Best of the Best

You’ve picked your Nikon DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera or your Fuji Finepix DSLR digital camera and you would like to know the best lens or lenses to accompany your purchase. Let me start by saying it’s not if you are going to purchase another digital camera, its when. Digital cameras will last about 3-5 years, but your lenses can last 15-20 years or more as long as you take care of them. Furthermore, your lenses are your most important investment in your photography business or hobby. I like to think of camera lenses like speakers for a stereo system. It always pays to get great quality speakers, as they will allow your stereo to sound better. And when you have great quality lenses for your DSLR, your photographs will be sharper and more impressive.

Nikon manufactures each lens listed in the Best of the Best category. They call their lenses Nikkor lenses; so don’t be concerned if the lenses don’t say Nikon specifically. I arranged the lenses as the top five you would want to have if you were a professional or an aspiring amateur wanting the best equipment. There is a tie for the Best of the Best Lenses. The Nikkor AF-S Zoom 17-35mm f/2.8 IF-ED is going to be one of your most widely used wide-angle zoom lenses for events and for scenery. It is a super-fast lens (i.e. the low number aperture) has Nikon’s silent motor providing silent auto focus operation. In fact, you always want to get the fastest lens (i.e. the lower number aperture) you can afford. The best is when your aperture is the same low number throughout the range of operation. This makes a huge difference in low light situations, which is where you often make the best photographs.

The Nikkor AF-S Zoom 70-200mm f/2.8 VR IF-ED is the lens that ties with the Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8. This is a great zoom lens for events taking place further away such as those on a stage or when you are in the audience and away from the action. The addition of the VR (vibration reduction) minimizes the effects of camera shake, allowing handheld shooting at up to three shutter speeds slower than what otherwise would be possible. This allows for a higher percentage of sharper images (without noticeable blurriness). However, you still need to hold the camera steady in low light situations with either a monopod or better yet, a tripod. A few lenses in the Best of the Best category have Internal Focusing (IF) design. When a lens has the IF designation, it allows for faster and smoother auto focusing. It also eliminates barrel length distortion so you will have consistent handling. The 70-200mm lens offers a natural viewfinder image even during VR operation and also detects automatically when the photographer pans. The ED designation on a lens means Extra-low Dispersion glass elements for superior sharpness and color correction.

You will notice I have not recommended any Nikkor DX (digital-only) lenses for the Best of the Best category. While these lenses are lighter than the ones listed, they do not work in Nikon film cameras and in my opinion, Nikon is moving away from digital only lenses with the introduction of its first full frame sensor digital camera the D3. Plus, in extreme conditions, you will want the flexibility of using a film camera and any one of these lenses will work very well. Remember when you use any Nikon DSLR or Fuji DSLR that accepts Nikkor lenses, you will be faced with a lens multiplication factor of 1.5x (except on the Nikon D3). Therefore, the Nikkor 60mm Micro lens for close up work will become a 90mm lens. Also, never ever purchase a kit lens as these are not made well and are never a good investment.