The Best Nikon Lenses for Landscape
Are fast lenses necessary for landscape photography? How about capturing wildlife and outdoor scenes? Photographing wildlife requires skills, patience, and some luck. Landscape photography, on the other hand, requires good field craft skills. If you’re using a Nikon DSLR camera, attaching a telephoto lens is ideal for shooting landscapes. To capture the best landscape shots, you need the best Nikon lenses for the job. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top-rated Nikon lenses for landscape and wildlife photography.
When choosing a Nikon lens for landscape photography, consider its focal length, wide aperture, and sharpness, as well as its autofocus speed. Wide-angle lenses are great for capturing the beauty of natural landscapes, such as mountains and other wonders of the planet. The right optical lenses can expand your photography to new horizons and help you capture your imagination.
There are two main factors to consider when choosing a Nikon lens for your photography pursuit: your budget and your specific needs. For wildlife photography, telephoto lenses are a must, and the size of the lens depends on the size of your subject and how close you can get to them. Birds, in particular, require really long lenses due to their small and flighty nature.
After selecting the right lens for wildlife photography, you can capture birds in flight and animals in action. The best birding lens for Nikon is one that can capture your subject without compromising on quality.
Best Canon Lenses for Landscape Photography
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A List of Top 20 Best Nikon Lenses for Landscape Photography
Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Lens for Nikon
This high-speed Sigma lens for Nikon DSLR camera is best for capturing wildlife, nature, aviation, and even racing. What I like about this Sigma lens is that it’s much cheaper option than the one from both Nikon and Canon. It will also work with APS-C sensors with an effective increase in focal length.
Features:
- Aperture Range: f/2.8-22
- Fast Constant Maximum Aperture
- Optical Stabilizer
Hyper Sonic AF Motor
Pros:
- Dust- and splash-proof construction
- Fast, quiet, and smooth auto focusing
Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 VR Lens
This lens is designed for long-distance shot. For photographers who want a great lens for birding, wildlife, motorsports, events, you can consider this as an ideal choice.
Features:
- F-Mount Lens/FX Format
- Aperture Range: f/5.6 to f/32
- Three Extra-Low Dispersion Elements
- Super Integrated Coating
Pros:
- Fast, near-silent focusing performance
- Sharpness, clarity, and color fidelity
Nikon 300mm f/4 VR Lens
For those photographers with Nikon D500, having this Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR is perfect for bird photography. Why? Outdoor and nature photographers would be amazed by the combination of the Silent Wave Motor AF system and Vibration Reduction. If you are on a shoestring budget, your choice should be this Nikon 300mm f/4 VR Lens.
Features:
- F Mount Lens/FX Format
- Aperture Range: f/4 to 32
- One Phase Fresnel & One ED Element
- Nano Crystal & Super Integrated Coating
Pros:
- Speed, light weight
- Maximum sharpness and clarity with virtually no chromatic aberration or ghosting
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED Vibration Reduction
Believe it or not, the Vibration Reduction (VR II) helps lower the effects of your Nikon DSLR camera shake. As a result, this will make it possible for photographers to shoot at as many as four shutter speeds slower, assuring sharper images.
If you want a long lens, this is the lens to buy. With a Nikon D850, this takes extremely sharp photos down to the pixel level. It also works great with a 1.4x teleconverter.
Pros:
- Quality matches the weight
- The combination of auto focus and vibration reduction
Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED Vibration Reduction II DSLR Lens
A fast, prime telephoto lens that wildlife photographers dream of. It’s also one of the best lenses ever created for action photography. Whether you want to shoot Judo, swimming, sailing, and cross country, you can rely heavily on this Nikon AF FX Nikkor 200mm lens.
Pros:
- Great image quality
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR
This is the newest super-telephoto zoom lens with a built-in 1.4x teleconverter from Nikon in 2018. This Nikon lens provides professionals who shoot action from a distance, such as for field sports, with superior agility and operation, and the latest optical performance.
Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM Lens for Nikon
This Sigma is much better than the Tamron 150-600. The Optical Stabilization is fast, solid, and dependable. In addition, it’s a great value for the money to buy.
- Lightweight and compact
- Water and oil repellent coating on front glass
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD for Nikon DSLR Cameras
This Tamron lens is ideal for shooting wildlife, birds, travel destinations, and exciting sports action close-ups.
- Moisture-resistant construction
- Advanced Optical Technology
Nikon 500mm f/4.0G ED VR AF-S SWM Super Telephoto Lens
This is also one of the rugged, reliable and lightweight Nikon telephoto lenses for wildlife photography shooting. You can shoot motorsports or pictures of birds.
- Ultra high-speed auto-focus
- New Tripod Detection mode for vibration reduction
- Edge-to-edge sharpness
Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM SLD Ultra Telephoto Zoom Lens
Designed for full frame digital SLR cameras, you must have this Sigma lens in your bag if you like to take photos of animals when hiking.
- Quiet & high-speed auto focus
- 10x high zoom
- Ideal in low-light
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S NIKKOR Lens
The lens’s f/2.8 fixed aperture was made for consistent exposure across the entire zoom range. This Nikkor Lens stands top of the list for both its price and values. Most of my friend photographers I talked to find it worth the investment.
- Wide-angle to medium telephoto zoom capability
- Advanced optics for outstanding photo integrity
- Rugged construction for high-grade protection against dust and moisture
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX NIKKOR Lens
This is the best Nikon lens for beginners who want to start shooting landscape photos. Although it’s a budget Nikon lens, you can expect an outstanding low-light performance. Therefore, it makes it perfect for shooting landscapes during the dark.
Features:
- f/1.8 aperture for blurring the background and setting the focus sharply on the subject
- 35 mm focal length for achieving a natural-looking shot
- Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology for fast focus without noise
- Aspherical lens elements to prevent lens aberration
Samyang 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle f/2.8 IF ED UMC Manual Focus Lens
One of the most affordable Nikon lenses for budget photographers who still want to get sharp quality photos. It works really well even when you to shoot the milky way and static stars.
- Ultra-wide-angle 14mm lens with an approximately 90-degree angle of view for ultra-dramatic shots
- Hybrid aspherical lens and glass aspherical lens built in the body for exceptionally sharp and high-definition images
- Conforms to APS-C (1:1.5x) size digital imaging format
- Super multi-layer coating to reduce lens flare and ghosting
AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
This Nikon lens provides a 27-83mm equivalent range and has built-in image stabilization. This compact, lightweight lens is ideal for wide-angle shots and fast action. The VR image stabilization helps to produce sharp photos, steady videos and enhanced low-light capabilities
- Focal Length Range: 18 – 55 mm
- Maximum Aperture: f/ 3.5-5.6
Format: DX
VR (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization: Yes. Lens shift using voice coil motors (VCMs) - Mount Type: Nikon F-Bayonet
Samyang SYIO35AF-E 35mm f/2.8 Ultra Compact Wide Angle Lens
In addition to being compatible with Nikon camera, this Samyang lens can work with Sony E and A mounts, Canon, Pentax, Micro Four Thirds and Fuji X-Mount. It’s a small yet powerful lens for travel, environmental portraits, stealthy street shooting, and landscapes.
Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Art Lens
This Sigma lens for Nikon landscape photo shooting offers the ultra wide angle range with incredible perspective. It’s built for both for landscape or architecture shooting.
Features:
- 12-24mm focal length
- F4 maximum aperture
- Ring-type Ultrasonic Focusing
- Available in Canon EF, Nikon F (FX) and Sigma mounts
Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC
Probably one of the world’s lightest lens for landscape photographers, the Tamron 18-200mm allows you to take great shots in most situations.
This interchangeable lens is also ideal for beginners. This Tomron lens is another best budget lens for the hobbyists and casual photographers.
- For APS-C DSLR cameras
- Vibration Compensation for sharp handheld shooting
- Compatible Mounts Canon, Nikon, Sony 3
Nikon Landscape & Macro Two Lens Kit
This is also one of the best Nikon macro lens for sprawling landscapes, cityscapes and architecture. It’s a great deal for two in one.
- Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization for sharper handheld shooting
- Compact, lightweight, durable design
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Ultra Wide Angle Fixed Lens
You can use this Rokinon lens with all Nikon cameras that have full frame or APS-C sensors.
- Lens not Zoomable
- Minimum Focusing Distance of 10.8 inches
- Focal Length -14 mm
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 ART DG HSM Lens
This Sigma is also ideal for for astrophotography. It’s not light, but feels solid and well built. It’s the world’s first 1.8 prime lens at the 14mm focal length.
- Ultra-wide angle of view
- Handcrafted in Aizu, Japan
Also read my Basic Guide to Camera Lenses for Beginners!