The 10 Best Telephoto Lenses For Nikon Cameras

Editor's Notes

April 10, 2020:

Most of Nikon's lens output over the past few years has been targeted at their new lineup of mirrorless full-frame bodies, of which there have been precious few teles, and the 70-200mm zoom for that system was supposed to be released in February of 2020, but production was delayed for unknown reasons and the date has been pushed back. That left us with the Nikkor Z 85mm F/1.8 S as the only viable addition for Z format shooters, which is a phenomenal lens, but that just barely crosses over into the telephoto range.

For something a little more versatile, you can still reach for the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL (and use an adapter if you're shooting on the Z system), which offers a nice range for shooting in a lot of event environments like weddings, and I've even captured some of my favorite street scenes with it while shooting around Europe a few years back, admittedly almost all close to the 70mm end.

Then, there are the monsters — 400mm, 600mm, 800mm — coming in at almost comical focal lengths and even more comical price points if you are anything but a well-paid professional or an independently wealthy hobbyist. Still, they are the best of the best, and they deserve their spots on the list. If you need that kind of reach on a reasonable budget, however, the Sigma 150-600mm f/3.5-6.3 and Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG are actually both excellent pieces. They don't get the credit they deserve due to their third-party status, and you're either going to love or hate what they do for skin tones, but they boast an undeniably high degree of functionality for a fraction of what Nikon is asking.