The D7500 has a decent continuous shooting speed of 8 fps, making it suitable for wildlife and sports photography. Weather sealing is also a great feature for these genres, as you can capture the action no matter the weather conditions.
Underneath the rubberized outer skin, the camera consists of a monocoque carbon fiber composition that’s lightweight and durable – perfect for outdoor conditions and capable of handling everyday knocks and bumps.
This discussion will focus on the best lenses for the Nikon D7500. Considering that the camera is suitable for outdoor conditions, I will include a few telelenses ideal for sports and wildlife photography.
If you’re a fan of the Nikon D series, see our best Nikon D810 lens, best Nikon D5200 lenses, and Nikon D7100 lens guides.
QUICK OVERVIEW
| Products | Features |
|---|---|
|
EDITOR’S PICK
4.8 +4700 +4700
|
Check price
at Amazon
|
|
MOST REVIEWED
4.8 +13000 +13000
|
Check price
at Amazon
|
|
TOP PICK
4.8 +350 +350
|
Check price
at Amazon
|
|
BUDGET PICK
4.3 +500 +500
|
Check price
at Amazon
|
The 9 Best Nikon D7500 Lenses
1. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
The Nikkor 200-500mm is a reasonably fast fixed aperture telephoto lens that has been designed with full-frame camera systems in mind. But the lens is also compatible with crop sensor cameras like the D7500. The lens is designed to offer a budget solution to photographers looking for a way to shoot wildlife, sports, and fast action photography.
The long focal length is the 200-500mm lens’s most significant advantage. When mounted on a crop camera such as the D7500, the effective focal length gets extended in 35mm format. The effective focal length becomes 300-750mm.
This extended focal length is perfect for wildlife and sports photography. Especially when the subject is perched at a distance of 200 or 250 yards and physically getting closer is not an option.
For a camera that weighs about 640 grams, the 200-500mm is an excellent balancing lens. It does not feel lopsided at any time during use. The button and dials fall in place, and the zoom ring is very smooth to operate. A full-time manual focusing override is available, allowing the lens’s focusing ring to be turned at any time without having to flick a switch and choose the manual focusing option.
I love the rotating tripod collar, which allows me to balance the weight of the lens on my left palm for the majority of the time I shoot, except when I need to turn the zoom ring or play with the focusing ring.
Finally, vibration reduction ensures that the lens can stabilize some amount of hand-shake. Image shake correction is rated at up to 4.5 stops which means you can use the lens to shoot with up to four and a half stops slower shutter speed even when hand-holding it.
2. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR
The 24-70mm is a classic lens designed as a walkaround lens for full-frame camera systems. The lens is compatible with crop camera systems too. With the crop factor applied, the lens offers an effective focal length of 36-105mm. Therefore the lens is suitable for shooting landscapes, portraits, and other genres if you use this with the D7500. If you’re traveling and want to use just one lens, the 24-70mm is a good choice.
However, you have to consider that this is a heavy lens. Even for 24-70mm (or effective 36-105mm), the lens is more than 1000 grams, making it heavier than your D7500. However, it can still be handheld with relative comfort, especially in comparison to some other behemoth lenses.
The constant aperture of f/2.8 captures a lot of light. This makes it possible to work in low-light conditions.
This lens has four vibration compensation stops, a huge advantage when shooting handheld.
This model features an electromagnetic diaphragm that ensures that the lens can handle precise adjustments of the diaphragm when shooting images.
Overall, you can shoot stunning images with this lens, with the 24-70mm producing some of its best work in natural lighting.
There have been some complaints of the lens not performing admirably when shooting at close distances like with portrait photography. However, in my personal experience, the lens performs very well across the frame, especially when shooting landscapes.
Related Post: 10 Best Lenses for Nikon D7000 in 2023
3. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
I love the 50mm prime. I love it more than the 35mm, even though the 35mm is more versatile when compared to this lens. The nifty-fifty, as it’s also known, is a great focal length for both full-frame camera systems as well as cropped cameras. The advantage of Nikon lenses is that all lenses designed for full-frame camera systems also work with APS-C cameras – albeit with a crop factor. The 50mm prime thus becomes a 75mm f/1.8 prime when mounted on the D7500.
The fast aperture of f/1.8 ensures that the lens can collect a lot of light across different scenes. The lens is particularly useful when shooting in low light conditions.
Though the 35mm is more versatile than the 50mm, the 50mm has its utilities. One of the primary reasons that the 50mm is loved by crop camera owners like those who have the D7500 is because, with the 50mm, they can shoot great portraits. It’s not the perfect length for this genre, but good enough.
The second reason the 50mm is such a hit is the fast f/1.8 aperture. Apart from collecting a lot of light in any lighting condition, the f/1.8 aperture is perfect for capturing nice rounded bokeh. However, the aperture diaphragm comprises seven aperture blades instead of the preferred nine.
Autofocusing on the lens is powered by Nikon’s silent wave motor technology. The lens features a full-time manual focusing override that allows the lens to be tweaked and focus to be adjusted on the fly even when autofocusing is engaged.
4. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR
The 70-200mm, when mounted on a crop sensor camera, produces an effective focal length of 105-300mm, making this the perfect focal length for shooting portraits, sports, and wildlife photography.
A good thing about this lens is that it’s compatible with teleconverters such as the AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III, the AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II. With these teleconverters, the lens can convert the focal length from 70-200mm by a magnification of 2x, 1.4x, and 1.7x with some loss in light. The 2x teleconverter drops two stops of light, so the lens becomes an f/5.6. The 1.7x teleconverter drops 1.5 stops of light, and the 1.4x drops one stop of light.
The lens feels solid in the hands. There is metal underneath the plastic and rubberized components, making the whole package feel well-made.
Overall this is a fantastic lens to boot. This is one of the more popular lenses, and it is a workhorse for many photographers shooting portraits, fashion shots, events, and other genres. You can also use this lens for shooting sports and wildlife because it’s compatible with a bunch of teleconverters.
One thing that does not get my approval is that the zoom ring now sits closer to the front of the lens. Earlier it used to be at the back of the lens, and it felt a lot more assuring. The NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR also has a zoom ring at the back of the camera rather than the front. Although I am complaining, some users may prefer it this way. This is entirely subjective.
5. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G
The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 G is a lens designed for the full-frame camera systems of Nikon. However, this lens can also be used on crop sensor cameras such as the D7500. On a D7500, the crop factor will make the lens’s effective focal length 127.5mm, making it suitable for portraits.
The 127.5mm short telephoto lens can also be used for fashion shoots and other genres. However, the lens will not be suitable for sports or wildlife photography.
Solidly built, the lens feels reassuring in the hands even though some plastic has been used in the construction. Underneath the rubberized outer shell, the lens has some amount of metal. Despite that and the fact that this lens has more elements than the older version, it’s lighter than the older model.
Still on the subject of build quality, I noticed that the lens comes with a rubber gasket, which suggests that it can withstand inclement weather. Although I did not expose the lens to rain, I did expose it to a dusty environment and did not see any issues with the lens. However, I recommend using a clear filter made by a reputable brand or an equivalent UV filter for the best results (if you expose the lens to a dusty environment).
Autofocusing is one of the strong suits of this lens, and Nikon’s silent wave motor technology powers it. In reality, the lens is quiet and focuses accurately. Additionally, the lens features a full-time manual focusing override, which ensures that the lens can be tweaked and manually focused even when autofocusing is engaged.
6. Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art
An 18-35mm lens is ideal for shooting landscapes, cityscapes, interiors, architecture, and group shots. However, because this lens is designed for the full-frame camera, the crop factor will be applicable when you mount this onto a crop camera, so the effective focal length becomes 27-52.5mm. Due to this, you can add wedding photography to the list of suitable genres because the 50mm prime is a good choice for documenting weddings.
Sigma Art series lenses are known for their excellent build quality and robust optical performance, but this particular model has an extra perk. This was the first ever zoom lens in the world with a constant aperture of f/1.8 across the focal length. That was ten years ago, but the lens is still going strong.
Despite the lens’s advanced age, you still have some exciting features that secure the lens’s relevance in 2023. For one, the lens has thermally stable components. This ensures that the lens can handle harsh temperatures better than other lenses. Other features of note include that the lens mount is made of metal and the lens is compatible with Sigma’s USB dock, ensuring that it can be upgraded and issues like focusing problems can be rectified if required.
Despite all the good things and the best build quality, the lens lacks weather sealing, which is a major bummer. You would want to take this lens out and test it in harsh weather conditions like extreme heat and cold because it comes with that pedigree. However, the lack of weather sealing means you must be careful when exposing the lens to rain and dust.
The main USP of the lens is the fast wide aperture of f/1.8. This is a high-speed aperture that captures a lot of light. If you compare this lens with an 18-55mm kit that opens up to only f/3.5 at the wide end, this lens is two stops faster. You can use this lens to shoot images in very dark conditions.
7. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G
Because the D7500 is a crop camera, I have also made it a point to include a few crop lenses in this list. This is the first of those crop lenses. The 35mm f/1.8 is designed for the smaller image circle of crop cameras like the D7500. Don’t confuse this lens with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED. That lens has been designed for the larger image circle of Nikon’s full-frame camera systems.
The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G is an inexpensive choice. The USP of the lens is its fast aperture of f/1.8 and its fantastic handling. This is a very uncomplicated design. The lens construction includes eight elements arranged in six groups. The elements include one aspherical element that takes care of spherical aberrations and distortions.
The lens construction isn’t the best, however. At just 200 grams, it’s lightweight, but the lens feels very flimsy.
Let’s discuss the lens’s optical performance, as that is what takes priority with a lens. In that regard, in good light, the lens takes fantastic images. I have noticed some barrel distortion, however, that can easily be corrected using Lightroom or another photo editing application. I also noticed some purple fringing when using the widest apertures, but stopping down solves this issue.
8. Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G
If you ever wanted to get into macro photography and wanted the cheapest OEM lens for your Nikon crop body, the Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G is the lens you should be looking at.
You would be right to say that a 40mm lens does not leave too much room between the subject and the camera. But my counterargument is that there aren’t many lenses that allow you to shoot at 1:1 magnification – especially at this price point. And as someone who has used the lens for over a year, I don’t mind this limitation.
The wide f/2.8 aperture produces an interesting shallow depth of field. However, I would not want to continuously shoot at f/2.8 because most macro photos require a considerable depth of field.
The 40mm, when mounted on a D7500, offers an effective focal length of 60mm. That means this lens can be used to shoot portrait images as well, making the f/2.8 aperture an advantageous feature.
The lens features both autofocusing and a full-time manual focusing override. I would perpetually leave the lens on full-time manual focusing mode, ensuring that I can grab the lens at any time and turn the focusing ring to suit my needs. This is necessitated because, more than 90 percent of the time, I use manual focusing for shooting macro photos.
I miss image stabilization when using this lens. You have to focus on your breathing and use the tuck your hands into your body technique to shoot at shutter speeds of less than 1/40 sec. But if you shoot using a tripod most of the time, you won’t miss image stabilization.
9. Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 is a ubiquitous lens often seen as a kit lens for some entry-level Nikon cameras. If you have a D3xxx or a D5xxx series camera, chances are you have used this lens at least once. The fact that this lens is paired with entry-level Nikon cameras means that this lens is widely used. The D7500 is not commonly paired with this lens, so if you are interested in this lens, you must buy it separately.
In any case, the 18-55mm lens offers a focal length range that covers almost every kind of photography. You can shoot landscapes, portraits, travel and vacation, weddings, group shots, and everything in between with this lens.
A good thing about this lens is that it comes with the new AF-P motor that uses a pulse stepping motor mechanism to achieve focus. This technology is considered superior to the older silent wave motor technology.
The lens’s construction includes 12 elements arranged in nine groups; among them, two are aspherical elements. These aspherical elements aim to increase the image’s overall sharpness by suppressing spherical aberration.
Another reason I love this lens is that it has vibration reduction, Nikon’s version of image stabilization, built in. Some of the older versions of this lens lacked this feature, so this is a welcomed improvement.
Finally, let’s cover the image quality of the lens. The lens performs admirably wide open and stopped down. The middle of the frame is very sharp, and corner sharpness is also decent. Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled in my experience, something that the previous generation lenses could not boast about.
