Nikon D7500 Camera Lens

Best Nikon Lenses for Wildlife, Sports, Birds and Action Photography

Budget telephoto zoom – Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Ideal for portraits, events, and weddings – Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8
Zoom up to 600mm – Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Lighter weight Superzoom option – Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6

Nikon offers quite a few telephoto lenses for DX users and we really like their Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G because it’s cheap and gets the job done. For less than $150, it even comes with Vibration Reduction, an ED element for improved sharpness and auto focuses normally on the D7500.

Because telephoto lenses tend to be a bit heavier and also get you close to the subject, you’ll want to make sure you get one with Vibration Reduction. Basically, if you’re not totally stable the lens compensates for slight movements and makes the shot less blurry, but this won’t help if your main subject is moving fast, only a faster shutter speed will.

Cheaper telephoto lenses also don’t have large apertures and are usually between f/4 and f/5.6. This is not good for indoor action so remember to raise the ISO up to 1,600 – 3,200 to get acceptable shots, mainly for viewing on an computer monitor.

1. Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR DX [Photographers’ Fav]

The Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G is great if you’re looking to start with something cheap, yet way better than the 55-200mm. It’s got better image quality, colors and contrast, and 100mm more zoom.

Bokeh also looks better due to 9 diaphragm blades compared to “just” 7 on the 200mm above, and it also focuses quicker and more silent. However, both lenses will often hunt in low light so be ready to do a bit of manual focusing from time to time. Outdoors, this is rarely an issue.

Build quality has also been improved and feels a lot less cheap/plastic, but in return the lens weighs more.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

2. Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD

We used to love Nikon’s 70-200mm zoom, but after trying out Tamron’s, the price just isn’t worth it unless you need top build quality.

The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 is built very well and feels sturdy as a $1,500 lens should, but we couldn’t find anything better about the Nikon other than better construction if you often shoot in rain and harder conditions and don’t want to risk your equipment. Quality, sharpness and colors are the same, and their Vibration Compensation (VR at Nikon) works flawlessly as well.

70-200mm is ideal for portraits, events, concerts, weddings, sports and even landscape, on both DX and FX cameras. You can also use it for animals in the zoo, some wildlife but nothing extreme like small birds.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

3. Sigma 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3 DG OS HSM [Photographers’ Fav]

Want to photograph wildlife, the moon or anything far far away? The Sigma 150-600mm DG OS HSM, released back in 2015, is your cheapest way of ever reaching 600mm with acceptable quality.

It features Optical Stabilization which is a must for something so long, HSM for fast and accurate focusing and also fits on FX models. As far as focusing goes, it’s super quick and doesn’t hunt. You can have the best image quality in the world but if the AF system sucks, what’s the point if everything is out of focus. Oh, the field of view of this lens is equivalent to 225-900mm on the D7500. That’s nine hundred! Hmm…the price is also nine hundred bucks, so you’re literally paying a dollar for every millimeter.

Construction wise, the lens feels solid and is something you can use outdoors in tougher situations with no stress.

Anything bad? The f/6.3 makes it unusable for indoor sports, and it’s relatively heavy to carry around at over 6 pounds (1930g). If you’ve got a cheap tripod, you definitely have to buy something that can carry way more weight. Because of the weight you’ll definitely have to rest every hour or so if you’re not used to carrying around such a big lens (assuming you shoot hand-henld).

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

4. Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

Released in late 2015, the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 is Nikon’s answer to superzoom telephoto lenses from other brands.

Image quality and colors wise, it’s almost identical to the Sigma lens above. Jared Polin (video here) compares it to the Sigma above and finds little to no difference in quality, but Nikon’s biggest advantages are the slightly bigger aperture at 500mm and a lighter weight. You do lose 50mm at its widest length, and 100mm on the far end.

Vibration Reduction helps up 4.5 stops, more or less a standard today and a must for shooting above 400mm. The lens is a little bit more expensive, but if the advantages it offers are important to you, it’s definitely worth it.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

Best Nikon Lenses for Landscape, Wide Angle, Architecture and Indoor Photography

Best wide zoom – Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II
Best aperture but expensive – Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM

As we talked about above, the D7500 is a DX camera (1.5x crop factor) which means that any lens you put on acts as if it was 1.5x longer than it actually is (ANY lens, even those made for FX models). This happens because the sensor is 1.5x smaller than full frame and is a standard for all DSLR cameras under $1,500.

How does this affect you? Well, telephoto photography is awesome with the 1.5x factor because you can get closer without buying more expensive lenses, but for wide angle this isn’t good because extreme wide angles become… not so extreme. You can try Nikon’s lens simulator to see the difference.

To counter the crop factor, Nikon and third-party companies make super wide lenses with the 1.5x in mind, so when you put them on they’re still wide enough for whatever it is that you require. They’re also cheaper and lighter than comparable FX lenses. The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 is our favorite affordable wideangle lens, because it’s still wide when mounted on the D7500 (11-16mm acts as if it’s a 16.5-24mm lens, just multiply the numbers by 1.5x).

1. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II

It looks cool, it feels solid, it’s got an f/2.8 aperture and most importantly, gives good results for wide angle photography. The Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II is a popular choice, mostly for Nikon because their wide zoom is more expensive and slower. No issues with auto focusing or anything on the D7500.

Not only is the lens good for nature, real estate and indoor photography, the f/2.8 also allows you to use it for long exposure photography at night. It features two aspheric and two low-dispersion elements to reduce the amount of ghosting and flare, a common issue with wider lenses.

You might experience some distortion at 11mm but it’s still well handled. If you need absolute straight lines (usually architecture), consider correcting in post process and if it would fit your work style.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

2. Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM

To have a zoom lens with f/2.8 is awesome. To have f/1.8… that’s just asking for too much. Luckily, Sigma listened.

The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM is designed for DX cameras like the D7500 and gives you a length that’s excellent for any wide to standard situation, even in low light. That includes weddings, traveling (still good as a kit lens), streets, indoor and general photography.

Instead of owning 3 separate lenses that might not even have f/1.8, you’re able to zoom through all in less than a second. Best part, the max. aperture doesn’t get smaller at 35mm. This Sigma fine piece of glass also delivers optically excellent images with top colors and sharpness, and has a HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) to make it better for focusing on moving targets as well.

The only downside is that it’s relatively heavy at 28.7 oz (809g). Price? $800. It’s worth far more though.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

Best Nikon Lenses for Traveling, Walkaround, Zoom and Everyday Photography

Best all-around choice – Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM
Less zoom better aperture – Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 OS HSM
Prime with better quality images – Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM

An all-around lens does exactly what you think; it’s something you can take with you and just shoot regardless of where you are. A lot of people prefer owning one do it all lens, and sometimes that’s a better choice if you often travel and can’t carry around a bunch of different gear. When traveling, you might not always have the time to switch between them, and you can also risk getting your gear wet/dusty.

But there’s one drawback; the quality of do it all zoom lenses is not as good as primes. We’re not saying they suck or anything, but their apertures are nowhere near as big and quality differences can be seen when viewing bigger prints. A zoom lens needs to have so many different elements inside, even for moving, that you can’t expect to get the highest quality.

However, we found a lens that simply tops every other Nikon all-around lens! That’s the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM. Check out the ePhotozine review that also for more detailed charts, but to give it to you short, the lens is worth every dollar.

1. Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM [Photographers’ Fav]

Continuing from above, the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 DC OS HSM is the perfect travel lens. Take it out for walks, or use it as your only lens when travelling all over the world.

It does get softer at 300mm as expected, but stopping down to ~f/8 greatly improves image sharpness. Unfortunately this means it’s not good indoors at ~300mm because you have to shoot with really long shutter speeds. This can be “fixed” by enabling the Optical Stabilization or using a higher ISO speed, but yeah….noise and all, you know. If only life was that easy.

We used to really like Nikon’s 18-140mm lens, but for the same price you don’t nearly get as much value. This is one of those lenses that really make your day easier, seeing as it’s not expensive and really works as advertised.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

2. Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DG OS HSM

If you’re willing to trade less zoom for better quality and way bigger aperture sizes, the Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 offers the most bang for the buck.

For DX cameras you want your all-around lens to stay below 20mm, otherwise it’s just not useful on the wideangle part. You do lose quite a bit at the telephoto end, especially if you’re currently using the Nikon 18-140mm, but it all comes down to what you prefer.

If you find the 18-140mm (or whatever kit you have) to be good enough in terms of quality and weight, you shouldn’t upgrade. However, if you often wish you had f/2.8 and improved optics, and aren’t willing to go over $500, you’ll be happy with it. The Sigma lens also uses 72mm filters and has a minimum focus of 8.66″/22cm.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

3. Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Art DC HSM

A walk around lens doesn’t always equal a long zoom. Sometimes, all you need is a small, fast prime with excellent optics. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 has a field of view equivalent to 50mm on the D7500, which is an excellent length for day to day stuff, traveling and taking pictures when it gets dark.

Yes, you can’t zoom but in return you get amazing quality, better bokeh, a large f/1.4 aperture and tack sharp shots. Having a fixed lens also forces you to be more creative and you sort of already know what to expect, even before taking a shot. You start moving better, you think more, you take better pictures. Not to mention, you stand out less with a prime lens compared to a superzoom (in certain countries, you really don’t want to stand out) with your camera).

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

Best Nikon Lenses for Macro, Product and Bugs Photography

Best DX Micro Lens – Nikon 40mm f/2.8G Micro
Cheap 100mm macro – Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Pro

If you want to look at the world from another perspective, there’s no better way than to use a macro lens. Their glass magnifies the subject so it’s just as big as it is in real life (1:1). If you ever see a lens with ‘macro’ in its name, check the magnification ratio first, if it’s under 1:1 then it’s not a true macro.

If you’re not aware, Nikon uses the term Micro on their Macro lenses, but it means the same thing.

When buying a macro lens, there’s one thing you never have to worry about and that’s sharpness. We couldn’t find a single one that would be bad here and that includes a ton of third-party options as well.

For bugs and live creatures, longer focal lengths are preferred so you don’t scare them away.

1. Nikon 40mm f/2.8G DX Micro

This macro lens is perfect if you’re not too serious about macro photography, but just want to shoot from time to time. That’s not to say you can’t use the Nikon 40mm f/2.8G Micro as your only lens of course, but it’s the price that makes is such a good deal.

For a macro lens, its focal length isn’t too long, which makes it better for product photography or even as a casual choice for outdoor activities. Forget the term macro and don’t the numbers limit your creativity.

If you’re into bugs, you might find it too short. A lot of bugs get frightened easily and you’ll have to get really close with the 40mm.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

2. Nikon 105mm f/2.8G IF ED VR II

Our favorite Nikon macro lens is easily the Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR Micro.

With a closest focusing distance of 1.0 ft (31cm) and Vibration Reduction, it’s much easier to get close up shots without a tripod, especially in low light situations. Sometimes you just want to go out without all that extra equipment and it helps knowing that at 105mm (which is a length where movement can easily cause blur) you can get sharp results even with slower shutter speeds.

The lens focuses internally which means it does not extend as you focus, so it’s a big plus if you’re working with bugs and insects.

Quality wise, it’s got ED glass elements and nano-crystal coating to reduce flare and chromatic aberrations, although you can believe us that any macro lens is razor sharp and optically superb. If you don’t need VR you can check out the Tokina 100mm f/2.8.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.