The Best Nikon Lenses for Videography

When we talk about video quality, we often refer to things like resolution, frame rates, and codecs. But what you might not realize is how important the choice of lens can be. The vast array of lenses available for use is one of the primary benefits of using a DSLR camera for videography.

Users are often left wondering, “Which Nikon lenses are ideal for video shooting?” since each lens has its own unique set of attributes and characteristics that make it excellent for a given situation. This is a typical concern for amateurs and professionals alike; anybody serious about perfecting the art of scene construction will give careful consideration to the lens they choose to capture their concept.

While there are many factors to consider, including cost and size, each Nikon lens has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. We’ve put together our top picks based on performance, features, image quality, ease of use, and overall value. We’re sure you’ll find something here that meets your needs.

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QUICK OVERVIEW

Products	Features
EDITOR’S PICK 5 59 59 NIKON NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8SNIKON NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8S	Focal Length — 14 to 24mm Lens Format Coverage — Full-Frame PRICE RANGE: Under $2500 Focal Length — 14 to 24mm Lens Format Coverage — Full-Frame PRICE RANGE: Under $2500 Check price at Amazon
TOP PICK 4.8 +450 +450 NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8	Focal Length — 24 to 70mm Length at Maximum Extension — 6.15″ / 156.3 mm PRICE RANGE: Under $2400 Focal Length — 24 to 70mm Length at Maximum Extension — 6.15″ / 156.3 mm PRICE RANGE: Under $2400 Check price at Amazon
MOST REVIEWED 4.6 +1100 +1100 Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3GNikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G	Focal Length — 18 to 300mm (35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 27 to 450mm) Lens Format Coverage — APS-C PRICE RANGE: Under $1000 Focal Length — 18 to 300mm (35mm Equivalent Focal Length: 27 to 450mm) Lens Format Coverage — APS-C PRICE RANGE: Under $1000 Check price at Amazon
BUDGET PICK 4.8 +120 +120 NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4	Focal Length — 24 to 70mm Angle of View — 84° to 34° 20′ PRICE RANGE: Under $1000 Focal Length — 24 to 70mm Angle of View — 84° to 34° 20′ PRICE RANGE: Under $1000 Check price at Amazon

The Best Nikon Lenses for Video

NIKON NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8S

For Z-mount cameras, Nikon’s NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is the pinnacle of wide-angle filmmaking. High-quality and versatile, this wide-angle lens is ideal for filmmaking of all kinds. When recording, the 14-24mm lens allows for both granular detail and panoramic views.

Being an S-Line lens, the construction and optics of this lens are of the highest caliber. Expect clear recording at any focal length, and have more control over depth of field thanks to a constant f/2.8 aperture.

The f/2.8 aperture is especially useful for capturing nighttime or low-light settings. The fact that it can withstand any climate is another selling point. If you require true-to-life weather conditions for your film, you may confidently use this lens.

Because of its constant aperture of f/2.8, it is also able to catch the stars and the night sky in exquisite detail. You can kiss distortion goodbye thanks to its one-of-a-kind vibration reduction (VR) stabilization technology, which reduces the amount that the camera shakes.

The Z 14-24mm F2.8 is the spiritual heir to the immensely popular AF-S 14-24mm F2.8G ED, yet it faces no direct competition from the Nikon Z-mount.

In addition to a focus ring located near the front of the barrel and a zoom ring located directly behind it, the 14-24mm F2.8 S provides users with a control ring that can be customized located near the back of the barrel.

Images are razor-sharp across the board, with the main exception being a tendency towards crowded bokeh. With a little stopping down, the Nikkor Z 14-24mm F2.8 S delivers an excellent performance in terms of detail over its whole zoom range.

The 14-24mm F2.8 has not one but two lens hoods available. Also, it does a great job with bright light that reaches the front lens element. The flare is well under control; there is no ghosting, reflection, or any loss of contrast.

In addition, the 18-point sunstars produced by its nine-bladed iris are rather respectable. They’re not quite as sharp as those of some competing lenses, but the spikes’ lengths are uniform and they diffuse relatively quickly.

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Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is a high-quality wide-angle lens that features a fast AF motor, making it ideal for shooting fast-paced action shots.

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is a great DSLR lens that is equivalent to the Z lens we just covered. This camera is compatible with Nikon DSLRs, and if you’re thinking of making the jump to mirrorless, an adapter will allow you to use it with the Z system.

Like the other wide-angle Nikon lenses, this one is fantastic for filming expansive landscapes or wide-angle action sequences. Nanocrystal coatings with ED and aspherical components give it a superb lens design. These will guarantee clear, error-free video recording.

The AF motor of this lens is excellent. If you’re shooting videos and need to keep up with moving subjects, the SWM motor will get the job done quickly.

The fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 on the multi-award winning AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED guarantees exceptional results in every lighting condition. Nikon’s exclusive lens technologies and optical design advancements produce stunning detail, saturation, and contrast, even in low-light settings.

It incorporates cutting-edge Nikon lens technologies, optical design improvements, and the legendary NIKKOR glass to provide unrivaled results in any environment. The AF-S Zoom NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is built to last and can endure everything you throw at it thanks to its professional-level dust and moisture resistance.

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G

This lens is the ideal complement to your camera to record any and all special occasions! To get the most out of your Nikon camera, invest in a prime all-inclusive zoom lens like the Nikon 18-300 f3.5-6.3.

The lens’s focal length ranges from 18 millimeters to 300 millimeters, making it one of the most versatile options out there for a relatively low price.

The angle of vision on the Nikon D3300 with this 18-300mm lens ranges from 76 degrees to 5 degrees and spans 20 feet.

It has a long end that can take sharp pictures from as far as 46 inches (1.16 meters) away.

Thanks to its 3x optical zoom ratio, images captured with this lens seem closer and more detailed than ever before, regardless of the focal length setting used.

With its huge zoom capability, the AF-S DX Nikkor 18–200 g 3.5–6.3 E ED Vibration Reduction lens lets you shoot everything from wide-angles to telephotos without having to change lenses. It has an optical formula optimized for high image quality throughout the entire zoomed focal length.

If you’re a filmmaker interested in telling your tale in high-resolution panoramic vision (up to 6K), this lens has a zoom range that catches every moment and produces professional-quality results.

Nikon’s advances in optical design and lens technology have resulted in an extraordinary new class of NIKKOR lenses, including the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. The AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is built to last, with features like the Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for silent, quick autofocus and Aspherical (AS) and Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements for high contrast and reduced ghosting and flare.

If you’re a professional filmmaker looking to shoot high-quality footage, the Nikon D3300 is your best bet because of the camera’s excellent lens for video recording.

Thanks to its image stabilizer feature it is now possible to take professional-looking videos with minimal effort.

This is one of the lightest lenses on the market that can punch out great videos without any signs of distortion. A focal length range from 18 millimeters right up to 300 millimeters gives you control over the depth of field. The lens also comes equipped with an anti-reflex coating so your images won’t suffer from optical aberrations.

Take stunning photos and record high-quality videos in any situation with this fantastic, high-powered lens.

NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4

The NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S is a prime example of how the Z system’s bigger mount, shorter flange distance, and cutting-edge imaging innovations can produce images with stunning detail, color, and contrast throughout the entire frame.

This lens’s silent, smooth focusing and state-of-the-art optics make it ideal for video production. The maximum f/4 aperture is perfect for maintaining a steady exposure at any focal length with a lens of this size.

Nikon’s sophisticated Z Mirrorless system, along with the brand-new 24-70mm f4 Lens, is a great investment if you’re interested in taking videos with a great deal of flexibility, clarity, VR, and quick, effective autofocus.

Macro shots with a 0.3X reproduction ratio can be taken from a distance of less than 1 foot (11.8 inches) from the subject (at any focal length).

This is an extremely flexible and high-quality lens that works wonderfully for both taking still photographs and recording videos. From wide to medium telephoto, it captures images with little distortion and sharp details.

It is particularly well protected from dust and moisture around the barrel’s moving parts and has an easy-to-clean fluorine coating on the front element.

In addition, the lens includes a razor-sharp optical formula made only for Z cameras, allowing you to snap breathtaking photographs at any time.

Enjoy superior optical performance alongside unparalleled adaptability and accuracy, ideal for the contemporary digital photographer or filmmaker.

With the larger Z Mount, more data can be transmitted between the lens and camera, resulting in quicker, more precise focusing and better distortion control.

Shooting in low light will be a breeze with faster shutter speeds and naturalistic color rendering thanks to the wide aperture.

The NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S is a fantastic choice for a vacation camera because of its wide zoom range, excellent portability, and low weight in both still and video shooting modes.

It’s everything you need to record life as it is: detailed, spontaneous, and comprehensive.

NIKON NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S

When it comes to taking pictures and quality videos, the Nikon Z 50mm F1.2 S lens is hard to beat. A good prime lens, however, needs to be capable of more than just producing visually pleasing photos. Having quick and precise autofocus is essential for a multipurpose lens. That’s a lot to ask of a lens with an aperture of f/1.2.

To begin with, a quality lens must have a well-thought-out layout. Certainly, the Nikon 50mm F1.2 S is a well-made lens. In contrast to what one might expect from a 50mm prime lens, it is unusually lengthy and hefty. Without the lens hood, which adds a significant amount of length, the lens measures 150mm (5.9″).

However, this extra length does have its advantages, as it allows for a big focus ring, an OLED information display, and a programmable control ring to be housed on the weather-sealed lens barrel.

Specifically, I love the focus ring. It does what it’s supposed to do and has a satisfyingly firm feel. Adjusting the focus distance to your liking is a breeze. The OLED readout of stats is also quite useful. You can use it to display the focus distance, which is a nice upgrade from the focus distance scales used on older Nikon lenses.

Due to the use of large glass elements, the Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S is both bulky and heavy. There are 17 individual parts in 15 different groups that make up the lens. The prime lens features three aspherical elements and two extra-low dispersion elements for superior special optics.

In addition, the lens has three unique coatings from Nikon: ARNEO, Nano Crystal, and Super Integrated. Lenses using these coatings have reduced flare and internal reflections and perform well in terms of contrast and color accuracy.

This lens is also protected from dust and moisture thanks to its waterproof construction. Its external rubberized coating aids in keeping dust and debris from settling on the lens.

There is a slight amount of comatic aberration in the lens.

Despite having a longer focal length than typical “night sky” lenses, the lens’s f/1.2 aperture makes it useful for night photography. At its widest aperture setting, the nine-bladed aperture produces a perfect circle, while the bokeh is smooth and pleasant. The Nikkor Z 50mm F1.2 S achieves the tough balancing act of producing pleasingly blurred backgrounds while capturing sharp images.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G

The Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G lens is Nikon’s most recent upgrade to the 85mm f/1.4 series, replacing the older AF-D version with improved optics and technology.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S is an ultra-fast, high-quality lens ideal for portrait, studio, and wedding photographers who require a large aperture of f/1.4 for low-light circumstances and shallow depth of field to isolate subjects from the background.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.4G is optimized for high performance with both full-frame (FX) and cropped-sensor digital SLRs, and it delivers excellent results throughout the image.

Nikon extensively redesigned the lens from the ground up, improving its optical formula for greater overall sharpness, swapping out the slow and inaccurate AF-D focus motor with the swift and precise silent-wave motor (SWM), and covering the lens in a nano crystal coating.

For use in harsh environments, the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G is protected from dust and moisture, and it features a 77mm filter thread, so it’s perfect for professional outdoor photographers.

Although it does take a bit longer than the 85mm f/1.4D to fully rotate from close focus to infinity and back again, the difference is not significant.

In comparison to other older-generation portrait lenses, the Nikon 85mm f/1.4autofocus G’s performance is excellent. The lens’s Silent Wave Motor (SWM) technology ensures that focusing is almost completely silent.

I have used this lens in different weather conditions and it has always performed admirably. It weighs only 595 grams and contains 10 optical elements organized into 9 groups, making it a breeze to carry and use.

The focus ring of the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G is placed in the front of the barrel, making it simple to use your thumb and index finger to adjust focus while shooting stills or video.

Another major improvement over the AF-D version is the ability to manually override autofocus by simply rotating the focus ring when the lens is set to M/A focus mode.

It’s hard for me to think of anything else to say if you’re still here and still don’t want to go out and get this lens right this second.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G is a powerful lens that delivers consistent video quality, regardless of the settings and lighting. For the past three months, I’ve had the privilege of using this lens and my goal has been to gain a thorough grasp of its capabilities and limitations.

The AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G is a specialty lens designed to meet the demands of portraiture, street photography, event/wedding photography, and astronomy, much like the Nikkor 58mm f/1.2, a renowned classic in its own right.

The lens is great for low-light situations because of its fast f/1.4 aperture, complex optical formula (including aspherical elements, Nano-Crystal coat, and super integrated coating), and quick silent wave AF motor.

The Nikon 58mm f/1.4G is the first modern lens of its type to prioritize aesthetic results over extreme sharpness, unlike the vast majority of Nikkor lenses.

The lens’s barrel is fairly thick, about the same as the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G lens but shorter.

As with most other 50mm lenses, the front element is set far back inside the barrel, and it shifts around 10mm in and out of the barrel as the focus ring is turned for close focus, infinity, and everything in between.

Even though it has a smaller aperture and a slower maximum speed, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G lens can acquire focus significantly more quickly and has a shorter time to travel from near focus to infinity. The focus precision is about as good as the 50mm f/1.4G, which is to say, not very good.

All things considered, it’s a fantastic lens that accomplishes its intended purpose admirably.

NIKON NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8

Videographers have a lot of options at their disposal, and standard zooms are among the most versatile. The Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S is a top-tier option among lenses of this type.

With a 24-70mm lens, videographers can capture anything from wide-angle to close-up portrait shots. You can play around with scene transitions and changes in depth perspective without moving your camera thanks to the zoom of this lens.

This lens is of exceptional quality, with S-line standards for both its longevity and its lens optics. Its maximum aperture remains fixed at f/2.8, making it useful even in low-light conditions. The superb STM autofocus motor also aids in keeping up with moving subjects and maintaining focus during frantic action situations.

The fact that this lens performs admirably in the open air is also a plus. It has been weather-sealed to keep the elements at bay, so you can take your equipment out in any weather without worrying as much about the lens fogging up or becoming scratched.

The Nikon Z 24-70mm F4 S is the most comparable option to this lens on the Z-mount, and it’s far more compact, lightweight, and affordable than the other options while also being somewhat more consumer-oriented. Compared to the brighter f/2.8 lens, this one has a simpler optical formula, fewer aperture blades, and a smaller information display.

It has a focal range of f/2.8 to f/22, 17 elements in 15 groups, including two ED and four aspherical elements, and nine rounded blades. The lens’s additional control ring and button make it possible to switch between different shooting modes and settings rapidly and easily without taking your attention off the viewfinder.

In addition, the lens’s barrel features a tiny OLED information display that can be toggled between several displays, such as the lens’s focal length, focus distance, and aperture.

When compared to its siblings and most of its competitors, the 24-70mm f/2.8 S consistently performs better in terms of sharpness and image quality. The lens’s manual focus makes it suitable for shooting everything from landscapes to close-ups of food and drink while maintaining impressive sharpness.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8 ED VR

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR is an excellent lens for shooting high-speed action footage due to its image stabilization features.

The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR is very similar to the Z version. However, it is one of the most versatile Nikon video lenses and is great for shooting videos even if it isn’t the greatest Nikon lens for novices.

This lens has an excellent 24-70mm focal length and is compatible with full-frame FX cameras. Due to its versatile focal length, this lens could serve as your sole film lens, provided it is well suited to your shooting needs.

The lens features Nikon’s Vibration Reduction image stabilization technology, which can counteract camera shake by up to four stops in dim light. It is also designed for handheld video shooting, so you can expect smooth subject tracking and precise focusing even in low light.

To round out the image capabilities, a Silent Wave Motor AF system generates speedy and silent focusing performance, well-suited to both still photography and movie recording, and easily overridden by spinning the manual focus ring.

VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization helps compensate for the effects of camera shake by up to four shutter speed stops, which is especially helpful when shooting in fast-paced scenarios or low light. Additionally, the lens design has an electromagnetic aperture system to enhance exposure control stability, which is particularly useful when working with faster continuous shooting rates.

Conclusion

If you own a Nikon DSLR or mirrorless camera, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to the best Nikon lenses for video. Nikon has set itself apart from their competitors by pushing the limits of what can be achieved through lens technology and design.

The first step is to consider the type of video you want to record and what shots you will take. From there, you can find the lenses to suit. I understand how difficult it can be to buy a new lens – especially when the market is going to churn hundreds or thousands of lenses at you. This is a process that requires careful thought and we hope we have aided you in choosing your next videography investment