10 Best lenses for Nikon D3300 [updated 2024]

The Nikon D3300 is an excellent entry-level DSLR camera that delivers high-quality images and offers various features that are perfect for beginners. However, to take full advantage of the camera’s capabilities, it’s essential to pair it with the right lenses.

In this guide, we will discuss some of the best lenses for the Nikon D3300, covering a variety of focal lengths and price points, to help you choose the right lens for your needs and budget.

Read more: How to Choose a Camera Lens That Fits Your Needs.

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To help you choose the best option for your needs, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top lenses for the Nikon D3300 based on their performance, image quality, versatility, and affordability. Whether you’re interested in landscape, portrait photography, or macro photography, a lens on this list will help you capture stunning images.

portrait lenses

1. Nikon AF S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G

What type of lens is best for portraits? This question is subjective, as the desired outcome varies from person to person. However, three prime lenses are typically heavily discussed for portrait photography: 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. The 85mm lens is a popular choice due to its impressive features.

Build and handling: Similar to other recent Nikon prime lenses, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G has a robust design that combines a plastic body and a metal lens mount. It also comes equipped with a rubber gasket on the mount, effectively shielding the camera from dust. Despite its substantial appearance, this lens is surprisingly lightweight.

Performance: With its f/1.8 aperture, this portrait lens can elevate your photos to new heights by providing a beautiful depth of field, even in dimly lit situations. This lens offers versatility with its manual priority AF and manual focus modes, while the wave motor delivers quick and silent performance, making it ideal for videos too.

Best for: It’s evident that this lens is designed for capturing beautiful portraits with a soft touch. However, it’s crucial to consider that the 85mm focal length also has disadvantages. It’s not very practical for indoor photography, as it demands more space. Therefore, it may not be ideal for crowded events like weddings and parties.

In summary, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G is an outstanding lens for the Nikon D3300, capable of delivering exceptional portrait photography results. Its ability to produce a smooth background, shallow depth of field, and high contrast makes it an ideal choice for enhancing portrait compositions. Additionally, the lens is reasonably priced, making it an even more enticing option for photographers who want impressive results without overspending.

2. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

It is designed to cater to beginners, offering specifications similar to the previous 85mm lens while remaining affordable. Despite its lower price, this lens boasts several advantages and quality features that make it a practical choice for anyone starting their photography journey.

Build and handling: Like the previous 85mm, this lens is also intended for consumer use and has all the necessary features. However, this lens is even lighter than the previous one, weighing just 6.6 oz (185 g), making it an excellent option for photographers who plan to shoot handheld for an extended period.

Performance: With an impressive f/1.8 aperture, this lens can produce stunning bokeh and achieve beautiful subject differentiation from the background. While the autofocus speed may be standard, the large aperture ensures sharp images. However, it’s worth noting that using wider apertures may result in some edge softness or corner vignetting.

Best for: Tailored specifically for portrait photography, it has a smaller focal length, making it easier to work with in tight spaces than the 85mm version. Its versatility makes it suitable for indoor settings with limited space, allowing for capturing beautiful product shots, landscapes, and various events.

Nikkor 50mm boasts a wide aperture, lightweight construction, and solid image quality, making it an excellent choice for beginners looking to try their hand at portrait photography.

3. Sigma 30mm f/1.4 ART DC HSM Lens

Looking at a lens with an f/1.4 aperture, it is clear that it has remarkable benefits. The 30mm lens shares this characteristic with its speedy HSM autofocus and impressive construction. Moreover, its small size and reasonable price make it an attractive investment.

Build and handling: It features a captivating metallic sheen and thermally stable composite construction, which enhances its durability. Its perfectly calibrated focusing ring offers the proper resistance, allowing for smooth movement during use.

Performance: The Sigma lens features an impressive internal autofocus system powered by a Hypersonic Motor, which operates smoothly and quietly. It produces a beautiful bokeh effect with its 8-blade aperture, and while chromatic aberration may occur, it is well-managed and needs only minimal post-processing adjustments.

Best for: The prime lens is an excellent option for capturing indoor portraits, thanks to its short focal length and wide f/1.4 aperture that allows for sharp image capture in low-light environments. Additionally, the lens is versatile enough for architecture, events, and everyday travel shots.

This Nikon D3300 lens is an excellent investment that offers impressive construction quality and produces stunning bokeh effects in out-of-focus areas.

sports lens

4. Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM

This telephoto zoom lens is ideal for capturing wildlife or sporting events. Given its higher price point, this lens is guaranteed to deliver outstanding performance.

Build and handling: It is a well-known fact among telephoto lens users that they are usually quite heavy. Nevertheless, this particular lens, which weighs 68.1 oz (1,930 g), is comparatively lightweight compared to others in this class which often weigh 35 oz (1 kg) more. Despite its lower weight, it still feels professional and has not compromised any of its build or handling elements.

Performance: Its wide aperture performs exceptionally well in low-light conditions, while its hypersonic motor allows for smooth autofocus. Additionally, it is equipped with built-in image stabilization that makes capturing sharp images even easier.

Best for: The Sigma 150-600mm is a great choice to take high-quality pictures of far-away subjects. It can reach a maximum focal length of 600mm, and when used with a tripod, it produces even sharper images. It’s an excellent option for photographing wildlife that is difficult to approach.

Although it is one of the more expensive lenses on the list, its features and capabilities make it a worthwhile investment offering excellent value.

wildlife lens

5. Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED

It provides excellent image quality and performance while also saving you a significant amount of money upfront.

Build and handling: The build of this lens is comparable to other consumer-level options from this manufacturer; it is nothing extraordinary, but it is not underwhelming either. It is lightweight at only 14.7 oz. (415 g), making it effortless to take clear handheld shots. Its compact and simple design makes it an excellent choice for capturing your subjects on the go.

Performance: Although the f/4.5 aperture of this lens may not be ideal for low-light conditions, its Vibration Reduction image stabilization technology helps to make up for this deficiency. However, to fully utilize all of the features, it is recommended to use a tripod. This allows for slower shutter speeds to be used without compromising image quality.

Best for: This lens is an excellent choice for photographing wildlife and nature due to its convenient, lightweight design, making it easy to carry and capture those rare moments. It’s lightweight enough for handheld shooting, which is an added advantage.

To sum up, if you are an amateur photographer searching for a budget-friendly choice for wildlife photography using your Nikon D3300, this lens is ideal. It delivers great performance for its cost and introduces fresh focal lengths and dimensions to elevate your photography portfolio.

Wide-Angle lenses

6. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED

It offers quick autofocus and a range of focal lengths to add depth and perspective to your photos. Moreover, its affordable price makes it an even more attractive option.

Build and handling: This Nikkor 10-24mm lens weighs just 16.2 oz (458 g), making it suitable for handheld shooting. Despite its compact size, it can still produce high-quality images. Its internal focusing system is advantageous as the front element and filter thread remain in place when adjusting focus, making it an ideal choice for photographers who frequently use polarizers or ND filters.

Performance: It provides a decent maximum aperture of f/3.5 at a reasonable cost. However, adequate lighting is essential for optimal results to avoid graininess or noise in your photos or videos. Additionally, this lens is equipped with Silent Wave Motor technology, ensuring great video quality that is both sharp and vivid.

Best for: Besides landscape photography, this lens is well-suited for shooting in small spaces such as real estate and crowded events due to its wide-angle capabilities and range of focal lengths. It lets you capture a large area or multiple objects in a single frame.

If you’re a hobbyist photographer looking to expand your gear, this wide-angle lens for your Nikon D3300 is a great option because it’s compact and lightweight.

7. Tokina AT-X PRO 11-16mm F2.8 DXII Lens

It features an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with an f/2.8 aperture that produces clear images at any distance while providing consistent aperture control, making it perfect for indoor and outdoor photography.

Build and handling: The Tokina lens has a sturdy plastic casing and a rubberized ring that offers a comfortable and secure grip for better handling. It has nine aperture blades that create smooth bokeh effects with great accuracy. Additionally, the lens contains two Super Low Dispersion glass elements and two aspherical elements that help reduce chromatic aberration, resulting in better contrast and clarity. The lens also has advanced multi-layered coatings that minimize surface reflections and enhance optical performance.

Performance: The internal motor of the autofocus system operates quietly and precisely, allowing for sharp images without noticeable edge degradation. In situations where natural solid light is present, some slight chromatic aberration or fringing may appear in the corners of photos, but this can be easily corrected during post-processing.

Best for: To capture images in limited spaces, such as real estate or indoor events, the Nikon D3300 lens provides a wide field of view. With its broad aperture and wide-angle capabilities, it can frame landscape vistas or take large group photos.

It boasts a wide and constant aperture across the zoom range and outstanding optical performance, making it an excellent value for your investment.

zoom lenses

8. Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM

The Sigma lens is a top-notch option for professionals due to its exceptional features, which justify its higher price point. Opting for this lens will be a wise investment, offering superior specifications compared to other lenses in its category.

Build and handling: The lens is crafted from aluminum alloy, giving it a sleek and sophisticated appearance and an excellent feel in the hands. Despite weighing 28.6 oz (810 g), it is still considered lightweight when considering its features.

Performance: The Sigma 18-35mm is an exceptional choice for camera owners as it offers a remarkable f/1.8 aperture, resulting in images with a shallow depth of field and stunning bokeh effects. Moreover, this lens operates quickly and silently due to its hypersonic motor, making it suitable for professional and budget-conscious photographers.

Best for: A versatile and adaptable Sigma zoom lens is a great match for all your photography needs, with its wide-angle view and broad aperture that’s ideal for capturing indoor events and street scenes, as well as stunning portraits during daily travels. Furthermore, if astrophotography is your passion, this lens is an excellent choice to capture the beauty of the night sky.

Its versatility and ability to handle various shooting situations make it a perfect choice. Whether you encounter bright skies or low-light environments, this lens will surely deliver outstanding outcomes!

9. Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM

This lens for the Nikon D3300 is an excellent option for traveling, offering a wide aperture and the ability to capture images at various distances. It’s the perfect companion for beginners seeking affordability and simplicity in a single package.

Build and handling: The lens is surprisingly light at 19.9 oz (565 g) and features advanced optical stabilization technology to ensure clear and precise images. It is constructed with two Fluorite Low Dispersion elements, two glass-molded aspherical elements, and one hybrid aspherical element to deliver superior image quality. It is also coated with Super Multi-Layer Coating to minimize glare and enhance image clarity.

Performance: This travel lens can capture exceptional visuals in low light conditions with its constant f/2.8 aperture. It delivers clear and sharp images from edge to edge, maintaining a fixed aperture throughout its focal lengths. However, you might expect some slight blurring in mid-zoom settings.

Best for: This lens is a great option for those looking to capture various subjects while traveling, as it offers versatility with its focal lengths ranging from 17-50mm. This lens can handle it all, whether you want to take group shots, landscapes, street scenes, portraits, or other photos. If you want a single lens that can meet all your travel photography needs, this lens is the one to go for.

It is a budget-friendly option that offers excellent features for everyday photography. Its wide f/2.8 aperture and built-in optical stabilization are additional benefits that make it an ideal companion for photographers.

macro lens

10. Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED Lens

Despite its small size, it allows digital SLR sensors to capture life-sized images. The f/2.8 aperture and built-in optical stabilization also enable photographers to take high-quality shots even in low-light conditions.

Build and handling: This macro lens is an impressive engineering feat, crafted to offer superior comfort and performance. It is made from black composite material and has a size of 4.6 x 3.3 inches (116 x 83 mm) and a weight of 27.9 ounces (790 grams). It features an ergonomic rubberized grip that encircles the manual focus ring and toggle switches for effortless access to autofocus or manual mode. Moreover, the lens has an Optical Stabilization system that buttons can turn on or off.

Performance: With Silent Wave Motor technology, this lens provides a seamless and fast autofocus experience with a smooth transition from automatic to manual focus. Its Internal Focusing system allows your camera’s front element to remain stationary, making it easy to use circular polarizing filters. Moreover, the advanced Vibration Reduction II feature ensures sharp and clear images, even with shutter speeds up to four stops lower.

Best for: The macro lens is an excellent choice for photographing small subjects like insects. Its 105mm focal length allows you to capture images from an appropriate distance and avoid unwanted shadows from the lens. These features ensure that your photos come out flawlessly without any issues.

In summary, if you specialize in macro photography, this is one of the best lenses for the Nikon D3300 camera. Its focal length and functionalities are ideal for enhancing your macro photography skills.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Nikon D3300 is a great entry-level camera that can produce stunning images when paired with the right lens. With a range of lenses available in the market, choosing the best one can be overwhelming. However, the lenses mentioned above are some of the best options for various photography types. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer, investing in a high-quality lens can significantly improve the quality of your photos and take your photography to the next level.

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