Best Nikon D3400 Lenses

With the wide range of available lens options for a Nikon D3400, that all have their specific advantages and drawbacks, it can be quite a challenge to identify what lens is the best for you and your Nikon D3400. One thing that could help is first to determine if you want the ability to zoom-in on your subject. It will really depend on how far your subject is from where you’re standing because a fixed prime lens may not have the zoom that you’d need and want from a zoom lens. This is why it may be easier to consider buying a zoom lens that has a wide enough angle for tight spaces and can zoom to meet other situations. The second important thing to keep in mind when buying a new Nikon D3400 lens is the aperture size. If you want to have low-light photography capability then you will need to look for lenses that have a low number next to “maximum aperture”. The lower a number is for the lens aperture means that the lens is able to take in more light, this is why you would want a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 or less for astrophotography. Lastly, a thing to consider is quality of construction when compared to the price. It can be tempting to buy the cheapest out of a set of low, medium, and high priced lenses, but it could be in your best interests to buy the middle, or highest priced lens. Lens features and qualities scale with the price and if you’re looking for the highest quality images possible, then some of these lenses are for you. I’ve prepared a list of some budget lenses, all-around-go-to lenses, and some interesting lenses that can expand what you though was capable in photography. Also, check out our article on The Best Point and Shoot Cameras under $150 in 2019.

Best Fixed Lenses for Portraits, Headshots, and More

​Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Large Aperture of f/1.4, with Smallest Setting of f/16

  • Ultrasonic-type Auto Focus Motor with full-time manual focus

  • Quality Natural Background Blur (Bokeh)

  • Extremely Lightweight

  • No zoom capabilities
  • Pricey at Over $300

Specifications

This 50mm f/1.4G lens with Auto Focus capability is the perfect choice for simple portrait-style photography. The fixed prime lens is capable of creating stunning shots from short distances and features possible low light photography with its large aperture of f/1.4, natural background blur with wider aperture settings, and is extremely lightweight at only 0.64lb. The lens features several qualities such as a manual and auto focus mode toggle, aspherical lens, super integrated coating, and silent wave motor that operates a quiet autofocusing mechanism. Tack-sharp portrait photography is another quality with this lens due to its Super Integrated Coating, which is Nikon’s term for multilayer coating within the optical elements of the lens. The Super Integrated Coating enhances light transmission, provides for a more accurate color consistency, and reduces glare while the aspherical lens element eliminates the possibility of aberrations at even the widest apertures.

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens with Auto Focus 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • 5-Year Warranty
  • Medium Low Price-Point
  • Low-Light Photography Ability
  • Extremely Compact & Lightweight at 7 Ounces
  • Wide-Angle Only
  • No Zoom
  • Fixed Aperture

Specifications

A wonderful wide-angle lens that can provide low-light photography at an affordable price, the Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G lens with Auto Focus is a fit for every starting photographer. This lens isn’t even noticeable when worn with its 7 oz. and less than 3 inch product profile, which is why it is ideal for outdoor photography in the city. The background blur ability of this lens can create stunning images while on its widest aperture setting and can do so even on a cloudy day. Be sure to combine the best that the 35mm f/1.8G lens has to offer and use it within a low-light area and on its widest aperture. This lens has a wide range of other features like the usual Super Integrated Coating that reduces glare, Silent Wave Motor for fast and silent autofocus, and close focusing of up to 1 foot that can prevent focusing issues when a subject is too close, can’t be focused onto because the subject is within the minimum focus distance, and creates a blurry photo. Apart from most lenses, this one comes with a 5-year warranty, 1-year international with a 4-year extension in the USA, a bayonet lens hood, and front & rear lens caps.

​Nikon AF FX NIKKOR​​ 50mm f/1.8D Lens

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Low Light Photography with Large Aperture of f/18

  • Quality Natural Background Blur (Bokeh)

  • Extremely Lightweight

  • Screw Drive Focus from Camera
  • Lesser Quality for Savings on Price

Specifications

A 50mm lens that is a steal for the price in quality low light photography and tack-sharp portrait shooting ability is the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D lens. At just under $150 the lens is a great price for a photographer on a budget who is mainly looking to shoot portrait photos. Create a more natural-looking perspective with this lens and utilize the ability it has to provide a complete background blur to your chosen photograph subject on a wide aperture setting. I have personally used this lens to capture several photos that were taken when the sun was setting and they turned out phenomenally.  The lens was able to capture the detail from the sunlight’s last few rays of sunshine that, at the time, were beautiful shades of orange and red and cast a wonderful glow onto my model. The 50mm lens is able to capture in low-light as well, with its very quick f/1.8 aperture, it can still make the best out of a cloudy or even rainy day.

Best Zoom Lenses for General Wildlife Photography

Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Wide Angle to Zoom Lens

  • Compact Design

  • High Quality Construction

  • Expensive

Specifications

With this high-quality 28-300mm Nikon lens, you name it, you got it. The 28mm wide-angle option in the zoom lens gives the opportunity to include more of the background with your subject, while the higher ranges, up to 300mm, can provide quality photographs from a long distance away. This lens definitely would not be for the photographer who doesn’t frequently shoot in tight spaces and across medium to long-range distances. With that being said, the photographer who does shoot this style often should also be comfortable with a backpack or some sort of camera bag.

​Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus  

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Covers a Range of Distances with Zoom
  • Vibration Reduction
  • Auto Focus
  • Bulky for Storage

  • Longer profile makes camera front heavy

  • Limited Aperture Range

Specifications

You will not find a better Nikon combination lens with these features at a price like this. This lens can provide complete coverage in short ranges as well as medium to long ranges. The zoom capability with this lens can make for great shots from a distance with its built in Vibration Reduction and Auto Focus. One of the best arguments as to why this lens is in the first of the options to choose from is because it comes with the complete Nikon wheelhouse of Vibration Reduction, Silent Wave Motor, Extra-low Dispersion glass for reduced sun glare and chromatic aberrations, and a High Refractive Index quality to the lens that provides a higher optical performance while still in a compact size.

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus  

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Wide-Angle Lens

  • Super-Telephoto Lens

  • Mid-Range Cost, Still Pricey

  • Lacks Low Light Photography Capabilities

Specifications

Go even wider with the 18mm option on this 18mm to 300mm f/3.5-6.3G lens from Nikon with Extra-low Dispersion glass Vibration Reduction, Image Stabilization, and Auto Focus. This lens, with all of its inclusive features, is optimized to provide a quality result and experience with video and photo captures. Extra-low Dispersion glass provides a reduced glare experience from sunlight in captures and can sometimes completely eliminate it. Image Stabilization on this lens provides up to 4.0 stops from shaking and will create a great image that is free from the minor amount of blur that could have occurred due to the internal stabilization software and its preventative measures.

Nikon Nikkor 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5 (Push-Pull) Manual Focus lens 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Very Affordable
  • Wide-Angle & Zoom Lens

  • No Auto Focus
  • Push-Pull Focus

Specifications

The maximum budget saver lens for photography will usually be a lens that doesn’t even have auto focus built into it. This lens requires manual “push-pull” focus on the body of the lens itself to focus on the subject. At a price of $59.99 for a 35mm-135mm zoom lens, you can’t go wrong. The aperture on this lens can even provide for low-light photography, while still having the ability to zoom in on something that is located not too far away in the distance. I would describe this lens as “the complete package” for the beginner photographer because of its price, nice zoom capability with 35-135mm, and wide angle ability. This lens can be a saving grace for the photographer who has issues working with the minimum focus distance on a 50mm lens and needs that extra bit of space to work with.

Best Lenses for Long-Range Wildlife Photography

Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • High-Quality Lens Glass & Construction
  • Super-Telephoto Lens
  • 4.5 Points of Vibration Reduction
  • Expensive
  • Medium-Range to Long-Range Only
  • Bulky at 5.07lbs

Specifications

This long-range titan that can get up to 500mm away with won’t disappoint you with its Vibration Reduction and Extra-low Dispersion glass. The Nikon 200-500mm lens comes with an enhanced Vibration Reduction that can counteract 4.5 stops of camera shake and its Extra-low Dispersion glass reduces, and sometimes even eliminates, glare from the sun. These specifications make this the ideal lens to photograph small wildlife like birds, frogs, and more. Additionally, this lens comes with a front & rear lens cap, bayonet hood, semi-soft case, and a warranty card.

Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sports DG OS HSM Lens 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Super-Telephoto Lens
  • High-Quality Lens Glass & Construction
  • 4.5 Points of Vibration Reduction
  • Very Expensive
  • Extremely Bulky at 6.31lbs
  • Long-Range Only

Specifications

This lens is a commander within the world of sports, nature, and wildlife photography. The versatility of the 150-600mm zoom locks this lens in as the way to go when your subject is at an incredible amount of feet away from you. Certain subjects, like wildlife, can’t be approached even remotely without startling them and forever losing the shot. Not with the Sigma 150-600mm, because the Sigma lens allows you to position extremely far away and with an ultrasonic focus type, there’s nothing to prevent you from getting the shot. This model of Sigma lens also comes with the company’s updated technology on accelerometers and features the latest it has to offer with improved panning capabilities in both horizontal and vertical directions. A water repellant feature in the form of an oil coating that repels water is on the front and rear elements of this lens as well.

Best Lenses for Astrophotography & Extreme Low-light Photography 

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Extreme High-Quality Lens Glass & Construction
  • Astrophotography Capabilities
  • Low-Light Photography
  • Very Expensive
  • Front Heavy at 2.14lbs
  • Wide-Angle Only

Specifications

Step into the world of astrophotography with this 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens from Nikon. This lens will dazzle you with its low-light abilities and how it can capture things such as star trails, the Milky Way, and other specific aspects of astrophotography. The fast aperture, high-performance nature, and crazy ultra-wide-angle zoom on this lens will beat any wide-angle lens that is in your kit on any night of the week. On top of its high-quality construction and fast aperture, the glass on this Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 lens has, not one, but two Extra-low Dispersion elements and an aspherical lens control that eliminates aberrations. Astrophotographers rave about this lens and its ability to photograph the night sky in a way that you couldn’t believe was possible. If you don’t believe me, then you should check the Amazon reviews for the lens that were written by those who used the lens successfully for astrophotography.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus 

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • High-Quality Lens Glass & Construction
  • Lightweight
  • Expensive
  • Wide-Angle Only

Specifications

A safe bet for quality build and price is the Nikon 16-35mm f/4G lens with Vibration Reduction, zoom capabilities, and auto focus. This lens is one of the few lenses that have two Extra-low Dispersion elements to reduce glare from the sun and reduce chromatic aberration, 3 aspherical lens elements to eliminate coma and more aberration types, and one of the well-known Silent Wave Motors from Nikon that are completely silent and allow for quick and silent autofocus.

Best Macro Photography Lens 

Nikon AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G Close-up Lens  

Rating

Pros

CONS

  • Macro Photography Ability
  • Lightweight
  • Mid-range Expensive
  • Macro Photography-Focused

Specifications

A macro lens that has the support of customers based on previous reviews, produces a quality image, and priced effectively is the Nikon AF-S DX Micro 40mm F/2.8G lens. This lens can unlock the ability to look deeper into a world that you cannot see with the naked human eye. With this you will be able to see and capture the legs on fly, invasive aphids on a house plant, and the absolutely incredible and intricate amount of detail on a human fingerprint. At only 0.52lbs this lightweight gem of a lens can capture all the detail that you’re looking for from a macro lens. This lens has a Silent Wave Motor system, a maximum reproduction ratio of 1.0x, and a Close-Range Correction System.

Any lens that you go with will not be one that you can’t produce quality images with. As with anything in photography, when you take the time to learn, understand, and work with what you have, you can accomplish any goal that you set out to achieve. Don’t be persuaded against any of the expensive prices to the lenses and let that put you away from photography. The price of a lens has nothing to do with the quality of the photographer and a photographer with the most expensive equipment can produce low-quality work without the knowledge and knowhow to create a well-liked image.

I hope this article provided an easier way to navigate the wide variety of options and different natures of lenses that are out there for a Nikon D3400. Theses lenses are the best and quality Nikon D34000 lenses within their subgenre of photography. If you need more information on the lenses, don’t hesitate to read the numerous Amazon reviews by photographers who purchased the lenses as they sometimes provide photo examples from the exact lens that you are looking at. There’s nothing better than seeing an example from the very same lens, and from the mouth of a customer who is a fellow photographer that looks to get the same result as you – photos that are high-quality, catch everyone’s eye, and appeal to the inner-self.

As always, thank you for supporting Flutter Lens and happy shooting!