The 10 Best Zoom Lenses For Nikon Cameras
Editor's Notes
October 09, 2019:
The biggest change to Nikon's diverse lineup of lenses since we last visited this ranking has been the arrival of their Z7 and Z6 full-frame mirrorless cameras. With those bodies has come a whole new lens mount, and new lenses to fit it, including the 24-70mm f/2.8, which is the mirrorless version of the AF-S lens that's in our number one slot. I can speak to this particular lens and its focal length from years of experience, as it's been my go-to all-day lens since I picked the old version up back in 2012. That has since been upgraded, and Nikon definitely wanted their mirrorless lineup to have a lens that was of equal quality. The only reason the DSLR-intended 24-70 wins out is that we haven't seen how the performance of the new Z-mount will hold up over time.
Throughout the list, you'll also find some third-party offerings from Sigma, a company whose manufacturing has made tremendous strides in recent years, and whose 14-24mm f/2.8 has actually replaced the Nikon version that we included previously. This has more to do with a failure on Nikon's part to update their 14-24, as it hasn't seen any kind of improvement since 2003. Just for reference, the company's flagship DSLR in 2003 was the D2H, which boasted a 4.1MP APS-C sensor and a 37-millisecond shutter lag. My, how things have changed.