Best Lenses for Nikon D500 in 2023

Best Lenses for Nikon D500 DSLR camera. Looking for recommended lenses for your Nikon D500? Here are the recommended Nikon D500 lenses.

The Nikon D500 (Amazon, B&H, Adorama) incorporates the same powerful 153-point AF system as the D5, ensuring precise subject acquisition even during high-speed continuous shooting at approx. 10 fps. It supports 4K UHD movies, meeting the demands of multimedia professionals, while the new EXPEED 5 image-processing engine enables it to deliver high-quality images and movies and realizes a wide sensitivity range from ISO 100 to 51200, expandable to Hi 5 (ISO 1640000 equivalent).

Below are the top recommended lenses for Nikon D500 DSLR camera. You can choose the one you need.

Best Lenses for Nikon D500 DSLR camera

Full List of Recommended Nikon D500 Lenses

All-in-one Lenses | Standard Prime Lenses | Portrait Lenses | Standard Zoom Lenses | Wide-angle Zoom Lenses | Telephoto Zoom Lenses | Super Telephoto Zoom | Macro Lenses

Best All-in-one Zoom Lenses for Nikon D500

Below are the popular all-in-one super zoom lenses for Nikon D500:

Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR: Outstanding all-in-one telephoto zoom that can capture all of them beautifully with a single lens! It’s the best answer if you want to pick only one lens for Nikon D500. Surprisingly compact and lightweight for a 16.7x zoom lens, the Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR draws great performance from Nikon DX-format DSLRs and is a highly versatile second lens. It can do just about anything—stills, videos, landscapes, interiors, portraits, wildlife…you can catch stunning close-ups of concert performers and athletes as easily as wide scenic shots. Its compact, balanced design and Vibration Reduction technology help keep photos sharp and videos steady, and the lens’ fast, quiet autofocus system minimizes camera noise during video recording. And it actually weighs less than the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II.

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II: The Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 is extremely popular and all-purpose lens for everything, thanks to a combination of great image quality and big zoom range (18mm enough for landscape, 200mm great for sports). The lens features excellent sharpness at tele and wide end and it is fully compatible with DX cameras. The biggest shortcoming of the 18-200mm VR II is that it doesn’t quite have the reach for certain types of telephoto photography. But for travel and use as all-in-one walk-around lens, Nikon 18-200mm is really a nice choice.

LensBuy Now
Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VRAmazon
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR IIAmazon

Best Standard Prime Lenses for Nikon D500

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art: Highly Recommended! Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art is a must have for any camera bag. This Sigma 35mm f/1.4 art lens gets 89% overall score and Gold Award from the experts at DPReview: “The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM is a truly excellent lens, that performs as well in the field as its superb lab test results suggest. With fast silent focusing and solid build, its lower price makes it a compelling alternative to the camera manufacturers’ equivalents if you don’t need weather-sealing.”

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G: With a compact, lightweight design, the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G provides the high reproduction capability and picture quality at an affordable price. With an f/1.8 maximum aperture it is useful in low-light conditions and it has one aspherical element to help control distortion and aberrations. A perfect lens for low-light conditions, travel, environmental portrait, street and general photography.

LensBuy Now
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ArtAmazon
Nikon 35mm f/1.8GAmazon

Best Portrait Lenses for Nikon D500

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ArtHighly Recommended! An ultimate portrait lens that offers attractive booked effect and precise focus is possible to achieve to focus on the pupils of subjects eyes while blurring the eyelashes. This Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art lens achieved an impressive 93% overall score and Gold Award from the experts at DPReview. Ideal for professional photographers and discerning photography enthusiasts for portrait photography, low-light photography, night photography, landscape photography, photojournalism, events, and wedding photography.

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art: Excellent Lens! With a large 1.4 aperture, the Sigma 50mm 1.4 prime lens is a pro level performer for shooting everything including portrait photography, landscape photography, studio photography and street photography. Super sharp!

Nikon 50mm f/1.4G: Excellent lens for portrait shooters. An ideal portrait lens when used on a Nikon DX-format digital SLR. And it also a perfect lens for travel, event, environmental and general photography in a wide variety of conditions, with superb optical formula and an ultra-fast f/1.4 maximum aperture.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8G: High image quality and a good investment for DX and FX, razor-sharp, perfectly compact and a beautiful bokeh to boot. The AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G features Nikon’s Internal Focus (IF) system providing fast and quiet AF and produces sharp and clear images at all apertures. Its fast maximum aperture is ideal for taking stills or D-Movie HD videos under ideal lighting, in low light, head and shoulder portraiture, weddings or concerts.

LensBuy Now
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ArtAmazon
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM ArtAmazon
Nikon 50mm f/1.4GAmazon
Nikon 85mm f/1.8GAmazon

Best Standard Zoom Lenses for Nikon D500

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR: Highly recommended! This lens’ versatility and image quality has made it an essential workhorse lens for every type of shooter. The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR improves upon nearly every aspect of its acclaimed predecessor sharpness, speed, consistency, control and durability plus Vibration Reduction image stabilization technology and the results are stunning. From studio work to field assignments, environmental to events, stills to HD video, when chasing the decisive moment, you’ll always know which lens to grab.

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED: Excellent lens! The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED is one of the most popular lenses in Nikon’s FX lineup, and it is very sharp across its zoom range. The f/2.8 maximum aperture is effective in low light and creates a shallow depth of field with pleasing out-of-focus highlights enhanced by a rounded 9-blade diaphragm. Versatile wide-angle to short telephoto perspectives and a wide maximum aperture, effective in low light, make this lens a popular workhorse for working professionals, enthusiasts and day-to-day shooters.

Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD: Excellent lens! A high quality, highly functional, high speed standard zoom lens covering the 24-70mm focal range. Tamron has minimized all types of chromatic aberration in the SP 24-70mm, making it a lens at the top of its class. The SP 24-70mm F/2.8 aperture enables a balance between brilliant resolution and beautiful soft blur effects. This ideal lens makes full use of Tamron’s rounded diaphragm and the uncontrived, artistic blur that it provides. It is also Tamron’s first lens to feature our new moisture-resistant construction. Portraits, Landscapes, Studio Shoots, this is the lens for them all.

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM: Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM large-aperture standard zoom lens covers a 17-50mm focal length (equivalent 26-75mm) and offers a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, making it ideal for many types of photography such as press, events, weddings, portraits, and general use (especially portraiture and landscapes). The OS, Sigma’s anti shake feature offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. HSM provides fast and quiet AF. The Super Multi-Layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens boasts superior peripheral brightness and provides sharp, high contrast images even at the maximum apertures. If you need to be ready for any photographic opportunity, even low light, then this Sigma lens is perfect. Compact and light weight, it’s a necessary addition to your camera bag.

LensBuy Now
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VRAmazon
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G EDAmazon
Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USDAmazon
Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSMAmazon
Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DI-II LDAmazon
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSMAmazon

Best Wide-angle Zoom Lenses for Nikon D500

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art: Highly recommended! The first lens to buy for Nikon D500. The Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 DC HSM Art lens is a new benchmark in photographic history and a must have for every camera bag, it is the first wide-angle to standard zoom lens to achieve a large aperture of 1.8. Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens is chosen as the best wide-angle zoom lens for Nikon D500 by DxOMark. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art is ideal for landscapes, portraits, still life, snap shots, casual, and close-ups and the Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures smooth, fast and accurate autofocusing.

Tokina 14-20mm f/2.0 AT-X Pro DX: Excellent lens! This is the fastest lens ever made by Tokina. And it is extremely sharp! The fast F/2.0 aperture lens offers an equivalent 21-30mm zoom range. The super-bright, constant F/2.0 aperture makes viewing, auto focus and shooting possible in very low light situations while still maintaining reasonable size and weight.

Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 ATX Pro DX II: Really great Lens! This compact Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 PRO DX II ultra wide-angle zoom has a bright constant F2.8 aperture make viewing and auto focus possible in lower light situations but still maintaining a reasonable size and weight. Its angle of view ranges from 104-84° and it can focus as close as 11.8″. An internal silent focusing motor allows the lens to use autofocus on Nikon bodies that do not have an AF drive gear and motor. Fast f/2.8 constant maximum aperture is a clear advantage for low light shooting over slower models and yet possess very good sharpness levels.

Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED: Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G is Nikon’s best DX format wide-angle lens—it’s wider and sharper than any other comparable lens and excellent for landscape photography and architecture. The lens images are sharp and it captures excellent color and contrast. And the lens zoom range is equivalent to 15-36mm on a 35mm camera and covers virtually all of the useful focal lengths from ultra-wide to a normal field of view. Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED DX offers close focusing to 0.8 feet and Internal Focus (IF) with Nikon SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for fast and pin-point focusing.

LensBuy Now
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM ArtAmazon
Tokina 14-20mm f/2.0 AT-X Pro DXAmazon
Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 ATX Pro DX IIAmazon
Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G EDAmazon

Best Telephoto Zoom lenses for Nikon D500

Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD: Highly recommended! High-speed standard to telephoto zoom lens with a fast f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range. The most compact full-size, high-speed telephoto zoom lens with VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization and USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) in its class, Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 offers superior image quality accentuated by advanced Vibration Compensation (image stabilization) and an Ultrasonic Silent Drive Motor for quiet, smooth and precise autofocus. It is most used by customers who consider themselves to be a Semi-pro photographer among others. The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 DI USD is popular because of its Consistent output, Durable, Fast / accurate auto-focus, Nice bokeh, Rugged and Strong construction.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II: Highly recommended! Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II is a sharp, versatile, and durable telephoto zoom lens with a fast constant maximum aperture, useful in lowlight situations. A workhorse of a lens used by professionals and amateurs alike it is ideal for photojournalism, sports, and wildlife photography and is effective for almost all telephoto applications, including portraiture. Fast autofocus, superior sharpness and color correction.

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF VRExcellent lens with affordable price. Best value! For those people who aren not telephoto specialists, this Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF VR lens is a great choice. Ideal for wildlife, travel, well-lit sports and general photography. It offers a 4.3x zoom with a focal length range of 70-300mm and a 35mm equivalency of 105-450mm when used on DX-format DSLRs.

LensBuy Now
Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USDAmazon
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR IIAmazon
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF VRAmazon
Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VRAmazon

Best Super Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Nikon D500

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports: The Best Value Telephoto Zoom Lens! High action-capture performance and Dust and splash-proof construction. Designed and executed for the most demanding types of photography, the Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 DG HSM OS Sports lens is the new standard for telephoto zooms. Boasting 2 FLD glass elements (performance equal to fluorite) and 3 SLD glass elements, the new Sigma 150-600mm Sport produces incredibly sharp images through the entire zoom range. An updated optical stabilizer (OS) features an accelerometer for improved panning photography both horizontally and vertically, essential for birding, wildlife and motorsports photography.

Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR: Lightweight, compact super telephoto zoom! The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR is an exhilarating lens option, giving enthusiast FX and DX-format photographers the ability to go further with amazing zoom power and tack-sharp clarity. This compact super-telephoto zoom is ideal for bringing distant subjects closer, including birds, sports, wildlife and motorsports.

Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2: Great Lens! The SP 150-600mm G2 (Generation 2) ultra-telephoto lens with upgraded optical performance enables handheld shooting with remarkable definition: better overall optical performance and faster AF speed, VC enhancements, plus Euori1e Coal, FLEX ZOOM LOCK and tele converter. AF speed is significantly improved from current model, and it enables accurate high-speed focus even when capturing moving subjects.

Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR: The ultimate medium to super-telephoto zoom lens! If you’re looking for a compact, versatile telephoto zoom lens that handles portraiture as well as it handles long-distance wildlife and action photography, look no further than the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR. With the broadest focal length range in our super-telephoto zoom line-up, it reduces the number of lenses you need to carry into the field; and expands your handheld shooting capabilities, thanks to Nikon’s Vibration Reduction (VR) technology. Create spectacular photos and HD videos in nearly any light, from nearly any distance.

LensBuy Now
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM SportsAmazon
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2Amazon
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USDAmazon
Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VRAmazon
Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR IIAmazon
Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VRAmazon
Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VRAmazon

Best Macro Lenses for Nikon D500

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Macro: Incredible lens! “Very sharp, auto focuses quickly and quietly, and shows very little noticeable chromatic aberration, much less any distortion at typical apertures”. Offering a life-size maximum magnification ratio of 1:1, this lens benefits working with small and nearby subjects and employs a Floating System for maintained image quality throughout the 11.8″ to infinity focusing range. As an update to the classic 90mm macro, this enhanced version is well-suited to the high-resolution crop of DSLRs and blends timeless appeal and functionality with current imaging performance.

Nikon 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR Micro: Amazing Macro Lens! This medium telephoto Micro lens is ideal for extreme close-up and portrait work with greater working distances and AF from infinity to life-size (1:1). Any camera movement at this magnification is also amplified, so image stabilization is critical. This Nikon 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR is the world’s first macro lens featuring Nikon’s exclusive Silent Wave Motor (SWM) and Vibration Reduction (VR) designed for close-up and macro photography; versatile for all photographic situations. The VR system offers a three shutter speed stop equivalence enabling the use of slower shutter speeds while still maintaining image sharpness, even in low light. When used on cameras with an APS-C size sensor, the equivalent focal length is 157.5mm.

Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro: Excellent Macro Lens! It is a super compact and lightweight large aperture telephoto lens, with life-size (1:1) macro capability. This highly optimized lens has an ideal focal length and is equipped with Sigma technology including an Optical Stabilizer (OS), Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) and Super Multi-Layer Coating. The HSM ensures accurate, quiet, high speed autofocusing while the OS compensates for camera shake. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting. The 150mm F2.8 macro focuses down to 1:1 magnification ratio at its closest working distance of 15 inches. The focal length for this lens can be increased due to its compatibility with Sigma APO Tele Converters.

Nikon 40mm f/2.8G Micro: Budget option! Ideal for shooting general close-ups, delicate flowers, detailed collectables, copy photography, portraits, landscapes and more. This Nikon 40mm f/2.8G will allow users to get true 1:1 magnification for extremely close-up imaging. Small enough to be carried everywhere, this standard focal length DX-format Micro-NIKKOR lens provides high resolution and contrast from infinity to life-size (1X).

LensBuy Now
Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD MacroAmazon
Nikon 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR MicroAmazon
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO MacroAmazon
Nikon 40mm f/2.8G MicroAmazon