Hello everybody, I started with a 50/1.8d and 24-120 old version on a D610, now i’m using a 50/1.8g, 24-85 with vr and 70-300 mm af-p version on a used D810. Great results from the 50 and 70-300, but the 24-85 gives not best result on the current body. Aside from 50 and 24-85 all the rest were bought used.

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Interesting article Nasim, but I think it would have been good to mention some third-party lenses, such as Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 Art for DSLR DX and Sigma 24-35mm f2 Art for DSLR FF. Your very good and objective reviews of these two lenses convinced me to buy them and I didn’t regret it for a moment, they were wonderful on the D7200 and D750. Soon I would like to buy the Nikon zf and I think I will use the Sigma 24-35mm with the adapter until I can buy the Nikon z 24-120. I mention that I already have Nikon z 50mm f1.8 and Nikon z 28mm f1.8 as FF lenses that I also use on Nikon Zfc together with Nikon z 18-140mm and Nikon z 12-28mm. I look forward to the reviews for the Nikon z 18-140mm and Nikon Z12-28mm. Thank you very much for your interesting and competent reviews and articles.

A lot of people wonder what to buy as their first Nikon lens. Most people who are new to digital photography 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 there better options for your first lens? While it makes sense for some Nikon photographers to buy kit lenses at first, I personally prefer a solid all-purpose prime lens instead. Read on to find out more about my personal recommendations, aimed at someone who is just getting into photography.

The experience was invaluable and whenever I recommend gear to others who want to get into photography, I always suggest starting with one or two primes and keeping it in full manual mode for a significant amount of time to force themselves into a learning and development mindset. It’s extra work, but it pays off. AND it can be really fun, as it engages you more in finding and creating the photo, rather than just snapping and praying.

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My fiirst SLR was the D70s witha 50mm f/2 lens. Later I got the 18-70mm with a later camera (the D90). It really provided great versatility and high quality. The 50mm also was a great lens and I still have it and the D70s. The 50mm f/2 also makes a great lens for astrophotography with its wide aperture and capability to be able set it at ∞ and have it be at ∞. Starting with a fixed focus lens also help me to focus on the image and moving position to change the composition. Unfortunately I was using the 18-70mm on a trpod that I knocked over and is was broken. Bought the 18-140mm as a sub, but have always wondered if getting the 18-70mm fixed would be a good investment.

This article is “targeted at beginners”? If that’s the case, I would go with a prime lens around 50mm for a full frame camera. If not, then I think the 24-120mm is indispensable for a first lens.

НМВ, there is an adapter) With it, 50 1.8G works fine on my Z5. And if you choose between 50 1.8G and z40 f/2, then I will choose z40 f/2. Even despite the plastic mount of the bayonet. It is generally sharper, has a nicer bokeh and most importantly for me it has less longitudinal chromatic aberration.

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I’ve separated the lists below into four categories: Nikon FX mirrorless cameras, Nikon DX mirrorless cameras, Nikon FX DSLRs, and Nikon DX DSLRs. (You can read more in our articles on Nikon DX versus FX, and mirrorless vs DSLR.)

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In this article, I haven’t taken into account special type of photography (such as macro or super telephoto) but the above lenses are good for most types of photography. I also didn’t include rare / exotic lenses, because the article is targeted at beginners. If you want to start out using your Nikon camera with a good lens that gives you room to grow, the options I listed above will satisfy most of your needs.

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I would like to recommend a compact Z 50mm, but there’s none. Instead of the overpriced Z MC 50mm f/2.8 and the plastic mount Z 40mm f/2, Nikon should have made an affordable and compact prime like the F-mount 50mm f/1.8G, or the f/1.8 AF-D.

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When I bought my first DSLR, it came with an 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.

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If I had the money for a Z-mount fx and one lens as a first time buyer, I wouldn’t be inclined to buy one. I’d go for a cheaper camera and more lenses (all used). Unless you need the frame rate and buffer, I think that even now the D7100 is a fine camera. I’d think of a 10-20, 18-140 and 85/f1.8 to go with it. And after that a 300/f4D and 1.4 TC. Only then would I think about a camera upgrade. The 85 and 300 can survive onto Z-mount fx, if that’s where you go. And you wouldn’t lose much money on the others.

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I’m sure a lot of photographers go through a similar experiences, sometimes more or less painful. After testing so many Nikon lenses over the years for our reviews at Photography Life, I created my own basic list of “first lenses” that Nikon shooters should consider. Any time that someone emails me asking about the lens they should buy first, I always referred back to this list. So, I decided to publish my recommendations so that any Nikon photographers can reference them. But always remember – cameras and lenses are only tools, and it is the person behind the camera that matters!

UPDATE: Touched base with NikonUSA. Lens last made in 2016. They don’t service this lens anymore. Their suggestion was a local repair shop. I think a used verson would be better. I had bought the 18-140mm though so I think I’ll jut go with that and put my 18-70mm on my bookshelf to remind me not to trip over my tripod! Thanks again.

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Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim here.

My first real camera was a D300 with a 35 1.8 and 50 1.4 that a friend gave me, as he had long upgraded and it was all collecting dust. I shot nothing but single exposure full manual mode with those two prime lenses for about two years before moving on to any other settings or equipment (not even auto-ISO or any type of subject-finding AF during that time, just a single point AF I would set while framing).

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Whether you are involved in microscopy, spectroscopy, or metrology, a linear stage can be an invaluable tool. The decision to invest in a linear stage depends on the specific requirements of your application.

Thanks for the article! Curious as to your thoughts on the Nikon (Tamron!) 28-75. It’s occasionally available at a discount for $900 (currently $1000) – seems like good value on paper!

I’d say that if you really loved the lens, then get it repaired. I happen to live near a Nikon repair center, and have done several repairs on various cameras. Their repairs don’t break the bank. They’ll give you an estimate before doing any work, and then you can decide. I think it’s a great little lens. Mine is old and can use a little bit of a facelift on the rubber focus ring.

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If you have been shooting only with zoom lenses so far, give prime lenses a try – I promise that you will not regret it, and your pictures will have a completely different look and feel! Zoom lenses are great for some situations, but they often make us lazy, and they usually cannot match the performance of prime lenses.

Best photo I ever made was shot with a D3000 using the rickety kit lens it came with. My D600s, D750s, D800Es all have made great pics, but none as good as the old 3000. “F8 and be there.” “It ain’t the camera, its the guy behind it.” Both are absolute truth. It is good to see this article de-emphasize the cost of lenses, which do nothing to help beginners develop “the EYE.”

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Regarding the 18-XX kit lenses, earlier this year I was looking back at my pictures from 2004 with my old D70, a camera that I still have a lot of affection for. I noticed that the photos were so very sharp, whether closeup or distance. I looked up what lens I was using, and it was the Nikkor 18-70 DX, a kit lens of the time. I was so intrigued that I hoisted out my retired D300s to take some photos with it. The lens behaved beautifully, but I did not at all enjoy the D300s. I ended up buying myself a D500 just to use that lens! I had long been lured by the great feedback that camera gets. The lens is still a great performer, in spite of its age. That particular lens is now long archived, but I can attest to how good a lens it is. If the other 18-XX’s are as good as that one, any new photographer would not go wrong with one of them. Also, the D500 is indeed an amazing camera.

AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED Material code: JAA790DA Manufactured: 2004–2013 Included with D70, which was introduced 2004.

I ended up selling the lens for a lot less than I paid, and bought a more expensive lens. The new lens was better (the Nikon 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 maximum aperture was still a limiting factor, just like on the 18-135mm lens.

Pete, do by any chance know how to find out when a camera was manufactured? I would like to know that about my brand new D500, because shortly after buying it, the outer coating felt sticky to me, which is a sign of old age. It hasn’t since then, but I worry. Best regards, Elaine

The 40mm is great for the purposes you outline. I have no idea why it being a plastic mount matters. It changes nothing about the function of the lens nor the image quality.

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Hi Elaine, after various web searches it seems that the year of manufacture cannot be deduced from Nikon DSLR serial numbers, nor from the camera Exif data. Best regards, Pete

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I hope you found this article useful, and let me know in the comments below if you have any questions while searching for your first Nikon lens.

There are lots of different types of linear stages which vary in drive mechanism, axis, precision, and length. With this, linear stage motion can be implemented into a wider variety of applications.

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 prime lens next. This little prime lens 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.

Hi Nasim what about the lens for Full-Frame Nikon Z Mirrorless Cameras (FX) Nikon Z 100-400 mm f/4,5-5,6 VR S? Do you have any experience? Thank you.

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If you can only afford one lens, I would start out with a prime lens. For Nikon Z mirrorless cameras, this could be the 28mm f/2.8 or 40mm f/2. For Nikon DSLRs, I would pick the 35mm f/1.8G DX for crop-sensor cameras or the 50mm f/1.8G for FX cameras.