The best lens for Nikon D3100 is an important decision for photographers. I have spent a lot of time to understand what factors you should consider when buying a lens.
What follows below are my personal recommendations on the best and cheap lenses for Nikon D3100 cameras. When you choose your lens, it is also important to consider lens mount type, F-stop, and effective focal length (mm).
We’re always looking for ways to make our photography better, both in terms of quality and variety. What we’re doing here is trying to find some of the best lenses for the Nikon D3100. We have covered at least one lens for every focal length – including super-prime, normal, wide, telephoto, and macro – but that may not be the best way to approach this topic. In fact, it can be very misleading to try to pick the “best” lens at a given focal length.
1.Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G Lens
The AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G captures sharp, clear images and offers the shallow depth of field and beautiful background blur that’s possible only with a wide aperture lens.
The fast, normal fixed focal length lens is ideal for shooting portraits, still life, landscapes, and more. And its f/1.4 maximum aperture delivers beautiful, soft backgrounds that put your subject in sharp focus.
Plus, when shooting in low light (such as indoors), you can shoot at faster shutter speeds than would be possible with a slower lens. If you’re using Nikon DX- or Nikon FX-format cameras, you’ll benefit from the F1.4 maximum aperture; otherwise it’s an equivalent of 81mm in 35mm format.
2.Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens
The AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is a large aperture, super telephoto zoom lens optimized for outdoor nature and wildlife photography. The lens also features a high degree of water and dust resistance, making it an excellent alternative to the AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D IF lens (sold separately).
This lens offers the ability to get up close with distant subjects with unprecedented definition.
Whether shooting sweeping landscapes, nature scenes in shaded forests, or tight grooming shots of wildlife, the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR provides the reach that will enable.
This lens is expensive for a zoom lens, but it is worth it. The image quality is amazing and you will not regret buying this lens if you love to shoot wildlife. This lens has a full frame coverage and the 4.5-5.6 aperture can be used in low light situations with great results.
3.Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens
If you are in the market for a high-quality prime lens that offers a wide range of focal lengths this is definitely one to put at the top of your list. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM art lens is a true game-changer when it comes to lenses on the market right now.
I’ve never used a lens with such an amazing low light capability and sharpness. When you need to open up the aperture all the way, you won’t be disappointed by this Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM art lens.
The Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Nikon F-mount is a professional-level standard zoom lens. This lens is ideal for wedding, portrait, landscape, street photography, and photojournalism.
This fast-aperture wide-angle to standard zoom offers the best features of both worlds: an ultra-wide-angle perspective and a superb standard zoom range.
Enjoy the best possible results for all-round creative photography with Sigma’s 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens!
4.Nikon AF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E EDIF VR Lens
Capture sporting events, wildlife, concerts, landmarks and much more with the superior optical and VR image stabilization technology of the AF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-56E digital SLR lens. This fast, near silent autofocus lens features a stepping motor (AF-P) for precise focusing.
Its versatile zoom range makes the lens valuable for a variety of subjects when used with both full-frame DX-format DSLRs and cropped format DX DSLRs. A VR power drive mode helps minimize camera vibration to deter blurring in low light conditions, while the ED glass results in brilliant clarity throughout the zoom range.
5.Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF–S ED NIKKOR Lens
The AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED Fixed Zoom Lens is a fast, normal prime lens that delivers outstanding image quality along with the simplicity and mobility of an FX-format lens.
The AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G lens with Auto Focus is a versatile, low-light prime lens ideal for photojournalism, weddings, travel and general photography. Delivering the classic 35mm focal length (52.5mm equivalent on DX format DSLRs), this fast aperture fixed focal length provides the 35mm angle of view and natural perspective that define photography’s visual language.
Ideal for taking ordinary snapshots, the compact AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED Fixed Zoom Lens is also an excellent choice for capturing indoor shots.
Designed for use with FX-format D-SLR cameras; provide a wide field of view and natural perspective at a host of shooting distances.
6.Tokina ATX-I 11-16mm CF F/2.8 Lens
If you’re looking for a good wide angle lens for landscape photography, Tokina ATX-I 11-16mm II is one of the best lenses for Nikon D3100 camera. It has high quality that takes sharper images with little distortion. For a variable aperture lens, the Tokina is surprisingly fast and it’s a great choice as part of your Nikon D3100 camera kit.
The 11-16mm lens is a bit on the pricey side for APS-C cameras, but in reality, this is one of the best wide-angle lenses that there is for APS-C cameras like the d3100. This lens is very well built and would be considered to require some heavy-duty photography skills due to its amazing zoom capabilities.
It has a filter diameter of 62mm which may be a slight flaw for most users but if you have a filter system that can allow you to use 62mm filters than this won’t be too much of an issue.
It has a 9 blade circular aperture that delivers smooth out-of-focus effects and will give you a nice bokeh effect when taking night shots. The Tokina has a
7.Nikon 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E EDIF AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR Lens
The Nikon 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E EDIF AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR Lens is a high-quality wide-angle lens that is primarily used to form special pictures through its 180-degree angle of view.
When it comes to the Nikon 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E EDIF AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR Lens, a lot of users are really impressed with its wide-angle photography capabilities. In fact, for some, this lens is a perfect substitute for your wider focal length lens.
It is also ideal for any photographer that likes to take unique shots and capture the world from different perspectives. And last but not least, this lens is also great for landscape photography.
Its maximum aperture can be changed with the help of a rotating ring so that you can gain proper control over the amount of light that comes in and the amount of blurriness at the corners of your photos.
In addition, the lens has its focus range which lets you get up close and personal while taking pictures – it even lets you take exceptional close-up shots that others could not dream about attempting. While this lens is perfect for taking sweeping landscape shots, it is also great for night scenes.
8.Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Lens
The Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Lens is an effective lens that has a focal length of 127.5mm, which equates to 105mm on a 35mm camera. This makes it perfect for portraits, street photography, travel photography and general snapshots and random focuses.
The Nikon AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR Lens is designed for use on Nikon DX-frame cameras.
It works well in any condition due to its autofocus and VR image stabilization system. Plus, the focal length is great for taking pictures of things up close as the camera can get just millimeters away from the subject so they are clear.
9.Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM Art Lens
The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM features an F Mount designed for use with digital SLR cameras; Adjustable aperture range; Short minimum focus distance; Uses a brass Bayonet mount allowing compatibility with a wide variety of digital cameras.
There are quite a few uses for this high-quality lens. In the hands of a skilled photographer, it can be used for unique landscape or macro shots. This lens gives users enough mobility to take powerful images at distances at which other telephotos fail.
The lens is especially useful for capturing images from subjects that are relatively close – Enjoy the highest levels of clarity even when shooting indoors or in other dimly-lit areas where longer focal lengths aren’t effective – Offering the bright F1.4 aperture and an angle of view extremely close to that of human vision, this lens helps you bring distant subjects up close and personal.
It also offers outstanding image quality, thanks to its advanced design that includes Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass.
10.Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Zoom Lens
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Zoom Lens is built with a focus on wide-angle and telephoto capabilities as you move from 18 millimeters to 140 millimeter .
It also has a powerful silent wave autofocus motor for continuous operation and great performance, making it the perfect lens for people who want amazing results taking pictures or shooting video during action-packed events.
This lens accommodates CX and DX formats, so you can use it on Nikon’s CX and DX SLRs. The NIKKOR ED glass minimizes chromatic aberration, making all your images sharper and clearer. Featuring an extra-low dispersion element to correct both axial.
11.NIKON AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
This is a mid-range telephoto zoom lens featuring a focal length of 55 mm to 200 mm. It is perfect for photos and videos of faraway action.
The AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f /4-5.6G ED VR II was designed primarily for use with digital cameras, and while it will work on some older film cameras, the performance will be lacking in certain areas such as auto focus speed and aperture control accuracy.
The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II is the best lens for your camera, you don’t need to look anywhere else.
It is on a whole different level in terms of quality and the aperture allows you to take pictures in low light settings without having to suffer from excessive image grain and a lack of detail.
The Nikon D3100 is a great camera, but its lens range isn’t really all that good. If you don’t want to spend any extra cash on expensive lenses, the 55-200 mm lens is your best bet for great shots from a distance.
