10 Best Lenses for Nikon D5300 [2023]

Nikon D5300 is widely used by beginner and hobby photographers who are just starting their career or doing it for fun. It has been a top choice for photographers as it has a variety of lenses for portraits, telephotos, wide-angle, zoom, prime, and for other reasons.

In this list, we have put together the best lenses for Nikon D5300 users. We included the lenses that would be more reasonably priced for the camera user. So you will find mostly entry-level budget lenses, although we also mixed in some pro-graders that would be a great addition for beginners to level up their photography skills.

Best lenses for Nikon D5300

Below you will find short information on the selection of lenses: price ranges, specifications, performance, and where to use them. These are categorized by the type of lenses as it’s mentioned below and the price range is measured like this:

• 0 – 400$ – Budget $
• 401 – 700$ – Average $$
• 700+ $ – Expert $$$

You will find here lenses for:

> Portrait
> Wide-angle
> Telephoto
> Macro
> Zoom
> Prime

Nikon D5300 portrait lenses

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

Is this the best lens for portraits? Well, it mostly depends on how you look at it. It will offer an immersive soft background with an aperture of f/1.8 and a focal length of 85 mm. That’s the main selling point and for sure it will give you some new looks for your portraits. This Nikon D5300 portrait lens could be one of the best choices.

Build and handling: It’s more likely a consumer-level portrait lens for Nikon D5300 users, so the build isn’t exactly a pro-grade level, but still solid. Its weight is also pretty light and all necessary buttons and indicators are on the lens. After all, its build and handling are worth the price, as you would expect from Nikon production.

Performance: As already mentioned, the main selling point would be an aperture of f/1.8. It’s fast, deals great under low light, and due to the Silent Wave Motor, it’s also helpful when shooting videos. You won’t get all the bells and whistles, but given its specs and price, it’s worth an investment.

Best for: It’s best for outdoor portrait photography, because with a focal length of 85mm you will need more space to shoot your model. You wouldn’t get the best results if you needed to shoot in tight spaces. But if you or your model is shy, then it’s excellent, because you don’t have to be close to get the portraits.

Overall, it is considered one of the best lenses for the Nikon D5300. Because 85 mm is something else when shooting portraits. It has fast focusing, gives you a creamy background, and produces excellent image quality. All this comes with an affordable price tag. There isn’t such high quality and specialness for that price in the market.

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

A beginner-level lens has several perks and has almost the same specs as the previous Nikon lens. A great addition to any camera bag if you don’t want to spend much at first. Despite the low price, it still offers many benefits with quality specs.

Build and handling: As previously, this one is also a consumer-level lens with all necessary buttons and information. But compared to the previous, this Nikon D5300 lens for portraits is even lighter. It’s only 6.6 oz. (185 g). Perfect for long shootings when you take your pictures hand-held.

Performance: Like the previous, it also has an aperture of f/1.8. This gives you nice bokeh, your subject will stand out from the background, and performs excellently under low light conditions. A fast-focusing system is also something that will make your work more efficient and easier.

Best for: As you would expect it’s also mainly for portraits. But again compared to the previous, with this lens you don’t need much space to frame your models. It’s also possible to shoot indoors, but not in very tight spaces. You can also use it for products, capturing details from landscapes, and shooting events and weddings.

Overall, it could be one of the best Nikon D5300 lenses for portraits with a very limited budget. It has a large aperture, weighs very little, and produces excellent image quality. All these perks come with a cheap price and would be ideal for beginners who want to try portrait photography.

Nikon D5300 wide angle lenses

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

This Sigma lens for Nikon D5300 is on another level with pro-grade capabilities. It might be one of the most expensive items here, but when looking at its specifications, then it’s not a surprise. Furthermore, it offers so much more than the price tag.

Build and handling: Sigma ART lenses are known for their professionalism, which is favored by many photographers. Also, the design is great thanks to aluminum alloy materials. That gives it a classy look and touch. However, it weighs 28.6 oz. (810 g), which is a bit heavy, but nothing too serious.

Performance: The biggest benefit would be an aperture of f/1.8. Mostly because it’s a zoom lens and this is a bit rare. This feature makes it one of the best lenses for Nikon D5300. Like other ones from Sigma production, it’s also great with quiet and fast focusing due to the hypersonic motor.

Best for: This Nikon D5300 zoom lens can be used in many ways. Due to its wide-angle capabilities and large aperture, it’s great for indoor shooting. Like events, weddings, and product photography. As an everyday lens, it’s also superb for travel, street, and even portrait photography with conditions from harsh overexposure to low light.

Overall, every photographer would like to have it in their camera gear. It adds so much versatility and it never lets you down when you are surprised by weather conditions or unexpected environments. After all, there is such high quality for an affordable price.

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

A wide-angle zoom lens with many benefits will cover beginner photographers’ needs. With a small investment, you will get an excellent focusing motor, variable focal lengths, and magnificent image quality. A great lens to discover new dimensions in the photography world.

Build and handling: A compact and light design is usual for Nikon consumer-level lenses. It’s the same with this one and still, it’s capable of producing quality visuals. Its weight is almost two times less than the previous one with 16.2 oz. (458 g), which will make it easier for beginners to shoot hand-held. For fast changes between focusing modes, you will find a switch (M/A and M).

Performance: A maximum aperture of f/3.5 is pretty decent for a budget Nikon D5300 lens. However, you will need enough light for shootings to get photos without much noise. A twilight can already cause some trouble when shooting in low light without a flash. It also includes Silent Wave Motor, which enables it to shoot videos without a focusing noise.

Best for: With the wide angle capabilities and focal lengths it’s the most beneficial in shooting with very little space. Like real estate, events, group photos, or street photography. With that lens, you can fit a lot of objects into one frame.

Overall, it’s one of the best wide-angle lenses for Nikon D5300 for a budget. It’s perfect for hobby photographers who need a wide angle range and don’t have that high of a budget for another item in their camera gear. 

Nikon D5300 telephoto lens

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

If you are looking for a telephoto lens for Nikon D5300, then look nowhere else. It’s a great deal for your camera gear when you are eager to catch wildlife or get moments from sports events. When taking into account this category, it’s pretty affordable for telephoto photography.

Build and handling: The ones who are already familiar with telephoto lenses know that they weigh a lot. This one is 68.01 oz. (1,930 g), which is pretty lightweight considering the standard of telephoto lenses. Usually, these weigh an additional 35 oz. (1kg). Nonetheless, it hasn’t lost any spark with the weight loss, because it feels like a pro-grade lens.

Performance: Other than a long-range of focal lengths and decent aperture, it also includes several great specifications and benefits. It’s considerably great under low-light situations, which will be beneficial with landscape shootings. Another feature, the hypersonic motor gives you much more pleasing focusing. Lastly, built-in image stabilization is a top thing for that Nikon D5300 lens.

Best for: This lens is foremost for shooting objects at a very long range. With a maximum focal length of 600mm it’s amazing for shy wildlife. With image stabilization and a tripod, you will get sharp photos of wildlife animals, and birds. Also, it’s used for sports photography and getting the details from landscapes.

Overall, if you aim to shoot at a very long distance, be it wildlife or sports, then it’s the best lens for Nikon D5300. Even though it’s one of the most expensive lenses on that list, when taking into account these specifications, it’s pretty cheap. Worth an investment!

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

It’s a telephoto lens to take under consideration when you don’t want to make a big investment at first. Even though it’s one of the cheapest lenses on that list, it performs decently and produces quality images.

Build and handling: It has the same build as other consumer-level Nikon lenses, nothing bad nor too great. It only weighs 14. oz. (400 g), which is excellent and makes it possible to shoot sharp photos hand-held. A simple and compact design is all you need to shoot objects.

Performance: With an aperture of f/4.5 it’s not the greatest during low-light situations. You will need a tripod to lower shutter speeds to get visuals without noise. However, this budget lens includes VR (vibration reduction) image stabilization, which will make shooting objects much easier.

Best for: As you would expect, it’s best for shooting objects at a very long distance. You would most benefit from it when shooting wildlife and landscapes. After all, it’s a great lens to take photos on the go, because it doesn’t weigh that much. No need to set up your area by finding the right place for a tripod – so you will not miss your desired objects like rare birds.

Overall, it’s a telephoto lens for your Nikon D5300 if you don’t want to break the bank. It’s super cheap and as a hobby photographer, it will give you new dimensions and focal lengths to complement your portfolio. An entry-level gear to give a try.

Nikon D5300 macro lens

7. Nikon AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G

The macro lens for Nikon D5300 will be a great addition for hobby photographers. It’s small with a large aperture and on top of that, it’s very affordable. A good way to discover macro photography.

Build and handling: It’s a lightweight and compact Nikon D5300 macro lens, which by dimension looks like a pancake. It weighs 8.3 oz. (235 g) and due to being small, it can fit into a camera bag without unmounting the lens from a camera. Otherwise, the look and build are similar to Nikon’s consumer-level production.

Performance: When you see the specifications, it comes as a surprise that it has an aperture of f/2.8. It’s really necessary for shooting close-range objects because when getting closer to the objects you will lose some light. Another perk is Super Integrated Coating which deals with overexposed environments.

Best for: The only use for it is when you want to get these details from small things aka when going macro. However, it’s not ideal for this kind of shooting. The focal length of 40mm isn’t that much for capturing living objects like insects. Luckily, unliving objects aren’t shy and you can capture these with ease.

Overall, it’s one of the best Nikon D5300 lenses when you want to shoot macro and don’t want to make a big investment. It’s an ideal lens to add to your camera gear to capture detailed objects from a very close range.

Nikon D5300 zoom lenses

8. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

This Nikon D5300 all in one lens could be a great deal for those who don’t want to change lenses that often. An ideal partner for hobby photographers or travelers. Great benefits also come with a cheaper price.

Build and handling: The design and looks are pretty much the same as the previous Nikon consumer-type lenses. It’s compact and has everything you need on the lens. For a zoom lens, it also doesn’t weigh that much, as it’s only 14.8 oz (420 g). With the lens itself, you will get an additional lens hood and a case.

Performance: An aperture of f/3.5 and wide range focal lengths are pretty decent indicators for entry-level camera gear. Also, Super Integrated Coating is included to reduce overexposure when shooting in the middle of the day. One of the highlights of this lens is that it has image stabilization, which is known by Nikon as Vibration reduction.

Best for: It’s an everyday all-in-one lens and it can be used in many ways. It’s not the best for certain photography categories like portraits, but it will be a great addition when you want to capture different memories. Be it your family events, quick photos on the go, or traveling around the world.

Overall, it’s the best lens for Nikon D5300 for those who only want to have one lens. It would be ideal for hobby photographers or more specifically for travelers who want to keep camera gear as light as possible. Excellent choice for everyone without breaking the bank.

9. Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED VR

A Nikon D5300 zoom lens for more advanced photographers. For a long, it has been a favored standard lens by Nikon users who know the qualities it has to offer. Furthermore, this lens is known as a workhorse, mainly because it can be used in different ways, conditions, and environments.

Build and handling: The build and design are as you would expect at a pro-grade level. It even contains weather sealing materials to cope with bad weather conditions. However, all this gives you more pressure on the hands (when shooting hand-held), because it weighs 2.35 lb (1070 g). 

Performance: The main reason why this is used so often is its incredible performance. To reach the desired quality, there’s built-in image stabilization, fast focusing in low light conditions, as well as sharp contrast image quality.

Best for: As it’s a standard lens with focal lengths of 24-70 mm, it can be used in many ways. It’s great for wide-angle landscapes, events, portraits, and travel. It could also be the only lens to go on your travel adventures because this workhorse will get you great visuals regardless of the shooting conditions and environment. 

It’s one of the best lenses for Nikon D5300 users who want to get quality results in different photo shoots. It’s also the most expensive lens on this list, but if the quality is important to you and you take photography more seriously, then it’s worth an investment.

Nikon D5300 prime lens

10. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G

A Nikon D5300 prime lens is an affordable addition to your camera gear. A small, yet powerful lens will surprise photographers with its image quality. 

Build and handling: Compact and lightweight design has given this Nikon D5300 lens a weight of only 7 oz. (200 g). Thanks to this it’s super easy to carry around everywhere and you can shoot hand-held without a “dead arm”. The overall design is also simple and the lens has everything you need to capture beautiful images.

Performance: The biggest perk of this lens would be an aperture of f/1.8. It is more surprising because it’s small and doesn’t cost much. This gives you all the freedom to shoot under low light conditions without slowing down the shutter speed too much. It also has a silent focus motor for videos.

Best for: It’s mostly best for portraits as it has a fixed focal length of 35 mm. But you will have many more uses for it. It could be used for indoor product-, event-, and wedding photography. Outdoors, you can use it for landscapes, to capture details from street photography, and even for travel adventures.

It’s the best prime lens for Nikon D5300 on the budget. With a small investment, you will get a large aperture, fast focusing motor, great image quality, and many other benefits. An ideal partner for a beginner or hobby photographer.

Conclusion

That was the list of the best lenses for Nikon D5300. There will be many more options for this camera, but that lineup was put together in a way that would be beneficial for Nikon D5300 users. You could find a lot more pro-grade lenses for this, but it wouldn’t be reasonable for this type of camera. Hope you find good information and your next lens!

Read more: Best Nikon DX lenses.

Disclosure: Some of the links may be affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. If you make a purchase then I will earn a commission, which helps me to run this website. Again: no additional cost for you.

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