Telephoto lenses are designed for shooting sports, animals, moons, and other photography longer than standard lenses. Looking for a great telephoto lens for Nikon DSLRs? Today, we are showing you a list of best telephoto lenses for Nikon DSLRs. There are two kinds of telephoto lenses: Telephoto Prime Lens and Telephoto Zoom Lens.
Here is the list of best telephoto lenses for Nikon DSLRs (Both full frame and DX). According to the DxOMark, below is suggestion of best telephoto lenses for Nikon.
Telephoto Prime Lenses for Full Frame DSLRs | Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Full Frame DSLRs | Telephoto Prime Lenses for DX DSLRs | Telephoto Zoom Lenses for DX DSLRs
Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Nikon D4S, D4, D810, D800, D750, D610, D600, Df Full Frame DSLRs
Below is most recommended Telephoto prime lenses for Nikon full frame DSLRs. Tested on Nikon D810, the best telephoto prime lens is of course the Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Lens. But this lens is very expensive, if you need a cheap one, the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G is your best choice. At super telephoto prime lens range, the AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II lens is a great lens for Nikon DSLRs.
Lens | DxOMark | Check Price at | |
Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 APO Planar T* | 48 | B&H/Adorama/eBay/Rent | |
AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G | 43 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
Zeiss APO Sonnar T* 135mm f/2 ZF.2 | 43 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G | 42 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZF.2 | 39 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF | 38 | Amazon/B&H/ebay/Rent | |
Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM | 37 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 D IF | 35 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G | 34 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
Super Telephoto Prime | |||
AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II | 43 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR | – | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 36 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR | 27 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR II | 27 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF | – | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent | |
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR | – | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Nikon D4S, D4, D810, D800, D750, D610, D600, Df Full Frame DSLRs
If you are looking for a Telephoto zoom lens for Nikon full frame DSLRs, The Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 is the best lens, even better than AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G II lens. The new released Sigma 150-600mm lens is another great lens.
Lens | DxOMark | Check Price at |
Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD | 33 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 31 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR | 30 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | – | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD | – | B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | 28 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II | 27 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR | 24 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED | 22 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
Sigma 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG APO OS HSM | 20 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay/Rent |
AF Zoom Nikkor 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED | 19 | ebay/Rent |
Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Nikon D7100, D7000, D5300, D5200, D5100, D3300, D3200, D300S, D300 DX DSLRs
As for Nikon full frame DSLRs, the best Telephoto lens for Nikon DX cameras is same, the Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Lens. If you need a cheap one, AF-S 85mm f/1.8G could be best choice for you. At super telephoto prime lens range, the AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II lens is a great lens for Nikon DSLRs.
Lens | DxOMark | Check Price at | |
Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 APO Planar T* | 32 | B&H/Adorama/eBay/Rent | |
AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G | 30 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G | 30 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZF2 | 27 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM | 27 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF | 26 | Amazon/B&H/ebay | |
AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 D IF | 25 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Zeiss Planar T 85mm f/1.4 ZF2 | 25 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 SP Di MACRO 1:1 VC USD | 24 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D | 24 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G | 23 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO | 22 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
Super Telephoto Prime | |||
AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II | 29 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR | 26 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 24 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR | 17 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR II | 16 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay | |
AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF | – | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Nikon D7100, D7000, D5300, D5200, D5100, D3300, D3200, D300S, D300 DX DSLRs
Below are top telephoto zoom lenses for Nikon DX DSLRs. Take a look. Tested on Nikon D7100, the best telephoto zoom lens are AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 II and Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8.
Lens | DxOMark | Check Price at |
AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 23 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD | 23 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD | – | B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | 21 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR | 21 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM | 20 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Tamron SP AF 70-200mm F2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO | 17 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR | 16 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED | 15 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS | 15 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
AF-S Nikkor DX 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR | 15 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II | 13 | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |
Tamron SP 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di VC USD | – | Amazon/B&H/Adorama/ebay |