5 Best Nikon Lenses for Vloggers and Content Creators in 2024!

Finding the best Nikon lenses for vloggers and content creators lens is challenging. You don’t have the traditional challenges of angle, lighting, and backdrop that you face with wildlife or sports photography, but there are still challenges.

A quality lens can mean the difference between a crisp, high-quality image when it hits the web, versus one of those grainy cell phone videos that don’t get as many hits.

If hits are what you’re after, and who isn’t when producing video blogs, the right lens can mean all the difference.

We’ll help you find the lens you need that will make your productions pop and separate you from the online crowd. If you follow the suggestions you can determine which are the best Nikon lenses for vloggers from the list we’ll provide below.

Best Nikon Lenses for Vloggers and Content Creators Rationale

This is studio photography on a tripod, with just a simple backdrop. The world of YouTube, and Vlogging has created an entirely new use for short-length, wide-angle lenses. What was once done in elaborate, expensive studios is now being produced in living rooms, basements, and remote sites across the world.

The key to becoming a successful Vlogger is content, and production quality. We can’t do much about the content you produce, but we can help you get the most “bang for the buck” in finding which offering is the Nikon best lens for video.

A lens that works well in a variety of light conditions, and that can cover the depth of field with a person speaking in front of the camera, and action taking place in the distance is an ideal option. Zoom isn’t as important as in other forms of photography, but clear imagery that matches the content being delivered is what you’re looking for.

Speed, focus, and depth of field remain factors in generating good content quality. Achieving this is why the best lens for videography Nikon produces is essential. The choice of lens is yours alone, but where you’re shooting, whether against a fixed indoor background or outside in front of a heavily attended venue will determine which are the best Nikon lenses for video in your vlog.

Before we start reviewing specific lenses, ask yourself these questions.

• Which is the best Nikon lens for vlogging?
• What is the best Nikon lens for cinematic video?
• Is there a single best Nikon lens for videography?
• Which Nikon lens is best for video?
• Are there multiple choices for lenses that represent the best Nikon lenses for content creators?

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR

Best all-in-one Z Lens for Vlogging and Content Creators

Bottom Line:

Unless you’re independently wealthy or already an established Vlogger, you need quality equipment at a reasonable price. The bottom line with this 18-140mm Zoom Nikkor lens is versatility at a very reasonable price.

Packed into one lens you’ll have the capability of creating wide-angle shots at the 18mm setting, with great depth of field, and a relatively fast 3.5 F-stop. At the other extreme, with the lens zoomed to 140mm, you have the chance to pull in faraway action.

This is an ideal lens for creating an opening sequence with a speaker centered on the screen, then panning away to zoom in on a more distant object. The seamless zoom of this lens allows those types of shots to be completed with just a spokesperson and a photographer. There is no need for additional equipment in producing this type of video.

PROS

• Excellent variable zoom
• 18-140mm length
• High-speed autofocus
• Inexpensive

CONS

• Smaller aperture
• Slow speed zoom

Why We Picked It

We chose this lens because of the rare combination of a wide-angle lens that can zoom, on more distant objects without losing focus, and it’s great for beginners. The zoom extreme retains an F-stop of 5.6 so it can continue to work in dimmer light.

This is a lens that offers great variety and might be one of the best Nikon lenses for creators.

Beginning Vloggers assume they’ll produce all of their content indoors in a makeshift studio in their home or apartment. That idea limits the creative potential of what they’re trying to produce.

As a comparison, imagine how bland a news broadcast would be with just a talking head, or maybe two people speaking in comparison with a reporter on the scene of an incident. It’s the live-action that draws in the audience.

This lens can deliver that wider appeal to a simple blog through its inexpensive ability to zoom in tight or shoot at a very wide angle.

Who It’s For

This lens is for beginners, who dream of creating quality content that extends beyond the realm of the talking head. The good light-gathering ability of a zoom lens with an F-stop range of 3.5 to 5.6, combined with an adequate 140mm zoom allows this quality content to come forth.

You’ll still need that wide angle “studio style” shot and the 18mm setting will allow a quality image to be recorded indoors on your Nikon camera.

The Creator’s Kit – Nikon Z 50 Camera with Nikon Z 16-50mm Included

Best Nikon Creators Kit

Bottom Line:

If you’re a beginner or a seasoned professional with thousands of published videos, a quality all-in-one purchase can make things a lot easier for you. This combination of a Z Format camera, and a fast 16-50mm zoom lens is something that the pros can use to create world-class imagery, and that the novice can use to create usable, high-quality videos the first time they try.

A flip-down front-facing LCD used with the 16-50mm zoom lens allows careful monitoring of the images being produced. The 3.5-6.5 F-stop lens with VR stabilization prevents chatter, and motion when zooming in on a more distant subject.

The Nikon content creator kit takes the lead from competitors with its all-in-one approach to videography. Added to the package is one of the best Nikon Z lenses for video production for Nikon cameras.

PROS

• All in one package
• 16-50mm zoom
• High-speed autofocus
• Z Lens

CONS

• Short zoom length
• 3.5 F-stop doesn’t gather as much light as competing models

Why We Picked It

We picked this lens, and the accompanying tripod, camera, microphone, and carrying case first because it’s a great lens for Vlogging, but second because it represents everything you’ll need to get going on content creation without wasting a lot of time looking around and shopping for components.

The mirrorless design, with the Z format lens, is easier to use for many videographers and features pristine imagery combined with an external microphone that enhances the sound content of your work, matching the image quality on a similar level with the audio.

Who It’s For

This is a lens for everyone, beginner to professional, with all stops in between. The 16-50mm Z format lens is remarkable by itself, but when combined with the other components in this kit, it steps to a new level of performance by having everything you need in one easy place.

The included carrying kit lets you work on location with as much ease as you would with a careful set-up studio.

Vlogging took to the next level in one easy package.

Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 16-35mm F/4 Zoom

Best Nikon Vlogging lens

Bottom Line:

This is a wide-angle lens. It is a zoom, but only 35mm, you won’t be taking any photos of the stars or planets with this one, but you will create incredible images in a studio on a tripod while recording yourself on your Nikon camera in video mode.

We’ll just take a look at a few of the key aspects that make this the best studio Vlogging lens. The lens has 17 elements in a dozen groups, and it offers image stabilization, and vibration reduction, with a maximum aperture of F/4.

F/4 might not seem that great if you’re shooting outdoors in variable light, but this lens is for studio use in controlled lighting environments. Three aspherical lens elements enhance clarity, and a rounded, nine-blade diaphragm brings quality to a moderately priced lens that is usually found in many higher-priced competing models.

PROS

• Wide angle 16-35mm
• Vibration reduction
• Nine blade aperture

CONS

• Fixed 4 F-stop
• Some edge distortion at F-4

Why We Picked It

We picked this lens for the price and the performance. For a moderate price, you get a 16-35mm zoom lens that is perfect for indoor, stationary work off a tripod. The images can be distorted around the periphery when the aperture is wide open, but settings from 5.6 to 7.1 produce as clear an image as you’ll find in lenses costing three or four times as much.

This is a workmanlike lens that gets the job done without a lot of additional bells and whistles. The F-4 setting is ideal for the ambient light found in most homes or apartments, and the slight zoom from 16 to 35mm allows both wide-angle and normal field-of-vision style videos to be taken.

Who It’s For

This is a lens for the photographer who is staying indoors to create content. You don’t want this lens for tight outside closeups of wildlife or sporting events, but when centered on a speaker’s head or upper body, this lens will create outstanding quality content.

If you work alone and rely on a lens that won’t “travel” after you set up the shot, this lens will be ideal for you.

Best of all, it delivers high quality at a very modest price and can turn your DSLR Nikon into a video production monster with ease.

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Zoom

Best Wide-Angle Nikon Vlogging lens

Bottom Line:

When someone asks what lens is good for Vlogging you might come up with a variety of answers. But if they ask which Nikon vlogging lens is best for wide-angle shots, you can answer that the DX Nikkor 10-24mm is the ticket to wide-angle success, with just enough zoom to fit almost any scene.

This lens has the shortest focal length of any lens in our review at just 10mm. It is a zoom, but the maximum 24mm length is still shorter than most competing lenses on their shortest setting.

We often write of “wide angle” lenses, but what does that mean mathematically? With this 10-24mm zoom lens it means you can capture a 109-degree field of view in one frame. That’s about as wide a shot as you can imagine, bordering on excellent peripheral vision. The tightest shot at 24mm is still 61 degrees, offering a very wide image at both extremes of the lens length.

PROS

• Widest angle 10-24mm
• Vibration reduction
• Image clarity to 10 inches

CONS

• High price
• Only for wide-angle shots

Why We Picked It

Wide-angle vlogging allows the panorama behind the presenter to take center stage. You remain the focal point of the presentation, you just share the stage with the scenery behind you. Many vloggers refrain from the static setting of a home studio and prefer the great outdoors as their backdrop.

If you’re vlogging from a stadium with a football game or soccer match in the background a wide-angle lens provides excellent depth of field when set at a higher F-stop and allows the action to fit your narration.

The same is true of outdoor shots with wildlife, scenic vistas, or even more mundane vlogging opportunities like retail sales. This lens allows you to bring the action to your videos without a lot of expense or additional equipment, just set the tripod, check your settings, and start producing.

Who It’s For

This lens is for both advanced and beginners, with usage in both studios and outdoors. The only drawback is the higher price. Many novice vloggers will find this a strain on their budgets. For professional vloggers, it’s a classic case of cost versus quality. The more you spend, the more features you expect, and this lens is loaded with almost all the options you’d expect in a wide-angle zoom.

The vlogger who takes a step beyond the ordinary will find this versatile lens a vital part of their inventory.

Samyan 12mm F-2.8 Ultra Wide Fisheye Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Best Fisheye Nikon Vlogging lens

Bottom Line:

The fisheye lens was all the rage in the 1960s when it first became affordable for the average 35mm film photographer. Somewhere over the intervening years, it lost its appeal as wide-angle lenses for Nikon cameras became commonplace. The fisheye is making a comeback in the vlogging era with its unique ability to create images with a spherical appearance. This fixed 12mm fisheye allows the creative vlogger to produce cutting-edge videos with just a touch, (or maybe a lot of touch) of science fiction imagery.

This fisheye is moderately priced, has a fixed focal length, and is fast with an F-stop of 2.8.

The uses are outside the pale for the traditional, home studio vlogger, but those that want to push the envelope will quickly discover a wide variety of settings, backdrops, and images that this style of lens is only capable of producing.

PROS

• Fisheye
• 12mm fixed length
• Image clarity to 7.9 inches
• Full frame compatible

CONS

• A niche lens for only wide spherical shots
• Manual focus only

Why We Picked It

This one made the list for uniqueness, you won’t find another lens in this review with the features, and challenges presented by this one. The extremely short fixed focal length takes the guessing out of where to set your lens, but the manual-only focus demands greater control and the ability to “set up” a scene prior to starting to record.

This is a difficult lens to use on a tripod if you’re trying to appear in the vlog as a narrator since you are apt to move in and out of focus unless you’ve clearly set markers to keep your movements within the fixed focus you set.

It is a great lens for a team with a photographer and a narrator working together. The ability of the lens to create wide, spherical panoramic shots is another reason we selected this lens.

It’s ready out of the box, and its design fits those who think outside the box as well.

Who It’s For

This lens is for professionals or very advanced amateur vloggers. If you haven’t spent the time to learn how to set manual focus, select the best F-stop for depth and contrast, and know the ins and outs of your Nikon camera when it comes to white balance, ISO, and shutter speed, this lens is not for you.

If you rely on the automatic settings on your camera, don’t buy this lens.

If you are a creative professional, looking for a unique way to record video, this lens offers a lot more options than you’ll find in standard lenses. The spherical construction of the lens, the “fisheye” gives you a lot of panoramic options you won’t find just anywhere.

If you’re a pro, give this one a chance.

Conclusion

Choosing the Nikon best lens for content creators is why you’re here. The answer is that there is no single lens that can meet all the demands of vlogging. There are just too many venues, too many situations, and too much creativity in the vlogging world for one lens to answer the question, of what lens is best for vlogging.

There are a few lenses that can come close, especially if you’re looking for a studio lens. Wide-angle zoom lenses are often the best choice indoors, but once you move outside, the entire world changes.

The vlogger who takes their camera to the field faces a lot more challenges than the controlled environment of the home studio. Light is the biggest challenge, so you’ll want a lens that has a faster F-stop for capturing images in dimly lit conditions. You might want a zoom feature if you’re vlogging in nature as well. Birds, animals, and celestial objects won’t come to you, but a strong zoom will get you to them.