Editors' Note, December 13, 2025: With this update, we added the Nikkor Z 180-600mm, DX 12-28mm, and DX 24mm to our list of recommended Nikon Z-mount lenses. The remaining picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our last update, we reviewed and evaluated three Nikon Z lenses.

Nikon is likely one of the first brands that comes to mind when you think of cameras. Its SLRs were the darlings of hobbyists and professional photographers in both the film and digital eras, and its current line of Z series mirrorless cameras is includes Editors' Choice winners like the Z6 III and the Z 8. But a camera is only as good as its lens, so we've picked out some of our favorite lenses for Nikon Z cameras to help you find the right one to get the best pictures from your Nikon.

Made for Mirrorless Lenses

With half a decade in the market, Nikon's Z lens series is well established. It covers the basics—you can get wide, standard, or telephoto zooms, as well as bright primes and macro lenses. Nikon includes some unique telephoto options as well, leaning into its expertise with phase fresnel optics to realize lightweight, affordable primes like the 600mm F6.3 VR S.

Z cameras also work with Nikon SLR lenses via an adapter. That's important for photographers who have been working with Nikon cameras and lenses for years and don't want to buy all-new glass.

Most of the available lenses are for full-frame sensors—Nikon refers to this 24-by-36mm format as FX. It's also released a few for DX models—Nikon's branding for the 18-by-24mm APS-C format. If you own a full-frame Z, you should skip shopping for these DX lenses, but remember, you can always use a full-frame lens on a DX Nikon.

What's Special About Nikon's S Line?

You know a lens is protected from dust and splashes if it has an S designation at the end of its name. The S Line lenses use the best construction materials and optics.

It's not an exclusive club, however, as the bulk of the available Z lenses bear the S Line designation. That doesn't mean budget shoppers are left out in the cold entirely, but the lack of robust third-party support means that there are fewer value options to choose from. Even so, Nikon includes a handful of low-cost primes and a 24-50mm starter zoom in its catalog.

The Z system continues to grow, and we expect Nikon to round out its offerings in time. It has already released a couple of exotic optics that other systems can't match—the $14,000 Nikkor Z 400mm F2.8 with a built-in teleconverter, the ultra-fast Noct-Nikkor 58mm F0.95 manual focus prime, and the ultra-light 800mm F6.3 stand out from the crowd.

Third parties also make lenses for the system. Tamron has released a couple of zooms in Z mount, including the 35-150mm and 70-300mm F4.5-6.3. Autofocus primes are also available from Sigma, TTArtisan, and Viltrox, among others.

If you can't find the lens you're looking for or are upgrading to a Z camera from a Nikon SLR, you can go beyond native lenses with the FTZ or FTZ II adapter. They fully support AF-S Nikkor SLR lenses with internal focus motors, though any lenses that rely on an in-camera motor will lose their ability to autofocus.

If you're happy with manual focus, you can reach for other adapters, too. You can use pretty much any vintage mechanical lens with the right adapter; we have a guide if you're interested in going down that rabbit hole.