Kookaburra

I have been thinking that if I had to choose a new Nikon lens kit, what ten new lenses would go into my bag. This choice is aimed at selecting the best ten lenses for high image quality and the best usefulness. More than ten lenses and my bag would be too heavy! Bear in mind that this is my personal choice.

1. For starters I would go for the Nikon 16mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. This is really the only choice if I want a Nikon fisheye. I would probably not use a fisheye lens all that much, but it would be handy to have when required.
2. Next my choice would be for a wide angle lens for landscapes and cityscapes etc. There are two main contenders here, the 14-24mm f/2.8 and the 16-35mm f/4 VR. My choice here would be the Nikon 16-35mm f/4, mainly as it takes filters and it has a wider zoom range. The 16-35mm also has the added advantage of VR for hand held use when required.
3. Because I have chosen the 16-35mm f/4 wide angle lens as my second choice, I would need a larger aperture lens for selective focus, thus my third choice is the Nikon 24mm f/1.4 lens. This is an excellent sharp lens and would be very useful for stitched panoramas.
4. My fourth choice of lens would be the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II lens. This lens is extremely sharp for a zoom and is very good with the Nikon teleconverters. This is an excellent lens for photographing nature and animals.
5. Next is one of the cheaper prime lenses to fill the gap between the 16-35mm and the 70-200mm lenses. This prime would be the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens, again for low light photography and selective focus.
6. Next on the list is the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 lens as this is one of the best lenses for beautiful portraits. This lens would also be very useful for  landscapes.
7. My long super telephoto lens would be the Nikon 500mm f/4 due to its relatively smallish size and weight compared to the 400mm f/2.8 and the 600mm f/4 super telephoto lenses.
8. The Nikon 300mm f/2.8 lens is a great lens and probably has the best image quality of any Nikon lens, so that will be my next choice.
9. I love macro photography so the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Micro is an excellent addition to the bag.
10. The Nikon Teleconverter TC-14E 1.4x II would have to go into my bag as it is compatible with the 70-200mm, the 105mm Micro and the 500mm  lens.

After the selection of these lenses I will need to look for a new bag to fit all this gear into.

We have a full summary of all the current Nikon lenses in our Nikon Lens Review Section.

The Forrest

I love wide angle lenses for capturing wide expansive landscapes and also for getting a wider view in enclosed spaces such as inside buildings and where you want to catch architectural scenes.

We have categorised these wide angle lenses into both DX and FX lenses according to the camera you may be using.

Nikon DX (APS-C) Lenses

One of the main DX wide angle lenses I have used is the Sigma (Nikon Mount) 10-20mm f/4-5.6 Lens, I have found the image quality of this lens to be very good and I have used it many times for landscape images with a DX camera.

The widest rectilinear DX lens available from Nikon is the Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens. This lens is wonderful for beautiful landscapes and capturing the wide expanses of cities and seascapes.

Also the fixed aperture Nikon 12-24mm f/4 Lens is the equivalent of the previous lens and is excellent for landscapes and seascapes.

The Nikon 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens is more than just a wide angle lens it is a very useful lens covering wide angle, normal and short telephoto usage. Lenses such as this with the f/5.6 aperture at the long end have their limitations in low light levels but the lens is generally quite sharp.

The low aperture f/2.8 Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 Lens is one of my favourite lenses for the DX camera. It is a great general purpose photojournalism lens and I also love it also for landscapes, although at the wide end you do need to be careful when focussing.

Lenses such as the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens suffer from the f/5.6 aperture at the long end. this is a good lens for travelling as it is an all in one lens and reduces the amount of lens changing you need to do, but they are better lenses if you are after high image quality.

Nikon FX Lenses (Full frame)

The Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 Lens is the premier Nikon wide angle lens. This lens does not have a large zoom range but it is exceptionally sharp, even some canon shooters use this lens on their cameras with an adaptor. This lens is a  great landscape and photojournalism lens, it has a built in hood and a huge bulging front element. With the huge front element of this lens you do need to be careful with flare and back lighting. The main shortfall with this lens in my opinion is  that you can not use standard screw in filters due to the large front glass element.

The Nikon 16-35mm f/4 Lens is an excelent wide lens with quite a large zoom range, it is an f/4 lens with VR and can provide superb images. If you need a very wide zoom FX lens which is capable of taking filters the this is the lens.

The Nikon 20mm f/2.8 Lens is one of the older Nikon D lenses without the internal AF-S motor in the lens. This lens is such a small lens that it is excellent for travelling. This lens is only suitable for cameras which have the built in focussing motor in the camera.

If you have a need for a reasonably wide fixed focal length lens that is exceptionally sharp then the Nikon 24mm f/1.4 Lens is for you. This lens is the best available for a wide angle selective focus lens. With wide angle lenses to achieve a nice selective focus lqarge apertures are required and this lens has a large aperture of f/1.4.

If you are looking for a low aperture normal focal length, zoom lens then the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens is the one to get. This lens is an excellent lens for landscape, people, portrait and photojournalism. It has a low aperture of f/2.8 and consequently it is excellent for selective focus to achieve narrow depth of field. This lens is as good as many of the prime lenses in this focal length range probably with the exception of the 35mm and 24mm, f/1.4 lenses.

The Nikon 24-120mm f/4.0 Lens is essentially a normal focal length lens which also covers a small part of the wide angle range. The image quality of this lens is similar to the previous 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, however it only offers a minimum aperture of f /4, which is completely adequate for many photographers.

This Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens is more of a general purpose lens rather than a wide angle lens. This lens is a great travelling lens due to its wide range, however if you are looking for the ultimate image quality then there are probably better lenses available.

The Nikon 35mm 1.4 Lens is a prime wide angle lens and is very suitable for photographing people, images in low light and where selective focus is required with the very low aperture of f/1.4. Selective focus is a great tool to give your images some extra impact. These prime lenses offer exceptional image quality as they are designed the the specific focal length.

We also have further articles on the different categories of lenses with nikon telephoto lens reviews, nikon fisheye lens reviews and nikon macro lens reviews to help you in your search for better lenses and consequently better images.

Owl

If you want to capture an image such as the above image of the owl, 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.

Why do we use lens hoods on our lenses? Well there are several reasons.

With many lenses the front element of the lens is not recessed enough so that the front element is shaded from direct light which can cause significant flare in the lens. The lens hood will provide additional shading of the lens to help prevent flare.

The design of the lens hood is a careful balance between shading the lens to avoid flare and causing the lens to vignette.

Lenses can be more inclined to have flare issues if an external filter is used on the lens. The lens hood will help alleviate this issue.

Lens hoods can generally be stored on the camera by reversing them to save space.

My own view of lens hoods is as listed in the following points:

• Always use a lens hood as it will help improve the quality of images by reducing flare.
• Make sure that it is fitted properly, if not it may vignette.
• The lens hood can also help protect the lens against any object touching the front element.

Nikon produce two different formats in their digital cameras. The DX format, which is also known as APS-C or cropped format, has a 16 x 24mm sensor size, compared to the FX sensor size of 24x36mm. The DX cameras can be used with both DX and FX lenses. The DX cameras cameras have a crop factor compared to the FX sensor cameras. Due to the smaller cropped area, these DX cameras give an effective extension factor to lenses of 1.5 times, thus a 300mm lens becomes a 450mm lens which can be a big advantage for photography of subjects such as birds. However with a wide angle lens it can be a disadvantage.

• A 500mm lens on an an FX camera will be equivalent to a 750mm telephoto lens on a DX camera, which effectively gives a longer telephoto effect.
• A 15mm lens on an an FX camera will be equivalent to a 22mm lens on a DX camera, so the viewing angle will not be so wide.

The DX lenses are smaller and cheaper than the equivalent FX lenses. This is because the lens has a smaller image circle compared to the full frame FX sensor.

With DX cameras, since the sensor size is smaller, for a camera with the same number of pixels as an FX camera; the pixel density is greater with DX cameras. Since the pixels density is greater the pixels are smaller and consequently the DX cameras will produce more noise in the images at higher ISO settings.

Do not forget that all FX lenses can be used on DX cameras, but you will find that the DX lenses are considerably more expensive than FX lenses.

The following is a listing together with details of the currently available Nikon DX lenses:

Nikon, Nikkor, 10.5mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye Lens

Sigma (Nikon Mount) 10-20mm 4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens Review

Nikon, Nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 G IF ED AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 17-55mm G IF ED AF-S DX Lens Review

Nikon, Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR II AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens

Nikon Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 85mm f/3.5 G ED VR AF-S DX Micro Lens

Turtle, Eagleby Wetlands

For anyone interested in close up photography the lenses to get are one of the Nikon Micro lenses. There are four specialist close up lenses provided by Nikon. The above image has been captured with the Nikon, 200mm, f/4, Micro lens, this is one of my favourite close up lenses.

For DX cameras there is the Nikon, Nikkor 85mm f/3.5 G ED VR AF-S DX Micro Lens, this is a great lens for DX camera users  and provides a maximum reproduction ratio 1/1, which is equal to life size.

For Nikon users of DX and FX cameras there are an additional three lenses and there are individual reviews of these lenses as follows:

• Nikon, Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 G ED AF-S Micro Lens
• Nikon, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 G IF ED VR AF-S Micro Lens Review
• Nikon, Nikkor 200mm f/4 D IF ED AF Micro Lens Review

All these lenses provide a reproductipon ratio of 1/1 or life size.

Which of these lenses should you purchase?

Well there are several issues for consideration in your selection as follows:

• If you want a relatively cheap lens for a DX format camera then the 85mm f/3.5 lens is probably the one to get.
• The 85mm lens has built in vibration reduction.
• If you require a flat field lens suitable for photographing flat objects and documents the the 50mm f/2.8 may be the one for you. This lens is relatively short and is not so suitable for getting close to shy animals or insects.
• The 60mm lens is a great general purpose lens for general photography, portraits and landscapes etc.
• The 105mm f/2.8 lens is one of my favourite lenses. It is a great lens for subjects such as flowers, portraits and is very suitable for general photography in addition to close up photography.
• The 105mm lens has built in vibration reduction.
• The 200mm f/4 Micro lens is an excellent performing long Micro lens.
• The 200mm is a difficult lens to use, it has no VR and and can be very subject to camera movement. When using this lens I prefer to use it with a tripod or monopod if possible, if this is not possible then use fast shutter speeds.
• I love using the 200mm Micro lens for shy critters such as butterflies, bees and other insects etc.
• There is also some additional information on the Nikon Micro lenses in this article, Nikon Lens Terminology.

Nikon now has their Vibration Reduction technology in many lenses. The vibration reduction has gradually filtered down from the telephoto lens range and has now been implemented effectively in many of Nikon’s wide angle lenses. The use of VR in lenses is very effective in helping to reduce the effect of any vibration or camera movement. The technology works by moving an element within the lens to counteract the camera movement.

The following is a list of some of the Nikon lenses with Vibration Reduction:

Nikon, Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR II AF-S DX Lens

Nikon Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR AF-S DX Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 85mm f/3.5 G ED VR AF-S DX Micro Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR AF-S Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 G IF ED VR Lens Review

Nikon Nikkor 24-120mm f/4.0 G ED VR Lens

Nikon Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR AF-S Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 G ED VR II Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G IF ED VR AF-S Lens Review

Nikon, Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 G IF ED VR AF-S Micro Lens Review

Nikon, Nikkor 200mm 2.0 G ED AF-S VR II Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 G ED ASF-S VR II Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 G ED VR II AF-S Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 G ED VR Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 500mm f/4 G ED VR Lens

Nikon, Nikkor 600mm f/4 G ED VR Lens

The usage of the VR technology does need some understanding to get the most effective use of it.

• Vibration Reduction technology will not help in reducing any subject movement.
• Vibration Reduction will help reduce camera induced movement mainly at slow shutter speeds.
• Generally Vibration Reduction should be switched of and only switched on as required.
• When using a firm tripod I recommend that Vibration Reduction be nturned off.
• When using a monopod at low shutter speeds turn VR on.
• I generally never use VR at shutter speeds greater than 1/500 second.
• If you are panning to blur the background turn the VR on.
• The image jumps slightly in the viewfinder when VR is on. This is completely normal.
• Read your manual, as different lenses do perform differently with VR, when they are installed on a tripod.

Heron

There are three different teleconverters available which are suitable for use with Nikon’s super telephoto Lenses, the TC-1.4E II, the TC-1.7E II and the TC-2.0E III. The TC-2.0E III is a relatively new teleconverter and appears to perform superbly with some of the Nikon super telephoto lenses.

One thing to beware of when using extremely long lenses, especially lenses extended by teleconverters, is your long lens handling techniques, however that will be subject to a seperate article. Also sometimes when using teleconverters there will be a slight loss of contrast, however this can easily be corrected in post processing.

Nikon, Nikkor 200mm 2.0 G ED AF-S VR II Lens

This lens is quite easy to handle with teleconverters and can even be hand held successfully. The lens is a superb sharp lens and performs with all three teleconverters to give results equivalent to prime lenses as follows.

• With the TC-1.4E II we get a 280mm f/2.8 lens.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 340mm f/3.3  lens.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 400mm f/4 lens.

All of the configurations above will perform with extreme sharpness and should meet any persons expectation. There is no doubt that this lens is a superb performer with all of Nikon’s teleconverters.

Nikon, Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 G ED ASF-S VR II Lens

This is the only zoom lens in this range which is suitable for use with Nikon’s teleconverters. This lens being a zoom has many elements (24 elements) and consequently it does suffer some degradation when used with teleconverters. The capability of this lens to be hand held depends to some extent on the capability of the individual, but some people can  successfully hand hold this lens.

• With the TC-1.4E II  we get a 280-560mm f/5.6 lens. This configuration will still be quite sharp and should generally retain accurate focussing.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 340-mm f/6.7  lens. Many find this configuration acceptable but there can be some difficulty in focussing.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 400-800mm f/8 lens. This lens is becoming a border line case with this teleconverter and the lens may not focus as fast as some would expect especially at lower light levels. There will also be a significant fall off in sharpness with this teleconverter.

Nikon, Nikkor, 300mm f/4 D IF ED AF-S Lens

The Nikon 300mm telephoto lenses are the most popular and usable lenses of all the lenses in this article, in my opinion. By usable I mean, cost effective to purchase and they are relatively easy to hand hold with good technique. The 300mm f/3 lens is a great lens for the money, however I really wish that it had the Nikon vibration reduction (VR) technology, I hope my wish will come true one day. Without VR, this lens cries out to be used with some support, good technique, bean bag, monopod, or tripod.

• With the TC-1.4E II we get a 450mm f/5.6lens. This configuration will be reasonably sharp and should generally retain accurate focussing.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 510mm f/6.7  lens. This configuration is generally very acceptable and can be exceptional good if the lens is stopped down by one stop.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 600mm f/8 lens. This configuration can perform very well with good technique and good support.

There have been magnificient images taken with all the combinations of the 300mm f/4 lens listed above.

Nikon, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 G ED VR II AF-S Lens

This lens by itself and in combination with any of the teleconverters is a great combination. Nikon released this lens together with the
TC-2.0E III teleconverter at the same time and it appears that both were made for each other, one great combination.

With this lens we get a 300mm f/2.8 lens and with the teleconverters the following combinations.

• With the TC-1.4E II we get a 450mm f/4 lens.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 510mm f/4.8  lens.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 600mm f/5.6 lens.

All of the configurations listed above will perform superbly, with extreme sharpness and should meet all expectations. There is no doubt that this lens has superb performance with all of Nikon’s teleconverters, they are made for each other. When using this lens with teleconverters, a tripod is desirable especially with the teleconverters, but this outfit can also be hand held with good technique. For capturing birds in flight this combination will be hard to beat.

Nikon, Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 G ED VR Lens

The 400mm f/2.8 lens is a magnificent lens but is heavy and very expensive. This lens is one of the best performers with teleconverters, this superb performance is probably due to its large aperture of f/2.8. This lens is large, heavy and expensive.

• With the TC-1.4E II we get a 560mm f/4 lens.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 680mm f/4.8  lens.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 800mm f/5.6 lens.

All of the configurations above will perform superbly, with extreme sharpness and should meet any persons expectation. There is no doubt that this lens is a superb performer with all of Nikon’s teleconverters. When using this lens, a tripod is almost essential especially with the teleconverters.

Nikon, Nikkor 500mm f/4 G ED VR Lens

This is a great long lens, some can hand hold it and others can not. Best results will be acheived with a tripod, a tripod is essential when used with the teleconverters.

The characteristics of this lens when fitted with teleconverters is as follows.

• With the TC-1.4E II we get a 700mm f/5.6 lens. This provides excellent performance.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 850mm f/6.7  lens. Again excellent performance.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 1,000mm f/8 lens. The lens focussing may hunt slightly in duller light.

Nikon, Nikkor 600mm f/4 G ED VR Lens

This super lens is the ultimate long lens and with teleconverters it is massive, both in size and cost. This lens is not hand holdable, a very solid tripod is required in all cases.

The lens characteristics with televonverters are as follows.

• With the TC-1.4E II we get a 840mm f/5.6 lens. This provides excellent performance.
• With the TC-1.7E II we get a 1,020mm f/6.7  lens. Again excellent performance.
• With the TC-2.0E III we get a 1,200mm f/8 lens. The lens focussing may hunt slightly in duller light.

In the image below of the Surfers Paradise Spit, Sand Pumping jetty, I wanted to get a blurred effect in the waves but to capture the jetty as sharp as possible. In this case I used a shutter speed of 1/8 second and the effect I was after was acheived, by blurring the waves. This image has been captured with the Nikon 24-120mm VR lens.

The Spit, Surfers Paradise

The image below from the observation deck at the Q1 building, Surfers Paradise, was captued with a shutter speed of 1/13 second, which I find amazing to get a sharp image at this low shutter speed. A Nikon 24-120mm VR lens was used.

In all the cases above, the camera, a Nikon D700, was used hand held, to illustrate how the VR function in the lens can help to stabilize your camera to create  more effective images.

What lens shall I buy for my new camera?

This is a very commonly asked question and to assist in selecting a Nikon FX lens I will briefly summarize the range available, together with a brief summary of the main differences.

FX format (also known as full frame format) with a 24 x 36mm sensor size, these cameras offer better noise performance since they have larger pixels for a similar DX camera with the same pixel count. These cameras require FX lenses which are generally more expensive and larger than the DX equivalent lenses. All lenses listed here have the full coverage for FX cameras.

These lenses are available in a large variation of types, zoom lenses, telephoto lenses, wide angle lenses, fisheye lenses, micro lenses and teleconverters.

The full range of these lenses, together with details and reviews are here.