Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

In this article, we have reviewed the 10 best lenses for Nikon D3300 of different types according to your photography needs along with a comparison table to help you choose the best lens possible. 

Nikon D3300 is such a spectacular camera and one of the most underrated ones in the Nikon 3000 series. Many reviewers and users have claimed to operate Nikon D3300 as one of their most tasteful experiences. The ease with which a user can operate the camera is incredible, given that this is no ordinary camera.

The images taken by this camera are sharp and clear and provide the perfect portrayal of whatever situation you want to depict. In essence with a variety of digital cameras in the market, Nikon D3300 has proved to be one of the very useful because of the versatility it offers.

So now that if you are an owner of this camera you would obviously know how great importance the lenses hold while taking pictures with it. Its 4 image-processing engine is good enough to capture every element of the picture but it’s the proper selection of lenses that propels it.

As mentioned above the D3300 is extremely compatible and offers a wide range of photography forms, so you can now have a catalog of different lenses on the basis of focal lengths, aperture, and other characteristics.

The most interesting thing about this camera is its picture control mode which can be compiled with 13 special effects and this further enhances the capability of lenses to eliminate any kind of unnecessary or undesirable effects from the image being captured.

Another thing is that you don’t have to change much of a set of the camera for different types of photography, so it’s totally up to how you use the lenses and vary their properties. This feature makes the use of lenses with a camera-less complex as compared to other cameras since the lenses can be synced easily.

To more to its advantage, it is lightweight and compact so you can carry a set of lenses along with it when you go out in the field to take photos. So these are the 10 best lenses for Nikon D3300.

Best lenses for Nikon D3300 you can buy

The Nikon D3300, as we mentioned above, is one of the top entry-level DSLRs available in the market which offers some fantastic beginner-level experience to the users. But if you want to take your images to a whole new level and improve the quality of your photography, then these 10 lenses are going to help you achieve the best.

1. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Portrait Lens (Best for portrait photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

If you are one of those people who carry a camera everywhere they go then this lens by Nike right here can be a perfect choice for you. This portrait lens has the capability to work tirelessly and still give better enhanced and improved images irrespective of the conditions.

For daily photography, to capture your day-to-day moments in a pictorial form, this device can turn out to be a great asset. With every image you capture, you will obtain a different kind of detail. Images captured with the setting of this lens will be vibrant as well as lively.

Starting off with the focal length, it offers a staggering 50mm focal length which is fixed so you cant manipulate it. But don’t consider it as a disadvantage as it turns out that you get more freedom with fixed focal length in portrait photography.

You can move yourself according to the position of the subject you need to capture and then get the images from your perspective. Also, the focal length of 50mm is actually equivalent to 75mm in DX format. So you can switch between formats and obtain different focal lengths at your convenience.

The background can be pretty much adjusted in regards to the subject with the help of its maximum aperture of 1.8. You can get a nice shallow depth of field and make your subject the center of attention by effectively blurring the background.

The camera itself is pretty light in weight which is a very prominent feature as portrait photography doesn’t really require a specific location, unlike other types of photography. And the kind of aperture it has makes up for the lighting conditions and even in low light conditions; you will still get the same quality of images.

The use of this lens is not only limited to portrait photography. Capturing glimpses of nature, food, indoors and outdoors via photography is also possible with the help of this lens.

In any kind of situation, you will get a similar bokeh which is very useful when it comes to portraits. Add a natural dimension to your images with this amusing lens and represent the topmost level of photography in front of your friends and colleagues.

Pros
  • It comes up with a silent wave motor that extensively eliminates noises while focusing.
  • Automatic and manual focusing is available.
  • Reduced aberrations and flare effects.
  • The super-integrated coating prevents dust and water.
Cons
  • The focal length can’t be varied.
  • The colors are not much deeper.

2. Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Prime Lens (Best for macro photography)

Best Lenses for Nikon D3300

 

One of the most challenging things to achieve when it comes to photography is mastering macro photography. In this field, it is considered as the pinnacle of photography and the selection of lens becomes equally important when it comes to mastering this particular shtick.

Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Lens provides you with a perfect platform to perform macro photography and makes it learning pretty fast and easy with the help of its enhanced embedded features.

With the 85mm of focal length which is equivalent to 127.5mm for close-up shooting, you can get the best shots of insects and various other macro creatures at ease.

So one of the most common complaints that are received from macro photographers is the noise that is made by the lens which is not desirable since you are usually closer to your subject and there is a chance that they might fly away due to that noise.

But you don’t have to worry about it with this lens as it comes up with VR II image stabilization technology which is an improved version of the previous one.

Unlike a silent wave motor which makes noise to some extent, this lens doesn’t make any ripple of a sound at all, and not only that but provides you with a great amount of acuity as well. Apart from insects, close-up shots of flowers and portraits can also be captured with the help of this staggering lens.

Usually getting a nice bokeh in close-up photography is a rare thing but this the help of this lens, you will get quality bokeh in your pictures. The aperture of 3.5 digs out as much as it can from the picture and produces every small detail within the image.

Along with inherited vibration reduction technology, there is a provision of a silent wave motor which again is used to eliminate any kind of uncertainty faced while focusing and de-focusing.

For capturing images of extremely delicate subjects like insects, SWM also gives manual focus override. There are many elements embedded within the glass of the lens and some of them are extra-low dispersion elements which are useful for correcting sharpness as well as the reproduction of images.

Pros
  • Vibration reduction technology stabilizes image quality.
  • Supports DX-format.
  • Extra-low dispersion element reduces chromatic aberrations.
Cons
  • Not suitable for landscape photography.

3. Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 Telephoto Lens (Best for landscape photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

 

If you are the kind of a photographer who loves the handheld style of shooting videos or capturing images and doesn’t like moving much while doing so then this inclusion of Tamron could be an ideal choice for you. This second-generation telephoto lens is just what you need in your kit in order to obtain the versatility that different lenses of the same caliber can’t offer.

As a successor to its previous variant, a lot of improvements are made in this lens by keeping deficiencies of the past. The optical performance, in particular, has been met with extra effort and corrected extensively. In addition to this, some VC enhancements are also made along with accelerated autofocus speed.

This lens makes use of an ultrasonic silent drive, unlike the silent wave motor. This is actually a ring-type motor that effectively gives a great amount of response and also provides optimum control while taking different shots.

The provision of this motor has also benefitted the autofocusing of the lens as it allows you to capture images of moving subjects by completely syncing itself with the speed of the subject.

Apart from autofocus, there is also a feature of full-time manual focus override which turns out to be a pretty vital aspect as it helps you in making macro adjustments in regards to the subject’s orientation without having to switch between different modes.

There is also 3 low dispersion element that completely annihilates various chromatic aberrations. In total, there are 21 elements in the group of 13. Suppressing internal reflections is also done via anti-reflection technologies like eBAND coating and BBAR coating.

This makes sure that no effects of ghosting or flair take place when working under backlit conditions. Also, the minimum object distance is just around 2.2m, so there is also the opportunity to capture some good tele-microimages.

It has 3 types of vibration compensation modes that are used for stabilizing the images as well as maintaining the blur. Mode 1 is used for standard mode, the second one is used for panning and the third one makes sure that images are stabilized to the fullest extent.

Pros
  • It employs a flex zoom lock mechanism that quickly locks and unlocks the zoom position.
  • The build quality is extremely good and the lens is durable.
  • The maximum zoom range is up to 1200mm.
Cons
  • The lens is super expensive.

4. Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP AF/MF 1:1 Macro Lens – A prime lens (Best for macro photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

 

Creating a legacy in Tamron’s world-class lenses, this lens right here is a revolutionary aspect in the superior series of Tamron lenses. With progressive features and the employment of staggering elements, this lens right here is ready to change the perspective of photography.

If we talk about newly added features, the most recent one is the XY shift compensation mechanism which improves image stabilization irrespective of the shooting distance. Also, the build of the lens is pretty strong and resistant to moisture and dust which makes the camera pretty durable as well.

Also, the use of fluorine coating is made on the lens glass which avoids the condensation of moisture and protects the lens from unwanted uncertainties.

So amidst of all the technological revolutions for lenses, this lens has come up with an accelerometer that syncs with the VC technology of Tamron itself. As mentioned above this compensates for the disruptions in XY planes and makes the images very stable.

For this, to work, a gyro sensor is installed with it which detects the camera shakes and provides you unshackled output. Just like the previous lens, this one also makes use of an ultrasonic silent drive which again extensively increases autofocus speed and also adds positional accuracy to the image.

There is also the employment of an internal focusing system in this lens which is acted by frontal elements of the glass. This prevents the change in the working distance of the subject and the lens and front elements control this process. This becomes a pretty useful asset in light conditions as it prevents your shadow from entering the frame of the photo.

In addition to this, there is also a provision for focus limiters in this lens. This ultimately reduces the time that is required to focus on the subject by manually controlling the travel range of the focusing group.

With its 1:1 macro photography feature, you can now get a magnification ratio of 1:1 which is pretty useful when it comes to taking pictures of minute subjects. So if you are a lover of macro photography, you are going to love this feature.

Pros
  • The lens is resistant to moisture and dust.
  • The lens is extremely versatile.
  • Smooth-edged bokeh can be obtained.
Cons
  • It doesn’t have vibration control technology.

5. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Zoom Lens with Auto Focus – A telephoto lens (Best for wildlife photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

Get ready to dive into an amazing world of telephoto shooting with the use of this extremely viable and convenient lens by Nikon. To add an extra dimension to your images, this lens right here is capable of enhancing overall image quality to the greatest possible extent, and especially for the DX format, it is quite handy.

With an ultimate focal length range of 55 to 300mm, it offers you an extreme amount of versatility and is capable of increasing your photography skills to a large degree.

Now you will be able to experience what superior optical performance looks like and you will be able to get the most out of the situations by capturing them in pictorial form.

So for starters, the lens contains a high refractive index element which is quite rare when it comes to lens elements. The effect of this element can be seen in the overall size of the lens as the size is reduced without any compensation in the quality of the image.

This also helps in reducing the overall weight of the lens. This HRI element comes with the combination of two extra-low dispersion elements that effectively reduces the chromatic aberrations from the images. It can’t completely eliminate them but they reach a level where their presence is not much significant.

Stability is a key aspect of this lens and it is met with the help of vibration reduction technology it employs. So when you are shooting handheld you get the 3.0 stop times faster shutter speed so the effects of camera shake are totally eliminated.

In addition to all these, you will find the silent wave motor in this feature which is a trademark of Nikon. The silent wave motor again adds further stability to the images and makes sure that the effect of noise doesn’t hamper the overall quality of the image.

Also, the use of super integrated coating is made in this one that makes sure the effects of ghosting and flare are cornered away and minimized to the lowest value and don’t degrade the quality of the image.

Pros
  • The lens is compact.
  • HRI element offers amazing optical performance.
Cons
  • The lens is expensive compared to some similar models.

6. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX II Digital Zoom Lens – Wide Angle lens (Best for architectural photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

If you are a fan of large-distance photography then this wide-angle feature of Tokina could be exactly the thing you are looking for.

Tokina isn’t a popular name when it comes to providing lenses but trust me, their wide-angle lenses are something else and this lens in particular which is extensively compatible with Nikon D3300 will just increase the overall versatility of your camera by capturing every essence of detail in a very disciplined manner. Even the design in particular for this lens is really silky and shiny so that’s an extra perk right there.

The maximum aperture goes right up at 2.8 which is pretty convenient and useful in various circumstances. While shooting in wedding events or some outdoor sports, you are met with the situations of low light, and capturing optimum images in such conditions is really a hectic task.

But this aperture of 2.8 increases the light-gathering ability of a lens and gives the optimum lighting conditions even if there isn’t sufficient light. But the use of this kind of aperture is not only limited to enhancing lighting conditions but it also significantly adds an extra depth of field to the image.

Here’s one major thing in this lens that you will find amusing. Usually, Nikon cameras come up with an AF drive gear and motor but there are some cameras that don’t have it.

But you don’t have to worry about it if you own this lens by Tokina. This lens right here comes up with the internal silent focusing motor by which you can use the autofocus even in bodies that don’t have a motor in them. For minimizing various undesired effects like chromatic aberrations, ghosts, flare, etc, the provision of two super-low dispersion elements is made.

For better color rendering, sharpness, and contrast, there are two aspheric elements and for further improvement, a multi-coating is applied.

Pros
  • The lens comes up with an internal silent focusing motor.
  • A simple switch from autofocus to manual focus with the help of a one-touch focus clutch mechanism.
Cons
  • It is not compatible with the FX format.

7. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Portrait Lens (Best for night photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

Another compact edition from Nikon’s hit series of NIKKOR lens series is a feature with an 85mm focal length and aperture of 1.8. Now the thing is this lens has a fixed focal length but you can pretty much use it for every kind of photography.

Let it be a wedding, portrait, night photography, or even concert. Mostly, this lens is compatible with portrait photography and offers staggering features that can enhance the quality of your portrait images.

In a wide range of situations, you can use it however you desire and since this is very compact in size, you can pretty much carry it with you anywhere you go and get the best shots of your journey.

Finding a lens that provides a perfect combination of working in low light conditions as well as giving a large focal length is still a hectic task. But this lens takes on that problem and provides a solution to it.

It is perfect for photography where there is a deficiency of light. For example in night concerts where you can’t really get much light but want to capture the essence of every moment, you can use this lens effectively.

The aperture of 1.8 is capable of gathering the maximum amount of light with its incredible speed. Usually, you don’t find such kind of aperture in this type of lens but this right here is an exception. So now you don’t really have to worry about lighting conditions dozing off your photography.

Though the primary focal length is of 85mm when mounted with a DX-format DSLR (which in our case is Nikon D3300) you can get an equivalent focal length of 127.5mm which is very versatile. The DX feature goes well and is good with this lens since the lens is really compact and lightweight.

The use of internal focusing is another prominent feature that can’t be overlooked as its amusement can be depicted when you are going for more macro photography. The lens emphasizes more blur and that’s what everyone expects from a portrait lens. You get a nice bokeh effect with crisp details in images via using this particular lens of Nikon.

Pros
  • The lens is versatile and can work in pretty much every situation.
  • It is light in weight and very compact.
Cons
  • There is no image stabilization in the lens.

8. Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD  Zoom lens (Best for portrait and landscape photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

We’ve seen some good prime, telephoto, wide-angle, and portrait lenses so far. Now let’s take a look at one of the best zoom lenses for the Nikon D3300. If portraiture and landscape are your thing then you shouldn’t have any second thoughts about going for this particular lens and there is a reason for that.

You see at the very first you are getting a huge aperture of 2.8 and secondly, you can use it for any focal length between 17mm to 50mm which makes the lens usable in most of the situations. The aperture is pretty fast and does its job in no time and provides clearer and richer images to you.

The lens doesn’t significantly feature any vibration reduction technology like in most of the cases we see, but it does have an anti-shake feature that allows you to achieve a shutter speed 4 stops slower.

There are quite a few elements within the lens that are capable of completely eliminating all kinds of aberrations. For instance, there is an FLD glass element that just works like Flourite. Along with it, there are two glass molds and one hybrid aspherical lens that also help in reducing aberrations.

As usual Sigma’s signature mark, there is a super integrated coating on the lens that effectively reduces ghost and flare. With this kind of protection, you get images with good contrast and color along with commendable sharpness and brightness for the images.

As far as the magnification ratio is concerned, you get to have a magnification of 1:5 which is very rare to come across. So now you can even do photography of astronomical stuff or soft water. The weight is all good and the sturdy build of the lens makes sure that you can use it in any kind of environment.

Pros
  • Image stabilization is possible.
  • You get a maximum magnification of 1:5.
Cons
  • No provision for noise reduction.

9. Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II VC LD Aspherical Zoom lens (Best for indoor and night photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

The third feature from Tamron in this list of best lenses for Nikon D3300 is a standard zoom lens. It might be an unpopular opinion but this is a pretty good lens for the beginners. Surely there are some features within it that are advanced by a large margin compared to other lenses but these features are also responsible for assisting the image-capturing process and make the entire thing pretty easy for the user.

As far as the pros go, they are going to love it because of the flexibility this thing possesses. The wide range of focal length is what every photographer desires and this lens comprehensively fulfills that wish of a user.

When it comes to handheld cameras you know problems of shakes occur and this is the kind of problem that a lot of newbies go through. To make up for an uninvited shake in the camera, the lens comes up with a vibration compensation technology.

It’s just like every other image stabilization system but its design is what makes it a unique feature. With the use of this VC, you can get totally blur-free images even if there is a shake while capturing images. For this, to work, there are 3 steel balls present in the system that compensate shake by converting intermittent movements into a smooth one.

With its three-coil mechanism, you will be able to extract the best amount of contrast as well as stillness from the image. So whenever you go out for landscape photography, you don’t have to bring a tripod with you since this feature will do the perfect job for you.

Pros
  • The use of Extra Refractive Index Glass and aspherical elements have made the lens compact.
  • There is a zoom lock feature in the lens.
Cons
  • Although the lens does have some amazing features it comes up at a really high price.

10. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II prime lens (Best for sports photography)

Best Lenses For Nikon D3300

 

The final entry into this list of best lenses for Nikon D3300 is another banger by Nikon from the NIKKOR series of lenses. This lens right here is a successor that every other lens wishes for.

With improved optical design and vibration reduction stabilization technology that boasts greatness, you can now grab shots of different moments of your life and store them in a digital format.

You can extensively freeze every moment in your photography with its amazing faster aperture of f/2 as well as obtain rendered depth of field. It has the capability of working under low light conditions and still produces comprehensive images. Moreover, you get to have a nice background blur as well.

It utilizes vibration reduction technology just like some previous lenses from Nikon. This technology provides optimum stability while you are taking photos so the camera shake won’t really hinder your performance.

The entire process is automatic so there won’t be any complexity faced. There is also a provision for a silent wave motor which again reduces noise and assists in the smooth operation of the lens. The lens also makes the use of nanocrystal coating which again reduces ghost and flaring effects to some extent.

The barrel is made up of die-cast barrel construction which offers resistance to moisture as well as dust particles.

Pros
  • It comes up with auto-priority manual mode.
  • The lens is fast in operation.
Cons
  • It has a fixed focal length

So here are the best lenses for Nikon D3300 that you can choose to buy. All these top 10 lenses have been tried and tested by several photographers and experts around the world which provides reliable information about them.

The lenses come with their own set of pros and cons. Hence, make sure to read the details we have mentioned and then choose which lens will suit your needs and budget the best.

Conclusion

So you can grab any of the above best lenses for the Nikon D300 and go out the shoot amazing photographs. If you could just increase your budget to some extent, you can get your hands on Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 which gives an all-around performance and offers amazing versatility.

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