The D7000 is a solid camera, and though it’s now more than a decade old, it can still capture stunning images when in the right hands.
But a camera on its own is not capable of reaching its full potential – it needs just the right lenses. So, in this discussion, we’ll learn about the best lenses for the D7000.
Related Post: Best Lenses for Nikon D3200
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Top Nikon D7000 Lenses in 2023
1. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
The Nikon 200-500 f/5.6E ED VR is a super telephoto lens designed for the Nikon F mount. This lens works with FX-format full-frame cameras and the DX format cameras such as the D7000. The lens is designed to be a reasonably priced option for wildlife, birding, and sports photography. The D7000 has a decent continuous shooting speed of 6 frames per second. If you can manage the bursts of shots and time them, then the D7000 can get you some excellent images.
One of the USPs of this lens is its price. The price point makes it attainable for entry-level wildlife and sports photographers to buy this lens and make use of the super-telephoto focal length.
The lens’s construction includes three extra-low dispersion elements that limit color fringing and chromatic aberrations. The lens also features a super-integrated coating that prevents lens flares and ghosting. The lens is devoid of lens flares and handles itself well when working in difficult lighting conditions.
The lens features a tried and tested silent wave motor-powered autofocusing mechanism that ensures that the lens can lock focus precisely and quietly. It also features manual focusing override, which allows the photographer to precisely manually adjust focus when needed.
This is an excellent lens considering the value it brings to the table. It’s an ideal choice for anyone just starting in wildlife photography and can also be used by advanced photographers.
2. Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
This sleek-looking lens has been designed specifically for the smaller image circle of DX-format cameras like the D7000. The 35mm lens, when mounted on the DX-format D7000, offers a 35mm format equivalent focal length of 52.5mm.
The fast aperture of f/1.8 captures a lot of light even in low light conditions and makes it easier for the camera to capture excellent images no matter what. The aperture also allows for beautiful bokeh.
The 35mm isn’t the best focal length for shooting portraits but it has been used for environmental portraits. As long as you keep the subject toward the middle of the frame, you should be able to avoid distortion.
The construction of the lens includes one aspherical element. This takes care of spherical aberrations and other distortions. Along with this, the lens also includes a super-integrated coating that ensures the lens can withstand the effects of flares and ghosting.
In reality, however, the lens does show some chromatic aberrations. Purple fringing is also evident when shooting. Stopping down the lens improves both. Image quality is also a bit softer when shooting at f/1.8, which improves when the lens closes to f/2.8.
This lens is equipped with Nikon’s silent wave motor technology, which is smooth and quiet. The lens also features a full-time manual focusing override for precise focus correction.
Read Next: Best Lenses For Nikon D3400
3. Nikon AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G
This entry-level macro lens is designed for the smaller image circle of crop Nikon cameras like the D7000. The 40mm, when mounted on a crop camera like the D7000, offers an effective focal length of 60mm, which is better than 40mm for macro photography. This is a great testing tool for beginners just dipping their toes into macro photography.
The longer the focal length of a macro lens, the more working space between the subject and the camera you can keep. This is great for not scaring your subject away and not casting a shadow over the shooting area.
The lens features a Close Range Correction system that ensures that the lens can maintain sharpness across the focusing range.
Apart from that, the lens also features a super-integrated coating that ensures that the lens can handle flares and ghosting well.
Even though the lens is designed for smaller APS-C cameras, the lens also works with all FX-format full-frame cameras. The crop mode is automatically activated when you mount the lens on a full-frame Nikon camera.
Autofocusing on the lens is powered by Nikon’s silent wave motor technology. The lens also features a full-time manual focusing override that allows for precise focusing when needed, even when autofocus is engaged. In all likelihood, the lens will only be used in manual focusing mode. This is because manual focusing is much more precise than autofocusing, especially in low-light conditions or when working with small subjects.
4. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
This 50mm prime has a fantastic aperture of f/1.4. Compared to the f/1.8 nifty-fifty, the aperture is 2/3rd of a stop faster and therefore captures a lot more light while allowing faster shutter speeds.
The f/1.4 aperture is also helpful for isolating the subject from the background, which is one of the lens’s major USPs. However, we have noticed that the lens does not perform as one would want when shooting fully wide open. At f/1.4, the lens’s performance is visibly softer. Only stopping down the lens brings the performance of the lens to a desired level.
The 50mm is a versatile lens that can be used in various situations and diverse ways. The 50mm is designed for full-frame FX format camera systems. When mounted on a DX-format camera such as the D7000, the lens offers a focal length of 75mm, making it great for shooting portraits.
The lens includes a super-integrated coating that ensures the lens can produce accentuated contrast and accurate colors.
5. Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art
This lens offers a fixed f/1.8 aperture across the focal length of 18-35mm. This is an excellent lens for shooting landscapes, group shots, street photography, urban photography, weddings, and everyday photography. It would also be a great companion for your travels.
Despite its versatility, this lens excels at capturing landscapes. Remember that the lens’s effective focal length (when mounted on a D7000) is 27 – 52.5mm. So, it becomes a wide angle and a standard lens packed into one body.
There are a bunch of other lenses in a similar focal length range, but none offer the same aperture advantage as this lens. Not to mention the price at which this lens has been launched, making it one of the best value-for-money lenses in the game.
The design of the lens consists of 17 elements arranged in 12 groups. These include five low-dispersion elements that help suppress the effects of chromatic aberrations and color fringing. Also included are four aspherical elements that help suppress the effects of spherical aberrations.
The lens is a sturdy piece of equipment. The solid metal mount of the lens is well-built and the lens is designed using thermally stable components, which ensure that the barrel length of the lens does not change even when the lens is exposed to severe temperature fluctuations. On the flip side, however, the lens lacks weather sealing.
6. Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
The Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 is a wide-angle lens optimized for the smaller image circle of APS-C cameras. The lens is available for several mounts, including the Nikon F mount, and is ideally suited for the D7000. On a D7000, the effective focal length becomes 15-30mm, still giving a wide-angle view of the scene.
The lens offers 13 elements arranged in 10 groups. That includes two extra low-dispersion elements and one special low-dispersion element. Together these elements suppress the effects of chromatic aberrations and ensure image sharpness and color accuracy.
Along with these, the lens includes four aspherical elements. These limit the effects of spherical aberrations, while also improving sharpness.
Additionally, the lens features a super multi-layer coating that has been applied to negate the effects of flare and ghosting.
One thing that attracts me as a photographer to this lens is the focal length and the constant aperture across the focal length. As well as being a great landscape lens, you can also shoot travel photos, environmental portraits, and architecture and interior shots.
In terms of performance, the lens is very sharp right in the middle of the frame when shooting wide open. However, sharpness does not remain constant when you move toward the sides of the frame. Stopping down the lens helps the performance improve quite a lot.
7. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 G ED VR
The 16-35mm is a fantastic lens for everyday photography, landscapes, cityscapes, street photography, and everything in between. This is a highly versatile lens.
The 16-35mm f/4 has been optimized for the larger image circle of full-frame Nikon cameras like the D4. When mounted on a D7000, this lens offers an effective focal length of 24-52.5mm. The aperture stays constant across the focal length.
The construction of the lens includes 17 elements arranged in 12 groups. These include three aspherical elements that suppress the effects of spherical aberrations. Also included are two extra-low dispersion elements that negate the effects of chromatic aberrations and distortions. Additionally, the lens also includes nanocrystal coating. This coating ensures that the lens can withstand the effects of flares, ghosting, and other types of internal reflections.
Autofocusing is powered by Nikon’s silent wave motor-powered autofocusing technology. This AF technology is a tried and tested system that ensures quiet autofocusing performance. Autofocusing is also pretty precise, but a full-time manual override option is available for those who prefer to take things into their own hands.
I love that the 16-35mm f/4 has built-in image stabilization. VR II, or the updated VR technology on this lens, is rated for up to 2.5 stops of image shake correction.
In terms of performance, the lens is visibly soft when shooting with a wider aperture, but performance improves when the aperture is dropped down.
8. Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VD USD G2
This Tamron 150-600mm SP G2 lens is designed for the larger image circle of full-frame camera systems. However, this lens is compatible with the crop camera systems of Nikon. You can use this lens on the D7000 to shoot wildlife, sports, and other photography types that require a long focal length. However, the problem with this lens is that the maximum aperture drops down to f/6.3 when fully zoomed in.
The greatest USP of this lens is the fantastic zoom range. A lens that offers 150-600mm zoom for such an affordable price tag is a rare find. And considering that the lens is compatible with the D7000, where the crop factor makes the lens an effective 225-900mm lens, the effective focal reach is even larger than advertised. This super-telephoto lens allows you to get very close to the action without having to move an inch.
The lens features built-in vibration compensation, which is rated at 4.5 stops. This allows you to shoot with up to 4.5 stops slower shutter speed without any issues.
One of the critical areas where the G2 version has shown improvements is the comprehensive open performance at the tele-end. The G1 version of this lens was noticeably softer at 600mm when shooting wide open. This is something that has been improved upon but could still use some work.
In terms of performance, the G2 150-600mm is satisfactory. This lens is often compared to the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 ED VR and the Sigma 150-600mm C lenses. Compared to these lenses, the 150-600mm G2 holds its own and even excels in some areas.
9. Tokina atx-i 11-16mm f/2.8 CF
This lens offers a focal length of 11-16mm which, on a 35mm lens, becomes equivalent to 16.5-24mm. The aperture remains the same across the focal length at f/2.8. The wide-open aperture ensures that the lens can collect a lot of light in any condition while also capturing beautiful bokeh.
The construction of the lens includes 13 elements arranged in 11 groups with two aspherical elements and two SD low-dispersion elements. The first two elements control spherical aberrations and distortions, and the second elements suppress the issues of color fringing and chromatic aberrations, ensuring that the lens can produce excellent results that are sharp and true to life.
The one-touch focus clutch mechanism that Tokina has incorporated into this lens takes some getting used to. Some users have complained that the system gets activated accidentally while handling the lens. For others, the system is straightforward and convenient to use.
In terms of performance, the lens produces excellent results in the middle of the frame. Even when shooting wide open at f/2.8, the middle of the frame offers excellent sharpness and detail. However, we have noticed that the lens has some fringing issues. Apart from that, the lens performs very well.
10. Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2
A 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is a very versatile tool. You can use this lens for shooting portraits, weddings, travel photos, and even sports and wildlife on systems like the D7000. Thanks to the crop factor of D7000, the 70-200mm lens becomes the equivalent of a 105-300mm on a 35mm format.
The fast aperture of f/2.8 is constant across the focal length. This ensures that the lens can handle low light conditions and shallow depth-of-field shots well.
The 70-200mm is an excellent focal length for shooting portraits. It covers the three best focal lengths for shooting portraits which are 85mm, 105mm, and 135mm. Plus, the high magnification of the lens means it brings background elements closer to the camera, making them more significant than they would otherwise appear with short focal length lenses or standard prime lenses.
The lens comes with five stops of image shake correction. This will come in handy when shooting at the tele-end of the lens. In low light conditions, you can hand-hold the lens with up to five stops of slower shutter speed.
Also assisting the usability of the lens is the excellent weather sealing. If you’re looking for a lens to accompany you into nature, this might just be the one.
