A lot of people wonder what to buy as their first Nikon lens. Most people new to digital photography and DSLRs don’t bother reading about cameras and lenses as much since there is too much information and too many recommendations. They end up purchasing a kit lens that they use for a year or two, only to realize that they want something better. Yes, kit lenses are a good deal but are they worth the purchase? While it makes sense for some people to buy kit lenses with cameras, I personally stay away from cheap entry-level zooms and prefer solid all-purpose prime lenses instead. Read on to find out more about my personal recommendations, aimed at someone who is just getting into photography.
When I bought my first DSLR, the Nikon D80, it came with a 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. Anything looked better compared to my Sony Cybershot point and shoot, so I was very happy for about 6 months. Then I started getting into photography more and more. I was reading books and spending a lot of time testing the camera in different conditions. I really loved the pictures in daylight out of 18-135mm when there was enough light, but low-light conditions kept on frustrating me and indoor photography without a flash was quite challenging. Any camera shake resulted in blurry photos which I wouldn’t even notice until seeing the picture on my computer monitor (the lens had no image stabilization / VR). I ended up selling the lens for a lot less and spent more money getting better gear, or so I thought. The new lens was better (18-200mm VR) due to image stabilization and I was quite happy for a while, but I started encountering other problems such as sub-par image quality at different focal lengths. And the f/3.5-5.6 minimum aperture was still a limiting factor just like on the 18-135mm lens. As I read and researched more, I wanted to be able to shoot in low light, have better background rendering capability or “bokeh” and sharper image quality, so I got a 50mm f/1.4 lens next. Truth be told, I ended up realizing that it was all me that failed to take good pictures, always relying on the capabilities of my camera and lens, rather than focusing on my skill as a photographer. But that little prime taught me a lot of things and made me a better photographer, because I could not rely on zooming in and out anymore – the lens forced me to move and think about composing images, rather than taking point and shoot snapshots.
I’m sure a lot of people go through a similar experiences, sometimes more or less painful. After doing an analysis of different lenses and testing them, I created my own list of lenses that should be first on the purchase list. Lenses that will force you to change the way you take pictures and hopefully make you a better photographer as a result. But always remember – cameras and lenses are only tools, it is the person behind the camera that matters!
I separated the list into two categories. One is for entry-level DSLRs with smaller APS-C / DX sensors (cropped sensors) and one for full-frame cameras that are getting more and more affordable lately.
For entry-level DSLRs like Nikon D3400/D5600 and more advanced DSLRs like D7200, along with older cameras with smaller APS-C sensors (DX):
- Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX – a great everyday lens with excellent sharpness, great low-light and subject isolation capabilities.
- Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G DX VR – a great and versatile zoom lens for situations where you need to go wider or longer than 35mm. Excellent sharpness throughout the range and image stabilization (VR) for low-light situations.
For full-frame DLSRs like Nikon D610 and D750 (FX):
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G – consider this lens equivalent to the 35mm f/1.8G DX listed above, since it gives a similar angle of view when used on a full-frame camera. Excellent sharpness when compared to the more expensive Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, as shown in my 50mm f/1.4G vs f/1.8G comparison article. And at just $220, you simply cannot beat the value! Check out my review of this lens for more information.
- Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G VR – a sharp, professional lens for photographing everything else. One of my favorite zoom lenses in Nikon’s line today. Versatile zoom range, image stabilization and nano coating deliver excellent results. For more details, check out my 24-120mm lens review.
I’m not taking into account special type of photography (such as macro or super telephoto) – the above lenses are good for most types of photography. I’m also not including rare / exotic lenses, because the article is targeted at beginners. If you just want to buy a couple of excellent lenses, the above would definitely satisfy most of your needs. If you can only afford one lens, I would start out with the 35mm f/1.8G for DX and 50mm f/1.8G for FX. If you have been shooting only with zoom lenses so far, give prime lenses a try – I promise that you will not regret and your pictures will have a completely different look and feel to them! Zoom lenses are great for some situations, but they often make us lazy and they cannot match the performance of prime lenses. The only exception is the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens (for DX cameras), which is the first zoom lens with a fast f/1.8 aperture. At a hefty price tag of $800 it is not for everyone though; plus, the 16-85mm has a more versatile zoom range than the 18-35mm lens. If you are shopping for a third party lens, a better candidate would be the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8, which has a better range and a fast aperture of f/2.8.
If you would like to read about our recommendations for Nikon prime lenses, check out Roman’s article on choosing the first prime lens. He covers plenty of prime lenses for different needs in that article.
Sir
I just got a Nikon D200 body only for my 12 years old grand-daughter. She is showing a keen interest on photography and will be working on a school newsletter next semester. As it goes with all 12 year olds, sometimes things become less important than others so I don’t want to spend a whole lot on her first lens. What would you suggest as a beginners lens for this body.
Hi Nasim,
I’m a graphic designer working in a retail company, usually my brand requires some photography for the skincare and pharmacy products.
However, being a beginner into photography, I just like to take photos of my kids and some nice shots of dinner/lunch parties with family & friends and some landscape shootings during weekends.
I recently bought the Nikon D7200 along with 18-300mm ED VR & 50mm 1.8G lenses.
I would like to know if this set is enough for now? OR do I have to buy any particular lens in the future for the above?
Thanks in advance,
Malik
hi Nasim
I have a D90 and 50 mm lens at the moment – it has been good for portraits but now i want to venture out into street photography , architecture/scenery etc
Which lens would you recommend for a beginner? I have no background in photography i just change things around and see how they come out :-)
Also what settings should i have on the d90 as a default when taking photographs at night? I’m going to NY soon so i want to capture the lights and the detailing well.
Thanks
Uma
hi Nasim
I have a D90 and 50 mm lens at the moment – it has been good for portraits but now i want to venture out into street photography , architecture/scenery etc
Which lens would you reccomend for a beginner? I have no background in photography i just change things around and see how they come out :-)
Also what settings should i have on the d90 as a default when taking photographs at night? I’m going to NY soon so i want to capture the lights and the detailing well.
Thanks
Uma
it is a great article, still alive since 2008.
please i am asking what lens i have to choose for my camera D750, i have the kit lenses as you called them and i recently got 35mm 1.8G dx as you recommended, and i am so happy by this prim lens, now i have to choose between 24-120mm f/4G ED VR and the prime one nikkon 85mm 1.8G, or 1.4G. or 1.4D.
kindly know i am a doctor, i love photography i shot mostly indoor and rarely wedding, birthdays and landscap
Sir, iam new 2 photography….I am buying d3300….I have a big doubt tht wt is use of 55-200mm lens or 50mm potrait lens….which is always useful…pls give me u r suggestion
The new 55-200 VR II lens is a very sharp lens, especially for the price. It’s only downfall is the plastic mount, so care must be taken with handling. Just don’t pick up your camera with the lens. I have just bought this lens to give me a little longer reach when needed.
Hi Nasim,
I’m new to photography, and have been looking for a good DSLR camera now that my smartphone camera and my point and shoot aren’t enough. I know almost nothing about cameras or how they work, but I have begun to learn.
I’ve been trying to find the right camera for me, and the Nikon D5500 camera,
with 18-55mm vr + 55-200mm vr lenses seems like a good choice.
What do you recommend?
i haVE NIKON D3200 with 18-55mm lens i want to buy a new lens cuz i want more blurry and sharper images suggest me a ;ens
What is your opinion on the 85mm 1.8f lens?
I like the DX format, and even though I shoot professionally, have no plans to switch to an FX body. (for now)
While there are positive and negative things about the DX sensor, I always have to laugh when someone tries to push the “magnification factor” as a positive for the DX. The crop factor is just that, a crop. Otherwise it would be called the magnification factor (lol)
Aside from that, my occasional need to deal with the crop factor is easily overcome by stepping back or shooting the subject as a “multi-level panoramic”.
Fore instance. Living here near the Columbia River Gorge, I enjoy shooting the many waterfalls for enjoyment. (I shoot real estate professionally)
I can use a standard lens, but when I take the time to use my tripod, and shoot as many as 60 overlapping images using a 50 to 85mm prime, I end up with an image that would require a 400+ megapixel body (FX) if I shot it in one image. Why do this? Because when printed to something around “poster sized”, the image actually takes on a 3-D effect that can’t be duplicated any other way.
As for my professional use. I find that using my Nikon DX bodies with my Tokina 11-16mm lens gets the same results as I would using an FX body with a 19mm prime. Rarely do I dial my Tokina down to 11mm, so obviously the DX sensor is large enough for my use.
My views on this could change, and they very well might. But for now, with all the DX lenses and bodies I’ve invested in, I’m not ready to start over again.