Best Lenses for Nikon D3200

These are our best lenses for Nikon D3200. They’re perfect for both complete amateur and more advanced photographers, and they all have great image quality to make your shots look more professional.

We’ve made to sure to include lenses for the Nikon D3200 that cover most common types of photography; wide angle, standard and telephoto lenses, as well as a macro lens if you’re into portrait, product or animal photography.

All of these lenses will auto focus with the Nikon D3200. Since the D3200 doesn’t have an AF motor built in, you need to make sure the lens you’re buying has one. As mentioned previously, everything in this guide works flawlessly.

Nikon D3200 Prime lenses we covered:

• Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S
• Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro

Nikon D3200 Zoom lenses we covered:

• Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR
• Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX II
• Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S

You automatically support us if you order anything through our Amazon links, and we highly recommend them because of their low prices, fast delivery and top support, especially when it comes to camera equipment.

Best Prime Lenses for Nikon D3200

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX

The Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX is small, optically great and also the most affordable Nikon lens out there. Which makes it a great pairing for your Nikon D3200 camera.

Because of its large f/1.8 aperture, the lens gathers a lot of light and is perfect for low light situations (parties, clubs, night photography etc.). This means you will get less blurred shots and more high quality images when shooting in dark places.

Another reason why f/1.8 is so good is because it allows you to completely blur the background, making your subject stand out (called shallow depth of field). It’s the easiest and quickest way to make your shots look professional.

Who is this lens good for? Wedding, portrait, casual, low light, indoor photographers. The focal length is actually perfect for almost everything except for wildlife, and combined with the f/1.8 the quality of your shots will look absolutely stunning.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S

Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S replaces the old, but best selling 50mm f/1.8D that couldn’t auto focus on bodies like the D3200 that have no AF motor. This new version however, works perfectly and will also auto focus on it without any issues.

Quality wise, it’s just like the 35mm above, and also features the same aperture size. Due to a slightly longer focal length, its bokeh (background blur) looks more pleasing and makes it more appropriate if you’re really into portraits or like having a shallow depth of field on your images.

It’s slightly heavier and bigger, takes 58mm filters but is still extremely compact! Perfect if you travel and want 1, high quality prime lens.

Who is this lens good for? Everyone, from extreme low light, clubs, street photography, to portraits and weddings, sports, animals, products etc. Think of it as a slightly longer brother of the 35mm.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

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

Since the introduction of Nikon 40mm f/2.8G AF-S Micro, macro photography got a lot cheaper (Nikon calls their macro lenses ‘micro’).

The 40mm focal length is great for product, bug, portrait and even casual photography. True macro lenses have a 1:1 ratio (also known as 1x magnification), meaning they don’t really zoom in your subject or any other marketing crap like that, it’s the glass elements inside them that actually make the subject appear as big as it is in real life.

It’s designed for DX cameras which the D3200 is, so AF and image quality are top notch. Focusing is quick and precise, which is a must if you’re photographing moving subjects, and the lens has a closest focusing distance of 6.4 inches.

Who is this lens for? Anyone who wants an affordable, high quality macro lens.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Best Zoom Lenses for Nikon D3200

Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR

The Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S is your best choice if you want to photograph animals or sports on a tight budget. Paired with the 18-55mm kit lens, you’re covered on wide, standard and telephoto ranges, so there’s almost nothing you won’t be able to capture.

It’s light and compact, has a plastic mount (like all low priced lenses) and feels solid but not like more expensive lenses. For $150 though, this is all expected and the image quality is really good, along with AF speed and overall performance.

Who is this lens for? Anyone who wants a lot more zoom than what the 18-55mm offers. Outdoor activities, sports, animals, planes, as long as you’re not indoor (where raising the ISO speed is a must).

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S

The all-around Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR is a much more versatile and higher quality lens than the 18-55mm kit lens.

Almost 100mm more zoom means you’re not only ready for wide and standard photography, but also for telephoto, making this lens perfect for general photography and traveling as well.

Image quality, colors and contrast are all great and improved compared to the 18-300mm (more zoom usually results in worse quality), but you are missing 160mm on the telephoto end.  If that’s important to you, and you’re willing to pay $200 more, check out the Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR AF-S here.

Who is this lens for?  Like using one lens for everything but feel like the 18-55mm doesn’t cover enough?

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX II

Tokina may not be the most famous third-party lens company, but their Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II is cheaper than anything around this focal length (let alone such a big aperture) and offers same, or even better image quality than competition!

Like the rest of their lenses, this one is built like a tank and feels solid in hand. Aperture f/2.8 makes it easy to photograph in low light, clubs/indoors without raising your ISO too high.

Nikon doesn’t have a wideangle lens at this price, let alone an f/2.8 wideangle zoom. The Tokina 11-16mm also focuses and works perfectly on the Nikon D3200.

Who is this lens for? Landscape, sky/night, indoor, club photographers. Get it only if you know you need the f/2.8 aperture for low light, since you’re mostly paying for that.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

6 More Recommended Lenses for Nikon D3200

In case you’re willing to spend more to get even better quality/focus, check out our top 6 lenses below, from wide to extreme telephoto. All of these lenses work perfectly on the Nikon D3200 so you’re ready to shoot from the moment you mount them on your camera.

Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S – Same image quality and sharpness as the f/1.8 above, but slightly bigger aperture, so get the f/1.4 if you often shoot in low light conditions and don’t like using high ISO speeds.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G AF-S – If you’re into concert, wedding or portrait photography, or just love beautiful bokeh and razor sharp images, get yourself this lens!

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR – Better than the 18-300mm and 55-200mm, faster auto focus and better build quality.

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM – It’s like 3 wide angle lenses in one. Sharp, big f/1.8 aperture and less than $1,000, perfect for low light, street and general photography.