has an internal focusing with a silent wave motor.

This is not a macro lens; his maximum reproduction ratio is 1:5, as Nikon specifies.

In conclusion, it is a well-performed lens and undoubtedly enjoyable to use.

It also protects against moisture and dust, which can be helpful in extreme weather conditions. The weakness might be its price, especially for enthusiasts.

Pros

  • Remarkable focus
  • High performance
  • Superb focal length

Cons

  • Investment

Best for Landscape photography

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 Lens

This wide-angle lens from Sigma packs quite a punch with exceptional optics, it works great in low-light and excels in the field of landscape photography.

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Sigma announced this 10-20mm f/3.5 lens in 2009, among several other lenses.

In sharpness, Sigma undoubtedly improved with this lens, but the quality is degraded at 17-20mm.

Mount is made of metal, and the lens weighs 520 grams, which puts it among heavier and larger ones.

Also, it uses an 82mm filter thread instead of a 77mm or 67mm filter thread. If we compare it to the previous version, corner shading, and distortion are undoubtedly improved.

Besides all these strengths, it does not mean that you necessarily have to upgrade from the earlier version unless you have a good reason to do it. One of the problems is that you would have to upgrade to larger 82mm filters, in case you were using 77mm filters with your older version.

In conclusion, this lens is an improvement, and if you want to explore the ultra-wide experience, you will not be disappointed!

Pros

  • Built like a tank
  • Superb optics
  • Available at an affordable price

Cons

  • Potential issues with corner sharpness

Nikon D60 Lenses – Wrapping Up

Hopefully, you have already decided and bought the best lens for Nikon D60.

However, if you are still not sure what are the best Nikon D60 lenses for you, you might want to check out this Nikon lens.

Also, if you still have doubts about which lens to choose, please comment below, and I will do my best to help you.

Check out our other guides, such as the lenses guide for Nikon D70 and Nikon D50 lenses.

Good luck!

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10 Best Nikon D60 Lenses That Will Enhance Image Quality [In 2023] 📸
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10 Best Nikon D60 Lenses That Will Enhance Image Quality [In 2023] 📸
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Find out what are the best lenses for Nikon D60 in 2023. Discover the top ten best lenses guaranteed to improve Nikon D60 performance.
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Edward Avedon

Edward Avedon

Professional Photographer

I’m Edward Avedon, a seasoned professional photographer with over 7 years of experience and the co-founder of the renowned LensesPro blog. Currently, I am furthering my knowledge as a student at Columbia University in the heart of New York, USA.

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8 Comments

  1. I’m looking for the best lens to use on my d60 Nikon to shoot lighthouses and wildlife like birds in flight. Which lens would be compatible with this camera for this purpose?

    Reply
    • To photograph lighthouses as well as wildlife like birds up in the skies with your Nikon D60, you’ll need something that can go long and has a swift autofocus – which is why I think the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens is a great option! It features excellent max focal length and Vibration Reduction tech to ensure your photos remain sharp regardless of distance; its autofocus system ensures that any fleeting moments won’t be missed out on either!

      Reply
  2. Hey, I’ve just started a photography course and want a lens for my nikon d60 that has a very good zoom on it for taking photos from a distance or of the moon etc is that a thing?

    Reply
    • Hi Niki,
      There are many very good zoom lenses available, this is just one of the suggestions: Nikon 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

      Reply
  3. I have a d60 in which I came in the possession of a Nikon AF zoom-Nikon telephoto 80-200mm f/2.8D ED lens; will this work with my camera.

    Reply
    • Yes, it will work but you will need to use manual focus.

      Reply
    • I have Nikon D60 with 18-55 lens. How much useful is this combination for photography in Jungle area.
      What alternate lens is best suitable for this camera?

      Reply
      • As a reliable camera, the Nikon D60 can handle various settings perfectly – even that of the jungle! But when getting those beautiful shots of the wildlife and plants in their natural environment, you may consider investing in a longer zoom lens like the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4–5. 6G ED VR II or the Sigma 70–300 mm F/4–5 . 6 DG Macro are excellent choices for capturing distant subjects with great precision.

        Reply

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