If you want to capture an image such as the above image of the butcher bird, you will need quite a long telephoto lens as you are limited in how close you can approach the subject without disturbing the subject.
In general the Nikon telephoto lenses cam be categorised in several categories as follows.
Nikon DX (APS-C) Lenses
These lenses are specific for the Nikon DX range of cameras D3000, D3100, D5100, D7000 and D300s.
The Nikon 18-200mm Lens is not just a telephoto lens, it is an f/3.5-5.6 general purpose lens covering from wide angle to telephoto, however is is not suited to low light telephoto usage.
The Nikon 55-300mm Lens is also a general purpose lens. This f/4.5-5.6 lens, similar to the previous DX lens is a good lens for travelling to reduce the weight you carry.
Nikon FX Lenses (Full frame)
These FX lenses can be used on both DX and FX sensor cameras.
The Nikon 24-120mm Lens is an f/3.5- 5.6 lens suited for general and travel photography and not really suited for low light photography.
The Nikon 24-120mm Lens is a fixed aperture f/4 lens. It has vibration reduction and offers high image quality throughout its range. It is a great lens for travel photography where low light performance is not important.
The Nikon 28-300mm Lens is an excellent f/3.5-5.6 wide range focal length lens for travelling where low light performance is not required.
The Nikon 70-200mm Lensis an f/2.8 lens very suited to low light photography. This lens is a very high performance lens with exceptional image quality and is suited for sporting events and also nature photography, this lens also has vibration reduction. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
The Nikon 70-300mm Lens is a lens which is not really suited to low light applications, its aperture of f/4.5-5.6 is not suited to high speed action, it is a very compact lens and quite easy to use for travelling.
The Nikon 105mm Micro Lens with its f/2.8 aperture is an excellent short telephoto lens with macro capability and vibration reduction. This lens is great for flowers and other subjects where you want to get up close. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
The Nikon 200mm f/2.0 Lens is a wonderful lens for low light photography especially at sporting events. For a 200mm lens it is quite large and heavy. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
This Nikon 200mm Micro Lens is the longest Nikon micro lens and has an aperture of f/4. This lens is my main lens for subjects such as insects and butterflies.
This Nikon 200-400mm Lens with an f/4 aperture is really suited as a nature or wildlife lens where the zoom facility is required. The image quality is excellent for a zoom lens. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
The Nikon 300mm Lens with its f/4 aperture is one of the most usable Nikon telephoto lenses, it is very light and compact and provides a very high image quality. I find this lens one of my most used lenses and I use it very often with a monopod. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
The Nikon 300mm Lens with its f/2.8 aperture is excellent for hand held telephoto use in poor lighting conditions, The lens has vibration reduction and is an excellent sporting event lens. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
The Nikon 400mm Lens is an f/2.8 lens with vibration reduction,VR. This lens is very suited to sporting events with its large aperture and this is one of the best telephoto lenses for use in low lighting conditions. It is best suited for use on a solid tripod due to its weight and size. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
The Nikon 500mm Lens is an excellent f/4 lens for bird photography. It has vibration reduction, VR and can be hand held for short periods, but it excells when used on a tripod or monopod. This is my preferred lens for subjects like birds where some portability is required. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
This Nikon 600mm Lens is the premier telephoto lens in the Nikon range. It is an f/4 lens, it uses vibration reduction (VR), is heavy, very large and difficult to handle. A tripod is almost essential, but this lens is superb for photography of birds and other shy subjects where portability is not an issue. This lens accepts the AF-S Nikon teleconverters.
In addition to these Nikon Telephoto Lens Reviews above, we are preparing articles on nikon wide angle lens reviews, nikon macro lens reviews and nikon fisheye lens reviews.