Upgrade Your Camera With The Best Nikon DX Lens

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

Today we’re looking for the best Nikon DX lens. There has been an explosion of powerful and quality DX cameras from Nikon in recent years as the trend moves from bulky and heavy professional cameras to something smaller and more portable. For example, some of the newer Nikon cameras like the D3500 and D5600 offer impressive range at a more affordable price than many of the FX cameras. If you’re going to get a new Nikon DX camera, you may as well get a perfect lens to match.

When it comes to compatibility, keep in mind that you can absolutely use an FX lens with a DX camera, and the other way around, but it’s totally unnecessary. It’s much better to use a DX lens with a DX camera because that way you will utilize the full potential of both the lens and camera. Otherwise, it would be like putting tires from a Toyota onto a Ferrari. Sure, it might work, but it wouldn’t make much sense for performance.

Plus, FX lenses are way more expensive and way heavier than DX lenses. The entire DX system has been specially designed by Nikon for people who want a lightweight, portable, and reliable system for taking professional photographs at home and all over the world. The lenses and cameras literally go hand in hand!

1. Nikon AF-S f/1.8 G Standard Lens

First on the list is arguably the best standard lens for the DX series from Nikon. This is the best way for you to get the pictures you’ve always dreamt of, especially if you’ve never equipped a lens on your camera before. The lens can create a beautiful bokeh effect, it takes incredibly fast photos, and it’s one of the better units to use in low-light conditions. Everything about this lens is going to impress you. It’s amazing for beginners, and it’s a great lens to have in any professional photographer’s toolkit. It’s great for travel, you can use it around the house, and it’s affordable for everyone.

Additionally, this lens is basically invisible. It’s super lightweight and you won’t even notice it at the end of your camera. The normal angle of view is exactly what your eyes see, making it one of the better lenses for photographing your city and your day-to-day life. Plus, its versatility is unmatched. Indoors or outdoors, morning or nighttime – this lens is going to see you through all your photography challenges.

Pros

• Manual Focus Override
• Amazing Bokeh Effect
• Well-Built & Functional
• Great Images & Low-Light Shooting
• Silent Focus is Perfect

Cons

• Not Zoomable
• Occasional Barrel Distortion

2. Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Wide-Angle Lens

Nikon really did an amazing job with this wide-angle lens. Rather than charging an absolute fortune and only introducing an extremely professional lens for over $1000, they have come up with this fantastic DX series model for a very low price. It’s not the best wide-angle lens in the world, but it has enough features and usability that professionals and beginners will have an awesome time using it. The lens does lack some weather sealing, even though it is fairly durable. But don’t let that distract you. The lens still offers extremely close focusing, an ultra-wide angle of view, and you get to play with your composition in all kinds of new and exciting ways, allowing you to experiment with your photography as you see fit.

The lens itself is small and lightweight, the autofocusing is superb and silky smooth. Plus, vibration reduction technology makes for a better experience when behind the camera. It takes great videos, you can operate most adjustments manually, and to eliminate any accidental changes to your settings, many controls have been moved onto the camera menu, that way your fingers don’t accidentally trip them.

Pros

• Compact & Lightweight
• Durable Design
• Magnificent Video Capabilities
• Perfect for Beginners & Pros
• Works Amazing w/ 72mm Circular Polarizer Filter

Cons

• No Weather Sealing
• Mount is Plastic

3. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Zoom Lens

If you’ve been searching for the best Nikon DX zoom lens at a ridiculously affordable price, you’ve found it. This amazing zoom lens is available for less than $200, making it pretty much free. And even though it’s so inexpensive, it’s still packed with amazing features. It’s difficult to find a single bad thing to say about this lens. It has no distortion, it’s great for blogging and everyday videography, you get amazing shots in low-light and daylight, you have full clarity to the very end of the zoom range, and it’s ideal for high-speed shooting.

While the lens was designed specifically for beginner photographers and those on a budget, it’s still surprisingly fun and effective. It’s not overly large or heavy, and yet it still feels solid and well-constructed in your hands. The lens looks clean, it utilizes all the best Nikon technology, and it’s the preferred DX zoom lens for many travel photographers. It’s definitely a huge upgrade from the kit lens!

Pros

• Zoom Ratio of 7.8x
• Integrated CPU and F Mount
• Designed for High-Resolution DSLR Cameras
• Renowned Construction & Quality Optics
• Amazing Vacation Lens

Cons

• Hefty Lens
• Mainly for Photographers on a Budget

4. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED Telephoto Lens

Next up is an outstanding telephoto lens from the DX series. This is one of the best-rated telephoto lenses we have ever seen. It uses premium vibration reduction technology to increase image stabilization and allow for crystal-clear photographs even at the maximum zoom range. The lens offers a minimum focus distance of 4.6 feet, and it uses a mixture of high refraction index lens elements and extra-low dispersion glass elements so that you can capture images from extremely far away with amazing clarity. You get dramatically sharper images using this telephoto lens than with anything from the competitors. It’s even great for taking HD video.

The telephoto lens uses a silent wave motor to give you very quick autofocusing, and it also uses super integrated coating on the lens itself to increase the performance in low-light situations while always keeping ghosting and flare at an absolute minimum. With the tripod detection mode, you dramatically mitigate vibration when your camera is hooked up to a tripod. This is definitely the best telephoto lens from the DX series.

Pros

• Amazing Tripod Detection Technology
• Vibration Reduction
• Advanced Silent Wave Motor
• Improved High Refractive Index Lens
• Surprisingly Lightweight

Cons

• No Locking Mechanism for Creep Prevention
• ISO Not the Best

5. Nikon AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G Macro Lens

Everyone needs a quality macro lens, and this is definitely the best version for any DX Nikon camera. It’s sharp, it’s light, and it’s versatile. This lens can do far more than just take photographs of small subjects. Although of course, it does take amazing pictures of tiny targets, like insects and jewelry. The autofocus is quick and smooth, the lens itself is built well and feels comfortable in your hands. Plus, it has great functionality, making it ideal for portrait photography, everyday photographs around the city, and wedding photography. It’s a comfortable and all-around reliable lens for a very affordable price.

The lens has premium glass, which means it creates an outstanding bokeh effect that will make portrait photographers very happy. And if you’re into taking photographs of babies, you will be in for a swell surprise. You can get close-up images of your favorite infants without having to crop even a little bit. This lens is fun to use, it has an excellent aspect ratio of 1:1, and for casual shooters, it’s going to be your best macro option.

Pros

• Optimized for Nikon SLR Cameras
• SWM for Fast & Quiet Operation
• Lightweight & Portable
• Dustproof & Waterproof
• Great for Advanced Photographers

Cons

• Not Zoomable
• Shorter Focal Length Compared to Others

Final Thoughts

There is a lot to think about when purchasing your Nikon DX lens. If you read through these reviews and are still a little confused by some of the terms, let’s break it down.

First of all, focal length is talked about constantly. The focal length is essentially the field of view. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle will be and the greater the magnification. If you have a shorter focal length, you have a wider angle and a lower magnification.

This means that when choosing a DX lens, you have a lot of options for different focal lengths. If you’re doing landscape shots or wide-open areas, you definitely want a lens that has between 18mm and 21mm. The normal field of view won’t come into effect until about 35mm, which is the ideal focal length for travel photography and street photography.

If you’re thinking about picking up a lens for portrait photography, you want something closer to 50mm, which is the equivalent of the human eye. And finally, if you need to do a lot of zooming for wildlife shots, a telephoto lens between 70mm and 200mm is going to be just fine.

Before we wrap things up, let’s talk a bit about prime lenses. Specifically, the difference between zoom lenses and prime lenses. While zoom lenses can cover a wide range of different focal lengths and be more versatile, prime lenses are typically faster, they have less distortion, and they are lighter and easier to carry.

So, which one should you choose? Well, zoom lenses are better for beginners. Because of the variety of focal lengths, they offer more versatility and are great for traveling. However, if you’re staying in your home city, you just want to do macro photography, street photography, or take portraits of your friends, a prime lens is going to be perfect.