What Type of NIKKOR Lens is Right for Your DSLR | Information on the nomenclature of NIKKOR lenses | nikon (2023)

FAQs

How do I know if my Nikon lens is DX or FX? ›

"Here there are the letters DX next to the Nikon name, which means this lens is optimized for cameras with a DX-format sensor—the D300S or D7000, for instance. If you don't see DX, then the lens is optimized for FX-format cameras, like the D3X, D3S or D700.

RF – Rear (R) focusing (F). This means that the lens focuses by moving its rear elements. S-line – Superior (S) lens. Found on the Nikon mirrorless Z series. SIC – Super (S) integrated (I) coating (C).

There are two types of Nikon lenses that have a built-in focus motor: AF-S lenses and AF-P lenses. Lenses that do not have a focus motor incorporated into it are simply called AF NIKKOR lenses.

The Nikon DX vs FX comparison extends to image quality, camera usability, and lens selection. The FX format provides higher image quality, color accuracy, and performance in low light conditions than the DX format. The DX format is lighter, more compact, and more affordable.

Aperture controls the brightness of the image that passes through the lens and falls on the image sensor. It is expressed as an f-number (written as “f/” followed by a number), such as f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, /f4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, or f/32.

The Nikon Z-mount trinity is comprised of three professional-level lenses: Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, and Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S.

N – The letter “N” stands for Nano Crystal Coat and it is always displayed in a golden sticker on all top of the line Nikon lenses. It is a special type of glass coating that. PC-E – Perspective Control with electronic diaphragm. Allows lenses to tilt and shift to create special effects. RF – Rear Focusing.

Exposure mode:

Represented by the letters “P” (programmed auto), “S” (shutter-priority auto), “A” (aperture-priority auto), or “M” (manual).

The new Nikon Z mount takes all old Nikon lenses using the FTZ ("F to Z") adaptor. It works perfectly with AF-S, AF-I and AF-P lenses. But with AF-D and AF lenses you lose autofocus, plus (like with Nikon manual focus lenses such as AI, AI-S and AI-D and AE lenses), you have to open and close the aperture manually.

Is Nikon no longer making DSLR? ›

TOKYO -- Japanese camera maker Nikon will stop developing single-lens reflex cameras and shift toward digital offerings amid intensifying competition from smartphone cameras, Nikkei has learned.

There are two types of Nikon lenses that have a built-in focus motor: AF-S lenses and AF-P lenses. Lenses that do not have a focus motor incorporated into it are simply called AF NIKKOR lenses.

If I had to pick one lens to carry around with me at all times, a 24-70 f/2.8 would be among the best DSLR lenses to choose. The focal lengths available make it a great all-purpose lens to use for scenes, landscapes, portraits, and general shots.

Can you use an FX lens on a DX camera body? Yes. DX lenses and FX lenses can be used interchangeably. So if you went from an FX camera to a DX format DSLR, your full frame FX lenses will still work.

Because the Nikon D5300 has a smaller than full-frame sensor, what Nikon calls its "DX," sensor. "You should have gotten an FX (full-frame) camera," he told her. "DX" and "FX" are Nikon's designations for the size of the cameras' sensors.

There is no downside to using an FX lens vs a DX lens on the same DX body. The FX lens will however reduce the potential for light fall-off at the edges of the image.

Portrait photographers prefer wider apertures like f/2.8 or even f/4 — they can focus on the subject and blur the background. That's also why landscape photographers typically shoot in the f/11 to f/22 range — they want more of the landscape in focus, from the foreground to the distant horizon.

The lower the f/stop—the larger the opening in the lens—the less depth of field—the blurrier the background. The higher the f/stop—the smaller the opening in the lens—the greater the depth of field—the sharper the background.

The minimum aperture (both the main larger and smaller direct read out figures) are marked in orange i.e. F16, A notch has been taken off the rear bayonet mount, above the lens locking notch. This allows certain Nikon cameras to detect if an AI-S lens is fitted or not.

What 3 lenses should every photographer have? ›

“Joker” Lens: We used a mixture of large format lenses including ARRI DNA, Leica, Nikk, and Canon glass. We shot almost exclusively on prime lenses from 28mm to 350mm. For a few special scenes, we used the 70-200mm CP2, 150-600mm Canon, and 12-1 Angeniuex zoom.

There is no one lens to rule them all which is why I am recommending 3 types of lenses that will satisfy the majority of your photography needs; macro, wide-angle, and telephoto lenses.

Nikon AF-S lenses and it's predecessor AF-I offer the same functionality as AF-D or AF-G lenses. The difference between these lenses is that AF-S / AF-I lenses contain a focusing motor built into the lens, rather than using the auto focus motor built into the camera body.

Manual focus (MF)

In MF, you can adjust the focus position by turning the focus ring on the lens. Refer to the Instruction Manual or Handbook of your camera for how to switch to the MF mode or detailed operations. Above is the SEL24105G lens, and part A is its focus ring.

The only difference between Nikon AF-D and AF-G lenses is that an AF-G type lens has no aperture ring.

P mode will allow you to decide if the flash is needed for the shot you want. Control your camera's sensitivity to light: When you need a low shutter speed to avoid a blurry image but your shot needs more light, P mode allows you to adjust the ISO setting for the right balance.

While the G lenses are the still the same physical F mount, the G indicator means there is no aperture dial on the lens itself. So while the G lenses will physically fit the standard F mount cameras and adapters, there is no way at all to change the f-stop on the lens.

Exposure Mode: Mode M (Manual)

You choose both the aperture and the shutter speed. Manual mode even offers a shutter speed of "bulb" for long exposures. Because you control both aperture and shutter speed, manual mode offers great scope for expression.

Nikon is the most popular camera brand used by professional photographers. 31% of professionals use Nikon, closely followed by Canon (28%) and Sony (20%). 6. Canon is the most popular camera brand used by amateur photographers.

Are DSLRs becoming obsolete? ›

If you're shopping for a new camera today, you should buy a mirrorless camera instead. That's because digital single-lens reflex cameras are going away, and at the same time, the newest and most innovative features are appearing in mirrorless models.

Pretty much any DSLR on the market today will last at least 3 to 5 years under normal use, and could possibly even go much longer than that. Either way, just keep shooting and don't worry too much about it.

DSLRs are still popular, especially among professional sports and press photographers. However, mirrorless cameras are being used more and more by professional photographers in many genres, including wedding, travel, and wildlife photography. The bigger DSLR design does still have some strengths.

Despite what you may have read, DSLRs are far from dead – in fact, in 2022, DSLR sales increased by 123% – DSLRs are still popular for all sorts of photographers. Excellent resolution, dynamic range and high ISO performance with fast autofocus, in an ergonomic and robust body.

Until recently, reflex cameras were regarded as a better option than mirrorless for action photography, so what happened? Mirrorless models improved so dramatically – and so quickly – that they rendered DSLRs moot. Having said that, many pro photographers are holding onto their DSLRs, with the main reason being speed.

Nikkor lenses for every subject

Unlock your creative vision and your camera's full potential with over 90 Nikkor lenses–each optimized to deliver stunning results across a variety of applications.

Because Nikon doesn't share their auto focus technology with third parties, they have to reverse engineer their lenses to work with Nikon bodies. This allows Nikon to charge higher prices for their lenses because you know it will work on almost all modern Nikon bodies.

MTF and Sharpness

The closer the 10-lines/mm curve is to 1, the higher the contrast and the better the ability of the lens to separate the line pairs. The closer the 30-lines/mm curve is to 1, the better the resolving power and sharpness of the lens.

The most basic of all photography rules, the rule of thirds, is all about dividing your shot into nine equal sections by a set of vertical and horizontal lines. With the imaginary frame in place, you should place the most important element(s) in your shot on one of the lines or where the lines meet.

50mm might be the most popular focal length for all of photography, and it's for a few different reasons. First, as mentioned, it's the closest focal length to the human eye, so shooting with a 50mm lens will always feel natural to photographers, because it sees what the standard eye sees.

Which image quality is best for DSLR Nikon? ›

Nikon cameras use Nikon's own proprietary RAW image format that has a file extension of . NEF. The RAW format is best if you want both maximum image quality and maximum flexibility in editing the images.

A normal lens, also called a standard lens, is a lens with a focal length between 35mm to 50mm. The focal length of standard lenses are most similar to how the human eye sees the world. Cinematographers often use normal lenses for more grounded, naturalistic cinematography.

Most photographers tend to use a moderate telephoto lens—70mm to 200mm—as that range generally produces the most flattering angle of view for most people's features.

Canon offers cool features, but Nikon is just slightly ahead of it, so full-frame mirrorless cameras from this manufacturer will be the best solution for those who shoot in the dark. Nikon cameras perform slightly better when we talk about sensor performance.

NEF (RAW) is recommended for photographs that will be processed after leaving the camera, JPEG for photographs that will be displayed or printed without further processing.

The debate of Nikon vs Canon has been going on for decades and still does not have a consensus. Both brands have their strengths and weaknesses. Canon is better when it comes to compatibility. Nikon wins on the mirrorless market.

Each lens is designed to cast an image circle on the camera's sensor. The circle cast by a DX lens is smaller and corresponds to the size of a DX sensor. Non-DX lenses cast a larger image circle corresponding to an FX-format sensor.

Lenses designed for Nikon DX generally project a smaller image circle because they only need to cover the smaller DX sensor. This enables a DX lens to be smaller and lighter, but also means that these lenses are not suitable, by design, for FX cameras.

All Nikon cameras feature a model number. It will be detailed on the packaging and the camera itself. The location of the model number on the camera can vary but it is usually on the camera base.

An FX lens image circle when projected on a DX sensor crops the image by about 1/3rd. This crop has the same effect as magnifying the image by approximately 1.5x. This means that a 24mm FX lens on a DX format camera will give you the equivalent angle of view of a 36mm lens on an FX camera.

Why are DX lenses cheaper? ›

Designed specifically for APS-C DSLRs, DX lenses are generally smaller, lighter and cheaper to manufacture than their FX counterparts, as they only need to produce an image circle big enough to cover the smaller APS-C sensor.

a. f(x)dx. is called the definite integral of f(x) over the interval [a,b] and stands for the area underneath the curve y = f(x) over the interval [a,b] (with the understanding that areas above the x-axis are considered positive and the areas beneath the axis are considered negative).

The only difference between the Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR lens and the Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED lens is that one has Vibration Reduction image stabilization (VR) and the other does not.

The D designation indicates that a lens reads distance information. DX indicates the lens has a smaller image circle to cover the smaller sensor of DX (crop sensor 16mm x 24mm) cameras.

In almost every case, FX lenses are more expensive than DX ones. They are often optically (and mechanically) better too, although you won't see the benefit of much of that with a DX body as it won't use the full area that the glass can cover.

Nikon is the most popular camera brand used by professional photographers. 31% of professionals use Nikon, closely followed by Canon (28%) and Sony (20%). 6.

Remember: the easiest way to recognize gray market is that the product does not include a Nikon Inc USA warranty. Look for, or ask for a Nikon Inc USA warranty whenever you buy a Nikon product.

The most common reason for a blurry photo is an incorrect use of shutter speed. The faster your shutter speed is, the less chance there is for camera shake. This is particularly true when shooting handheld. There is no way that anyone will be able to handhold a camera steady enough at slow shutter speeds.

DX crop mode, at a 1.5 magnification factor, produces a 19.5-megapixel Z 7 image, a 10.3-megapixel Z 6 photo.

A higher aperture (e.g., f/16) means less light is entering the camera. This setting is better for when you want everything in your shot to be in focus — like when you're shooting a group shot or a landscape. A lower aperture means more light is entering the camera, which is better for low-light scenarios.