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Best Overall - Editor’s Choice | Best Prime Lens | Best Macro Lens | Best Zoom Lens | Best Budget Pick |
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Our Review of the Top 5 Best Lens for Nikon D7000
Best Overall - Editor’s Choice - Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED
Highlights:
- Versatile zoom lens with a fixed max aperture of f/4.
- The presence of a VR feature to compensate for slow shutter speeds during handheld video recording.
- It contains two ED elements, three spherical elements, and two different coatings to correct optical aberrations.
First on our list is a zoom lens with a focal length range from wide-angle to telephoto. Since it’s an Fx lens, the focal length translates to 36-180mm. The zoom range coupled with a constant max aperture of f/4 makes this lens suitable for different kinds of videography.
Although the f/4 aperture is wide enough for this lens to produce excellent images in different lighting conditions, this lens has a Vibration Reduction (VR) feature, an image stabilizer that compensates for slow shutter speeds.
The focus is driven by a Silent Wave Motor (SWM), an internal focus system that helps achieve a fast and accurate lens focus. As one of the best zoom lenses for Nikon D7000, the MFD is quite impressive, 45cm, and the magnification of 0.24x is even more impressive.
The lens construction includes two Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements, three aspherical elements, and two lens coatings that help the lens produce clean videos.
Best Prime Lens - Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED
Highlights:
- Max aperture of f/1.8 for bright and sharp images and increased control over image field depth.
- MFD of 45cm and a magnification of 0,24x to help with close-up video recording.
- Availability of VR feature for handheld video shoots.
Prime lenses are known for their exceptional image quality because of their fixed focal length. However, being the best prime lens for Nikon D7000 requires more than that, and this lens is truly a worthy pick.
With a 20mm focal length for the Fx mount format, the new focal length for a Dx format translates to 30mm. This focal length comfortably marks this lens as one of the best wide-angle lenses for Nikon D7000, a good fit for filmmakers.
The f/1.8 aperture on this lens is wide enough to accommodate video shoots in poorly lit settings. In addition, this aperture offers more freedom with the depth of field as you can focus more on a subject in the background, creating the bokeh effect. You also enjoy a VR feature to stabilize videos during handheld shoots.
Like the first lens mentioned in this article, this lens also uses the SWM mechanism to drive focus while it uses a rear focusing system instead. Additionally, it replicates the first lens in magnification (0.24x) and MFD (45cm).
Other features include two ED elements, two aspherical elements, a nano-crystal coating, and a super integrated coating to help with optical aberrations.
Best Macro Lens - Nikon AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G
Highlights:
- Magnification of 1x coupled with an MFD of 16.3cm helps produce the perfect close-ups.
- An f/2.8 max aperture for isolating subjects and producing clear images in low-light settings.
- It uses a super-integrated coating for all the lens elements to help with issues of strong lighting.
While lenses carry the Macro (micro for Nikon lenses) tag, lenses are designed for this purpose. Designed to replicate an image in 1:1 magnification, the Nikon AF-S Dx Micro 40mm f/2.8G is a micro lens of a kind as it is designed for crop sensor cameras like the Nikon D7000. With a fixed aperture of 40mm, this near-standard prime lens is one of the best prime lenses for Nikon D7000.
This lens boasts a bright f/2.8 max aperture that helps achieve convenient videography in available lighting conditions. The max aperture makes subject isolation easier, a key ingredient in macro videography. Furthermore, the MFD of just 16.3 cm allows for the best close-up shots, thanks to a close-range correction system embedded in the optical design.
The focus mechanism is the Silent Wave Motor for fast and accurate focus. There is also a full-time manual override for when the need arises.
Unlike the other lenses in this list, this lens only has a super-integrated coating applied to all the lens elements to counter ghosting and flaring and help with color accuracy and contrast. Conditions are prevalent in settings with strong lighting.
Best Zoom Lens - Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 DI-II VC HL
Highlights:
- Impressive zoom range spanning wide-angle to super-telephoto.
- It comes with a VC feature to help compensate for the aperture and help with handheld shots in poor lighting scenarios.
- It uses three low-dispersion elements, two molded aspherical elements, and an hybrid aspherical element to help with optical challenges.
Our pick of the best zoom lens for Nikon D7000 is this third-party lens with a zoom range spanning from wide-angle to telephoto. On a full-frame sensor, this will be an equivalent of 27-600mm. Whopping. A lens with this kind of zoom range will cover virtually every videography area.
The impressive feature of this lens is the maximum aperture of f/3.5-6.3. Although it is not constant, it is quite wide for a zoom lens with this range. Meanwhile, there is a Vibration Compensation (VC) feature with 2.5-stops of anti-shake for situations where low shutter speeds and handheld shooting are employed to compensate for the max aperture. On the other hand, this lens uses an electromagnetic aperture control for increased shutter speeds.
There is no increase in the focal length of a full-frame lens when it’s attached to a crop sensor camera. Instead, we get an equivalent field of view compared to a full-frame sensor, which is usually the lens’s focal length multiplied by 1.5x or 1.6x.
The focus on this lens is driven by an HLD (High-Low torque modulated Drive) motor, a powerful mechanism that helps achieve fast and accurate focus. The MFD of just 45cm, alongside the magnification of 0.34x, makes for easy close-up shoots.
As for construction, this lens employs three low-dispersion elements, and three aspherical elements for image accuracy. Furthermore, the build on this lens has both the focus ring and zoom ring textured for easy handling. You also get a zoom lock to keep the extension in place during use.
Best Budget Pick - Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
Highlights:
- Bright f/1.8 max aperture allows for working in different light conditions and better control over image depth of field.
- Presence of an aspherical element and a super-integrated coating help with optical issues.
- An impressive MFD of 30cm couples with a magnification of 0.16x for good close-up shots.
Our list is not complete without picking an option available for every Nikon D7000 user. While this lens is relatively cost-friendly, it is still one of the best prime lenses for Nikon D7000. The 35mm fixed focal length translates into a field of view close to the 50mm standard prime for a full-frame lens.
With a max aperture of f/1.8, working with this lens in low-light conditions is easy. Also, you get more control over your video’s depth of field as you can easily isolate a subject from the background.
Like other lenses on this list, this lens also uses the SWM mechanism to drive its focus. Furthermore, the focusing design employed on this lens is a rear focusing system where only the rear elements move during focus. Close-ups are also quite good, with an MFD of 30cm and a magnification of 0.16x.
This prime lens construction includes an aspherical element and super-integrated coating applied to all lens elements to help with optical challenges during production.
How to Choose the Best Nikon D7000 Lenses
The Nikon D7000 camera is a crop-sensor DSLR camera, meaning its sensor is less than 35mm, which is the full-frame sensor size. Like most lens brands, Nikon lenses have designated lenses for their crop sensor cameras. These Nikon lenses usually carry the tag ‘Dx’ in their terminology. However, lenses with the Dx formats are not the only compatible lenses with the Nikon D7000.
Fx Format Lenses on Nikon Crop Sensor Cameras
People usually inquire about the compatibility of full-frame format lenses with crop sensor cameras and the effect on videos. Here are some answers for you.
Nikon full-frame format lenses are compatible with the Nikon D7000 camera as long as they have compatible lens mounts, which is the case for most Nikon lenses. In cases where the lens mounts are not compatible with the Nikon D7000 lens mount, adapters can be used to bridge the difference. However, there is a risk of partial or zero compatibility because adapters don’t work for every conflating lens mount scenario.
For people worried about the effect of Fx format lenses on their Nikon D7000, there is no need to worry because a lens in itself does not change how an image appears; it is the camera’s sensor that does.
The lens mount is the only difference between an Fx format lens for Nikon and a Dx format lens for Nikon. However, if you want a corresponding field of view irrespective of the Lens format you use, you will need to multiply or divide your focal length by the camera’s crop factor(1), which is 1.5x for the Nikon D7000. For example, a 35mm field of view on a Dx format lens is approximately equal to 52.5mm FOV on an Fx lens (35 X 1.5 = 52.5).
So, if you attach an Fx format lens to a crop sensor camera, you will get an equivalent focal length for a full-frame sensor camera. At this point, the FOV is virtually the same.
Also read: Best Nikon Lens for Video
Other Criteria for Choosing a Suitable Lens for Nikon D7000
Whether you want a Dx or Fx format lens for your Nikon D7000, here are some qualities to pay close attention to get the best deal.
- Focal length
The focal length of a lens is its base area of operation. The fundamental difference between a prime lens (fixed focal length) and a zoom lens (variable focal lengths) is the lens’s focal length. Most importantly, the focal length of a lens largely dictates what kind of videography can be done with the lens.
The focal length of a lens also dictates the lens’s FOV and how far it can capture a subject. Lenses are classified into wide-angle, standard, and telephoto using the distance covered and the field of view. These classifications also contribute to the best use cases of lenses.
The kind of videography you prefer to engage in will dictate the focal length of the lens you want. If you are not sure yet, you can start with our best standard prime lens for Nikon or our best zoom lens for Nikon D7000.
- Aperture
An aperture is an opening that allows light to get to the lens elements. Its significance is most noticeable in the image quality. The lens usually carries its max aperture value in its nomenclature (e.g. f/1.8). The smaller the number, the larger the max aperture opening.
Larger max apertures work better in different lighting scenarios, although this is alongside the shutter speed, a feature that is not present on the lens. Larger apertures are also better for changing the video’s depth of field. Larger aperture lenses can isolate subjects better.
Generally, prime lenses tend to have larger apertures than zoom lenses. Furthermore, a constant max aperture in a zoom lens is a plus in zoom lenses, as this is not usually the case.
- Focus
A lens’s focus is its ability to bring sharp images to the viewfinder. When creating videos, you need a lens with a fast and accurate focus and one in which the driving mechanism is silent. An extra feature to look out for is the Minimum Focusing Distance (MFD) which dictates how close you can get to your subject before losing focus. If you are into close-up videos and subject details, you need the Lens with the smallest MFD possible.
Also read: Best Lens for Nikon D3100
- Optical elements
Another important lens feature is a lens’s element composition. These lens elements are there to correct optical aberrations, which are unavoidable. For example, some wide-angle lenses for Nikon D7000 tend to vignette at the image edge.
These aberrations affect the videos produced and increase the work done during post-production. To tackle this issue from the source, lens makers like Nikon adopt special lens elements in their construction to reduce or eliminate these different aberrations. You can go through the reviews of any lens you want to check for the optical elements used in its construction.
F. A. Q
The best lens for Nikon D7000 is subjective, so we have the best lens for different categories. Nevertheless, our best overall lens is the Nikon Nikon AF-S FX Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED.
Yes. You can use full-frame lenses for the Nikon D7000 as long as the lens mount is compatible or if there is an adapter to bridge the difference in the mount.
Conclusion
That’s it, our best Nikon D7000 lens picks. While we acknowledge that the best lenses are subject to preference, if you need to make a Nikon D7000 lens choice and it is not on our list, you can simply follow our guidelines on picking a suitable lens for your kind of videography.
The best overall lens, Nikon AF-S Fx Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED, is still my preferred lens pick because of the fixed maximum aperture despite the impressive zoom range that allows for different types of videography. While the other lenses on this list are better optimized for their categories, this lens’s versatility simply gives it an advantage in comparison.
Which lens will you consider the best for the Nikon D7000? Is there a lens on our list you would like to replace? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
References:
- Todd V. (2015 August). Understanding Crop Factor. Retrieved from https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/understanding-crop-factor