Are you looking to take your sports photography to the next level?
Nikon is a renowned brand that has been trusted by professionals and amateurs alike for generations, providing superior lenses for every purpose. Whether you’re shooting an action-packed game or a fast-paced race, the right lens can bring out details like never before.
Nikon lenses are such an alluring investment because of their impressive build quality, sharpness, and overall performance. So, if you want to capture those perfect moments of movement, check out this guide on choosing some of the best Nikon sports lenses available! With this comprehensive list of options, it will be easy to get ideal quality in all your photos and videos.
How We Choose The Best
We have taken into consideration various factors such as build quality, sharpness, focal length range, and features to determine the best lenses for sports photography. We have also considered their compatibility with different camera bodies to cater to a variety of users. Our list includes both prime and zoom lenses to provide options for all types of shooting scenarios.
We also see the clarity of the Nikon lens, low-light performance, and audio capabilities as important factors to consider when choosing the best lenses. We also looked at the compatibility of each lens with different camera bodies to provide options for all types of users.
However, the final decision comes down to your specific requirements and preferences. We see a lot of features like focal length, aperture, and image stabilization that affect the overall performance of a lens. Let’s dive into our top picks for the best Nikon lenses for sports, along with their key features and benefits.
1 . Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm
Why We Love It:
Nikon’s 50mm f/1.8G Lens is a fantastic option for sports photography due to its fast and wide aperture, making it great for capturing action-packed moments with sharp focus. The lens also has a compact and lightweight design, allowing for easy mobility while shooting. Plus, the silent wave motor provides quick and quiet autofocus, perfect for capturing those spontaneous moments without drawing attention.
This lens is perfect for photographers who want to capture fast-paced sports and action events with stunning clarity. It is also a great option for those looking to upgrade from kit lenses and experiment with prime lenses. A high aperture is another feature that the prime lens gives to capture motion shots in sports. It also has aspherical elements to reduce chromatic aberration, ensuring sharp and detailed images.
Overall, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G lens is a solid choice for sports photography with its fast aperture, compact design, and high-quality optics.
You Should Know:
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G is a versatile lens that can be used for a wide range of sports photography, such as basketball, soccer, or even motorsports. The fast f/1.8 aperture allows you to capture sharp images in low-light conditions without compromising image quality. Its compact design also makes it great for travel and outdoor photography. Moreover, the lens is compatible with both FX and DX format DSLRs, making it a suitable choice for different camera bodies.
The lens element ensures minimal aberration and distortion, resulting in high-quality images. With its wide-angle to standard zoom range, this lens can cater to various shooting styles, making it a favorite among sports photographers.
And thanks to the silent wave motor, autofocus is fast and near-silent, allowing you to capture candid moments without disrupting the game. The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G is a reliable and affordable choice for sports photographers, offering excellent performance and versatility.
Check Price On Amazon2 . Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G
Why We Love It:
The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G lens is the go-to choice for professional sports photographers due to its exceptional performance, sharpness, and versatility. With a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8, this lens can capture stunning images in low light conditions without sacrificing image quality. It also has built-in Vibration Reduction technology, allowing for handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds, making it ideal for capturing fast-paced action shots.
Its silent wave motor technology also provides fast and quiet autofocus, allowing for seamless shooting during sports events. The lens has a sturdy build and is weather-resistant, making it suitable for outdoor sports photography in different environments. As I see it, the Nikon 70-200mm truly is the best fast telephoto lens for Nikon cameras.
The lens also features 7 extra-low dispersion elements that effectively minimize chromatic aberration and produce sharp and accurate colors. The Nano Crystal Coat reduces ghosting and flare, resulting in clear and crisp images. With its silent wave motor, this lens provides fast, accurate, and quiet autofocus, perfect for capturing spontaneous moments.
You Should Know:
The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G lens is a premium choice for professional sports photographers who require exceptional optics and performance. Its fast aperture, Vibration Reduction technology, and silent wave motor make it suitable for capturing fast-paced action shots with a sharp focus.
The lens is also compatible with both FX and DX format DSLRs, providing versatility for different shooting styles. Its sturdy and waterproof build also makes it a reliable choice for outdoor sports photography. With its compact size and weight of 1,540g, this lens is easy to handle and carry around during long shooting sessions.
Moreover, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G lens delivers outstanding image quality and has an HB-48 lens hood, which effectively shades the objective from unwanted light, preventing lens flare and ghosting. The internal focus (IF) feature allows for quick and quiet autofocus without changing the length of the lens, ensuring that you can maintain your subject’s working distance throughout the zoom range.
It also has a close focusing distance of 4.6 feet, making it ideal for capturing detailed shots of athletes or sports equipment. The lens also features an M/A focus mode switch, allowing for quick switching between autofocus and manual focus modes, giving photographers more control over their shots.
Check Price On Amazon3 . Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E
Why We Love It:
The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E is a versatile telephoto lens that offers an impressive focal length range of 200-500mm, making it suitable for a wide variety of sports photography. Its lightweight and compact design makes it easy to carry around during long shoots while providing the reach needed to capture distant subjects with clarity and detail.
The lens also features vibration reduction technology, providing up to 4.5 stops of image stabilization, allowing for handheld shooting without the risk of blurry images. Its electromagnetic diaphragm provides precise and consistent exposure control, ensuring sharp images even in fast-paced sports environments. You can consider this one of the best Nikon lens.
The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E is also equipped with Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements, which effectively minimize chromatic aberration and produce sharp, accurate colors.
The lens also features a silent wave motor for fast and quiet autofocus, making it suitable for capturing action shots without disrupting the game. Its built-in Super Integrated Coating reduces ghosting and flare, resulting in clear and vibrant images. With its close focusing distance of 7.2 feet, this lens allows for detailed shots of athletes and sports equipment on the field.
You Should Know:
The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED AF-S VR Zoom NIKKOR Lens is a bundle that includes essential accessories, such as filters and cleaning tools, making it a convenient purchase for sports photographers.
With its impressive focal length range and image stabilization technology, this lens allows for clear and steady shots even in challenging shooting conditions. Its electromagnetic diaphragm feature also ensures precise exposure control during continuous shooting. This camera lens comes with a warranty for both national as well as international usage. International 1-year and 4-year national extension.
The ED glass elements effectively minimize chromatic aberration, providing sharp and accurate colors in your images. With the included Haida 95mm NanoPro MC Circular Polarizer Filter and Clear Filter, photographers can enhance their shots by reducing glare and reflections while protecting the lens from scratches and dust.
Overall, this bundle offers great value for money and is a perfect choice for sports photographers looking to expand their gear collection.
Check Price On Amazon4 . Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm
Why We Love It:
The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm lens is a popular choice among sports photographers due to its versatile focal length range and impressive features. Its optical design includes four Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements and one Super ED element, effectively reducing chromatic aberration and producing sharp, accurate images with minimal color fringing.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm lens also features a silent wave motor for quick and quiet autofocus, making it suitable for capturing fast-paced sports action. Its internal focus (IF) feature allows photographers to maintain their subject’s work.
This lens also features a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for fast and quiet autofocus, making it suitable for capturing action shots without disturbing the game. Its Vibration Reduction technology provides up to 4 stops of image stabilization, allowing for handheld shooting with reduced camera shake.
The lens also has a minimum focus distance of 5.7 feet during autofocus operation, making it suitable for detailed close-up shots of athletes and sports equipment. After all details you say its great lens for sports photography.
You Should Know:
The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm lens is compatible with FX-format cameras and has a mount type of Nikon F Bayonet. Its design includes a tripod collar, making it easier to balance and stabilize the lens during handheld shooting. The lens also features a compact and lightweight design, making it portable and suitable for on-the-go sports photography.
With its impressive focal length range and autofocus capabilities, this lens is an ideal choice for capturing fast-moving subjects in sports events. The minimum focus distance of 5.7 feet also makes it suitable for close-up shots, capturing the smallest details of the action on the field.
The Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED gives you a 1-year warranty and 4-year warranty extension on all lenses. This shows Nikon’s confidence in the durability and performance of its product. Overall, the versatility and quality of this lens make it one of the best options for sports photographers using Nikon DSLR cameras.
Check Price On Amazon5 . Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G
Why We Love It:
The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G is a versatile lens perfect for capturing sports action with its wide maximum aperture of f/1.8. This lens allows photographers to shoot in low light conditions and achieve beautiful bokeh, making the subject stand out from the background.
Its aspherical element helps reduce spherical aberration and provides sharp and clear images. The lens also features a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for fast and quiet autofocus, making it suitable for capturing action shots without disturbing the game.
Its compact size and lightweight design make it easy to handle during sports photography sessions. The lens has a minimum focus distance of 1.5 feet, allowing photographers to capture close-up shots of athletes and sports equipment with ease.
Its rear focusing feature allows for manual focus override, giving photographers more control over their shots. The lens is also compatible with DX-format cameras and has a mount type of Nikon F Bayonet.
You Should Know:
The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G lens also comes with a hood and soft case, making it easy to protect and carry around. This lens accepts screw-on filters, making it easy to add additional effects such as polarizing or UV filters to enhance your images.
Its aperture range of f/1.8 to 22 provides versatility for different lighting situations, and its compact dimensions of approximately 70 x 52.5 millimeters make it portable and easy to carry around during sports events.
The Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G lens comes with a 1-year warranty, giving photographers peace of mind when investing in this lens. Its durable construction and high-quality optics make it a reliable choice for sports photography.
Compatible formats are dx and fx in dx crop mode, and it’s not zoomable lens. Overall, this lens is an excellent choice for sports photographers looking for a compact and versatile lens that can capture fast-paced action with ease. Its affordability also makes it a popular option among beginner sports photographers looking to upgrade their gear without breaking the bank.
Check Price On AmazonFAQs
What is the best aperture for sports photography?
The best aperture for sports photography depends on the type of sports and lighting conditions. A wide aperture such as f/1.8 or f/2.8 is often preferred to capture fast-moving action and create a shallow depth of field, but for outdoor sports in bright light, a smaller aperture such as f/5.6 may be more suitable.
What settings should you need for night sports photography?
For night sports photography, a wide aperture such as f/2.8 or wider is recommended to allow more light into the camera and capture fast-moving action. A higher ISO setting may also be necessary to compensate for low light conditions.
What is the best Nikon focus mode for sports?
The best focus mode for sports photography is continuous autofocus (AF-C) with dynamic area AF. This allows the camera to continuously track and adjust focus on a moving subject, ensuring sharp and clear images. Back button focusing can also be useful in sports photography, separating the focus function from the shutter release for more control over focus points.
Can I use a Nikon teleconverter with these lenses?
Yes, most of the Nikon sports lenses mentioned in this article are compatible with Nikon teleconverters. However, using a teleconverter may result in a reduction in maximum aperture and autofocus performance. But you can not take image macro lens image. It is recommended to do thorough research before using a teleconverter with your lens.
What shutter speed is good for sports?
A shutter speed of at least 1/500th of a second is recommended for sports photography to freeze fast-moving action. However, this may vary depending on the speed and intensity of the sport being photographed. Experimenting with different shutter speeds can help determine the best settings for capturing sharp and clear images in sports events.
Conclusion
To conclude, every photographer needs to take their time and consider their individual needs when choosing a good sports lens for their Nikon camera. Some amazing lenses can help photographers take amazing shots of energetic, action-packed scenes. Whether your preference is an ultra-wide-angle or a telephoto zoom lens, both are great choices depending on your sports photography goals.
This article has helped you choose the best lens to capture everything from speedy athletes nearing the finish line to high-flying dunks at the basketball game. Now go out and get shooting! Remember, practice makes perfect – so keep experimenting with different angles, cameras, and lenses until you find something that clicks with you. Good luck!
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