Nikon sells many different camera lenses.
A wide variety of criteria can be used to compare Nikon lenses. Not all lenses are intended to be used for general purpose photography; instead, many of them have specific purposes. When you compare lenses, keep in mind the purposes for which you'll use the lenses. Note that true Nikon lenses are sold under the Nikkor brand name.
Focal Length
Listed in millimeters, focal length determines the amount of zoom, or how wide or narrow an angle of view, that a camera can capture. Nikon wide-angle lenses range between 10 and 35 mm, and super telephoto lenses range between 300 and 600 mm.
Fixed or Zoom Lenses
Most fixed focal-length lenses are intended for a specific purpose, such as portrait photography. Zoom lenses are better for general purpose photography, because they provide numerous choices of focal length. Thus, a single zoom can take, for example, both close-up portraits and photos of distant landscapes.
Aperture Size
Measured in a unit called a f/stop, aperture size tells how big or small an opening that a camera can create when taking a picture. The size of the aperture changes the amount of light that enters the camera lens; this can change the depth of field, as well as the speed of the shutter. Larger apertures are ideal for darker photos, because they let more light into the picture. The maximum aperture in Nikon lenses varies between f/5.6 and f/1.4. (Note that larger aperture sizes are designated with smaller f/stops; thus, an aperture of f/1.4 is actually bigger than an aperture of f/22.)
Abbreviations
A wide range of abbreviations are used to identify different features on Nikon camera lenses. Lens format (DX , which indicates a digital camera using a smaller lens than a 35 mm film camera), glass coating (C) and vibration reduction (VR) are a few of the features that are described with abbreviations.
Price
Nikon lenses can vary significantly in price depending on the features of the lens. Standard and wide-angle lenses can range between $100 and $800, while super telephoto lenses and specialty lenses can cost as much as $2,000, as of September 2010.
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