Looking for good Nikon D5000 lenses? Read this.

Nikon D5000 owners will enjoy its award-winning performance and features. This is an excellent camera and I was surprised by the awesome quality it delivered when I first tried it. Really impressive for a camera pitched at enthusiasts.





What is the best lens for the Nikon D5000?





You won't get to exploit your camera's capabilities unless you use a proper lens. But finding information on lenses can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to using a DSLR.





Where to start?.





We'll get to some lens options in a second, but first let's talk about DX lenses.





The D5000 has a "DX" sensor, which in Nikon speak means that it is smaller than a traditional 35mm film frame. Why does this matter?





Lenses with "DX" in the their name have been designed and optimised specifically for the smaller, DX sensor.





Non-DX (standard) lens types are built for 35mm cameras. It is still possible to attach them to the Nikon D5000, but since they were built for a larger sensor, the outer edges of the photo will automatically be cropped away. This means that you won’t get as wide an angle as the lens was designed for, but on the plus side you effectively can zoom in closer. It's common to use 1.5 to calculate the crop factor, so so if you have an 18-55 mm FX lens, it will "act" like a 27mm-80mm lens when fixed to a DX-sensor camera.





Which manufacturer?





Nikon’s own lenses are called "Nikkor". Unless you’re on a tight budget, you should use them. Yes, there are pretty decent cheaper alternatives made by other manufacturers, but they don’t beat the quality you’ll get from a Nikkor lens.





The D5000 has been optimised of "AF-S" and "AF-I" type Nikkor lenses. Don't get intimidated by the technicalities - simply make sure you see "AF-S" or "AF-I" in the name of the lens.





My D5000 lens list





Selecting the best lens for the Nikon D5000 really depends on the kind of photographs you like to take, so here is a list of options tailored to different kinds of photography





A. Travel & Street Photos:





The key here is to have a versatile lens. Speed is of the essence, since you won’t have a lot of time to fiddle with the camera to change lenses, so you're looking for a lens with a nice zoom:





AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR - conventional wisdom says that "kit" lenses sold with the camera body aren't necessarily the best, but this D5000 kit lens is surprisingly decent. It also comes with Nikon's VR technology which automatically reduces the effects of camera shake





AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II - you won't get many better lenses than this when it comes to travel photography. It has an incredible zoom range that will eliminate the need for changing lenses when you're doing street photography. As with any zoom lens, the quality when shooting extremely wide or extremely close will never compare to that delivered by a fixed, prime lens, but everything has a price, and in this case it's the price you pay for being able to use just the one lens and carry around very little gear. And never discount the value of reducing the volume and weight of gear you carry when travelling: You'll suffer from fewer back aches and pains, but you will also be less noticeable and able to take better candid photos if you’re not carrying around a giant bag with loads of lenses and gear.





B. Portraits:





AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G - the wide aperture makes it possible to take beautiful portraits with a shallow depth of field using natural light. And since it's a prime lens the quality is second to none.





C. Landscapes and cityscapes:





AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED - For expansive city scenes and landscapes you need a decent wide angle lens. This one delivers.





D. Sports & Wildlife:





AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR - use this lens in situations where it is important to get in close without disturbing your subject. The 300mm maximum zoom with the build-in VR capabilities means you’ll get detailed, sharp photos.





These are not the only lenses compatible with the D5000, but I feel they're the most suitable given the physical dimensions and price of the camera. You can always upgrade later as your photography develops.





Read about the top 10 digital cameras and learn more, including how to use your camera's night photography settings at top10digitalcamerashq.com