The 6 Best Compatible Lenses for Nikon D3200 DSLR in 2022

Have you ever wondered what could be done with an entry-level Nikon D3200 camera? A 2012-model 24.2-megapixel camera with F-mount landing accepts a plethora of lenses with its full-frame viewing interface. 

Nikon D3200 lenses are the best preference to opt for when looking for a compatible lens on your camera.

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Best Compatible Lenses for Nikon D3200 DSLR Camera

“Ultra-wide landscape modes, multiple elements for contrast correction and lightweight in best price.”

“A multi-use lens with a wide zoom range and ghosting effect reduction technology.”

“Best for macro photography, prime lightweight travel lens with quiet and fast auto-focus.”

“Affordable in price, the zoom range covers from basic to advance capturing with great results.”

“Must have lens for portraits and everyday use, renders creamy bokeh and low-light survivor.”

“Light-weight travel fixed lens, create beautifully blurred backgrounds and very cost-effective.”

For wide-angle photography, Nikon 18-140mm zoom lens offers a wide viewing angle in an 18mm frame and zooms all the way to 7.8x for telephotography without cutting corners on pixel strength and overall sharpness. 

For stunning portraits, a prime lens would be a better choice as it extends and isolates both the foreground and background with clear-cut sharpness and depth-of-field. 

Nikon 40mm, Nikon 35mm, and Nikon 50mm are perfect portrait lenses for beginners as well as professional photographers.

1. Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 Ultra Wide-Angle Zoom Lens

Sigma’s 10-20mm super wide-angle lens is an updated and transformed version of its predecessor lens versions. 

It features multiple cutting-edge functions that ensure brilliant image quality and superb pixel strength throughout the centers and corner lengths of your pictures.

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Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens

2. NIKKOR 18-140mm F3.5-5.6G - All in One Zoom Lens

Nikon AF- 18-140mm is fully compatible with all the Nikon DX-format cameras including Nikon D3200 and above. 

The peak performance is supported with the largest zoom range that covers everything from telephoto shootings to wide-angle frames with extreme precision and clarity. The dynamics of Nikkor 18-140mm make photos sharper with rich contrasts for later editing.

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Nikon AF S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm Zoom Lens
Nikon AF S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm Zoom Lens

3. Micro-NIKKOR 40mm F2.8G - Macro Fixed Lens

A great addition to Nikon’s lens inventory, Micro-Nikkor 40mm covers everything indoors and outdoors. It is designed for close-up photography from portraits to macro photography. 

The fixed lens construction and no-zoom structure make it lightweight enough to be carried around almost anywhere.

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Nikon AF S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm F2.8G Close up Lens
Nikon AF S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm F2.8G Close up Lens

4. Nikon 55-200mm F4-5.6G - Biggest All In One Lens

Nikon 55-200mm is an all-in-one zoom lens for DX-type Nikon camera bodies including D3200. Starting with medium-range 55mm wide viewing angle to telephoto shots at 200mm, the image quality remains sharp and realistic throughout. 

The lens barrel features a multitude of lens elements and optical image stabilization components that guides all pictures to perfection.

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Nikon 55-200mm F4 5.6G ED IF AF S DX VR Lens
Nikon 55-200mm F4 5.6G ED Telephoto Lens

5. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm F1.8G - Best Portrait Prime Lens

With its superior components and cutting-edge software, Nikon AF- S 50mm has been known to be the portrait master lens. The prime lens version has adequate filter threads and a sleek design. 

It is amazingly light on the purse and luggage. Nikkor FX prime lens works immaculately on Nikon D3200 camera bodies and beyond.

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Nikon AF S Nikkor 50mm F1.8G Lens
Nikon AF S Nikkor 50mm F1.8G Portrait Lens

6. Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G Wide-Angle Prime Lens

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm is a finely designed prime lens aimed at capturing stunning portraits with a shallow depth of field and the fastest digital signal processing. It is made to be highly portable for traveling and switchable shootings.

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Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G Prime Lens

Side Notes

In Which Areas the Nikon D3200 Lenses Used?

There are different areas in which lenses are used. Its use in photography and filmography is best known and most widespread. The lenses make it possible to take countless photos and videos every day – whether professional or amateur, whether a snapshot with a smartphone or a movie production in Hollywood. 

Today’s world of entertainment and social media would be very bleak without lenses. Lenses not only show us exciting perspectives, but they also make our lives more colorful. Further areas of application are:

1. A projector in a cinema needs a lens so that you can enjoy the latest film on the screen. The principle is reversed to that of a camera lens, but the optical structure is very similar. A projector follows the same logic in its function.

2. Binoculars and surveying instruments require cut glasses and lens groups in order to create an image similar to that in photography. This image is projected onto a screen so that the eye can see it clearly. The focal length plays the most important role here, with a long focal length you can observe distant events.

3. In contrast, there are optics for microscopes. A special cut of the individual lens elements enables a strong magnification. In order to clearly see the object to be observed, it must be brightly illuminated, as the light rays within the optics are strongly fanned out in width.

4. Telescopes are used in astronomy. In earlier centuries these were made purely with glass lenses, later mirrors were used for a longer focal length with a relatively compact design. Nowadays, telescopes only have lenses for regulating the sharpness in the eyepiece.

Lenses are not only available for changing a single lens reflex or system camera. In compact cameras, smartphones and action cams you will find lenses in permanently installed form.

What Properties of a Nikon D3200 Lens Should I Consider Before Buying?

Lenses with a large aperture collect a lot of light. This property is of great advantage in difficult lighting situations in order to avoid blurring due to camera shake and movement of the subject. 

When it comes to light intensity, small numbers indicate a high level of light transmission. Values from 1: 1.4 to 1: 2.8 are considered to be particularly bright. If you find numbers around 1: 4.0, the light output is mediocre. Values of 1: 5.6 or greater indicate a faint lens.
 
Fixed focal lengths usually have a high speed. Lenses with adjustable focal length, known as zoom, are usually noticeable with major reductions in light intensity. Nevertheless, you can find zoom lenses with a relatively good speed on the market. However, these models are not only disadvantageously high in weight, but are also expensive to purchase.
 
Worth knowing: In most cases, photographers only fade out subtly. As a rule, a completely closed aperture is not used. Today’s lenses deliver optimal sharpness from the completely open aperture – attention: the smallest aperture number.
 
Make sure that you are aware of future use before buying. If you mainly take photos outdoors in nature, fast lenses are not necessary. It is similar to the choice of the focal length and the decision whether it should be a fixed focal length or a lens with zoom. For greater flexibility, it makes sense to choose a zoom lens with a large focal length range.
 
Modern lenses transmit a lot of data electronically to the camera, which is stored in the images as additional information. Relevant values are:
 
  • Focal length
  • F-number used
  • Type of focus set – autofocus or manual, active or inactive focus tracking
  • Distance to the photographed object
  • The maximum and minimum opening width of the aperture

What Types of Nikon D3200 Lenses are there and What can I Use them for?

In photography, you can find different types of lenses for your camera. In the following, we explain the most important features of the individual types to support you in your purchase decision.

The Normal Lens:

Lenses with a focal length of around 50 millimeters are called normal lenses. In relation to a full-frame sensor, the viewing angle is almost identical to that of the human eye. You perceive photos taken with it as pleasant. To get a similar viewing angle on cameras with smaller image sensors, you need a lens with a smaller focal length.

For DX cameras with APS-C sensors, there are suitable lenses with a focal length of 35 millimeters. Due to the crop factor of around 1.5, you get the equivalent viewing angle of a 50-millimeter focal length. 

Normal lenses are fixed focal lengths; in the trade, they can be offered at a low price due to the low manufacturing costs. The lenses are very popular in people and street photography. 

They reproduce the photographed person true to life and separate them from the background through the most high light intensity.

Wide-angle lenses

It is best to use a wide-angle lens to get as much of the surroundings as possible in one picture. The very wide viewing angle covers a lot more than the human eye. Above all, wide-angle lenses make rooms appear larger than their actual dimensions. 

Lenses for the full format from a focal length of 40 millimeters or smaller count as wide-angle. With focal lengths of 24 to 12 millimeters, the result is an almost surreal width. 

Wide-angle lenses are most commonly used in landscape and city photography. These models can also be used for interior shots. You get wide-angle lenses as a fixed focal length and as a zoom.

Lenses with a focal length value of 10 millimeters or more are available for DX cameras with APS-C sensors in order to achieve a corresponding effect. 

The foreground and background merge due to the short focal length, the depth of field is high with a wide-angle. Models with a high speed are popular with photographers, they offer creative freedom to emphasize the main subject with a slight background blur. 

If you want to use a wide-angle lens, you have to consider a careful composition and the choice of the main subject for a good result. You should think carefully about the investment; such fast lenses are expensive.

Telephoto lenses

Telephoto lenses are very popular with amateur and professional photographers. You can use it to capture distant scenes with little effort. Usual focal lengths are 100 to 300 millimeters, higher values are referred to as super-telephoto. 

The telephoto lens compresses the focus area and the image section. Your motif is effectively detached from the background by the resulting effect. The background disappears in a great blur, this property is called bokeh. 

A characteristic side effect of recordings with long focal lengths is a compression of the space. Individual elements of the motif move closer and appear flat.

Telephoto lenses have a general disadvantage: Due to the high magnification of the subject, even the smallest movement during the recording can lead to a blurred image. Use a sturdy tripod for your recordings. If the lens or camera is equipped with an image stabilizer, it can help you to reduce the unwanted effect.

Popular with animal photographers: Telephoto lenses are mainly used in animal photography. Hobby photographers take pictures of animals in the zoo, for example. A professional uses the telephoto lens, for example, for photo documentation about wild animals.

You can find different types of telephoto lenses in stores. In addition to the various focal lengths and focal length ranges, light intensity plays a major role. Telephoto lenses are available as zoom or fixed focal length. The large selection and the high price range do not make the purchase decision easy.

Before you buy, think about which subjects you want to capture and whether it is necessary to buy a lens with the largest possible focal length. The most common telephoto zoom lenses have a focal length of 70 to 300 millimeters. This is sufficient for most purposes.

Macro lenses

To get as close as possible to a subject, you need a macro lens that has been specially designed for close range. These lenses are mostly fixed focal lengths with an image ratio of 1: 1 or 1: 2. 

You can capture a subject in its original size on the camera’s image sensor if the value is 1: 1. High light intensity is not always useful in macro photography. 

The depth of field is only a few millimeters with the aperture open. If you want to focus on the subject as sharply as possible, stopping down is unavoidable. F-stops between 8 and 16 are common for greater depth of field.

This is how professionals work: In order to keep the motif as a whole sharp, experienced photographers use another technique: They take individual pictures with differently focussed areas and combine them into a single picture on the computer using a program. This approach is known as focus stacking.

Warning: you should know that! The focal length of 105 millimeters is widespread in macro lenses that do not represent a great deal of effort to manufacture. There are other common focal lengths from 40 to 60 millimeters, more rarely you will find longer focal lengths of up to 200 millimeters. 

Macro lenses are usually available as fixed focal lengths, there are hardly any zoom lenses on the market and they are usually designed for special areas such as medical technology.

It is wise to start with a cheap model if you want to get into macro photography. High-priced macro lenses hardly bring a plus in terms of imaging performance but have other strengths such as a long focal length. 

The use of a tripod is recommended; you will rarely find a macro lens with an integrated image stabilizer. For example, you use a macro lens to photograph flowers and insects. You can also capture details of larger subjects very well with this.

Fisheye lenses

The lens, known colloquially as fisheye, is a very special lens. What is striking is a strongly curved, large front lens that resembles a dome. The fisheye lens allows you to take spherical shots of the surroundings of 180 degrees and more – significantly more than a wide-angle could capture. 

In contrast to a wide-angle lens, which records the surroundings linearly, a fisheye bends the light in a circular manner. The closer objects in the image come to the edge, the more they are distorted. In the extreme case, a very short focal length creates a circular image that does not fill the format. 

You should know and consider these properties before buying a fisheye lens. Until a few years ago, fisheye lenses were only available as fixed focal lengths, now they are also available as zoom.

What can I use a fisheye lens for? 

This lens is mainly used in panoramic photography. You can create a 360-degree panoramic image by combining several images.

Tilt-and-Shift Lenses

You should remember that! If your subject is large buildings and structures with clear edges, you are faced with the problem of perspective when taking photos: Converging lines make the subject appear tilted. 

Thanks to a special design, tilt-and-shift lenses prevent this phenomenon. You can move the entire lens system up or down parallel to its axis (Shift), and also pivot it sideways in a kind of kink (Tilt). 

Correct converging lines with the Shift movement. This allows you to adjust the perspective of the front of a building. With the tilt function, you have the option of tilting the sharpness level in order to change it to match the subject.

You can only set the focus of a tilt-and-shift lens manually; there is no autofocus motor due to the design. In addition, these lenses are only available as fixed focal lengths. 

You can change the perspective and focus with a tilt-and-shift lens so that photos similar to a miniature landscape are possible. Many photographers and videographers use this effect as a stylistic device. 

Consider the high initial cost if you are interested in this type of lens. Perspective errors can be corrected with current image editing programs and are therefore usually a better choice.

Architecture and products: Tilt-and-shift lenses are mainly used in architectural photography. In addition, they have their place in product photography to effectively stage products with a corrected perspective.

Which is better – zoom or prime lens?

Alternatives at a glance! You can change the focal length of zoom lenses in order to shape the image section to match the subject. The focal length of a fixed focal length cannot be changed, but offers you a high light output and usually better image quality.
 

The fixed focal length – a classic for creative people

Ambitious photographers use prime lenses to achieve a certain quality of their photos. Optical errors such as color fringing, distortion and vignetting are less pronounced than with zoom lenses. 
 
A high speed gives the fixed focal length large apertures of 1: 1.8 or even 1: 1.4. These lenses are ideal for taking pictures in difficult light situations or for detaching a subject from the background.
 
Compared to zooms, fixed focal lengths have a compact design and are lightweight. Frequent changing of the lens can be disadvantageous in order to obtain the right image section for the given situation.
 

The zoom – for more flexibility

Thanks to the changeable focal length, a zoom lens enables a wide range of applications and a lot of flexibility. By turning the zoom ring or moving the tube marked for it, you can move certain lens groups forwards or backwards to change the focal length. 
 
The overall length of the lens changes with most models when zooming, as the tube extends. The construction of zoom lenses in the upper price range is more complex, with the tube not extending.
 
Zoom lenses usually have poor optical performance and are heavy. If a quick change in focal length is needed, zooms can still be a good compromise. This saves you time-consuming changing of the lens.

The Equipment of Lenses

The Autofocus Engine:

Most lenses come with an autofocus motor. Manufacturers often install simple micro-motors in very cheap models that are neither fast nor absolutely precise. 

Ultrasonic motors work almost silently, they ensure precise and very fast focusing. Step motors or stepper motors work even quieter and faster. Because of these properties, they are increasingly being used in lenses.
 
The Image Stabilizer:
 
An image stabilizer is helpful so that you can take pictures with little blur in poor light situations. In low light and the resulting long exposure time, it makes sense. An image stabilizer is most often used in telephoto lenses and low-light zooms. With very long focal lengths it is very useful and almost indispensable.
 
The Bayonet:
 
If you use a lens frequently, pay attention to the material of the bayonet. With a plastic bayonet, the wear is significantly higher than with a model with a metal bayonet. Over time, excessive wear and tear can negatively affect the fit of the lens on the camera.
 
The Lens Hood
 
Lens hoods, also called lens hoods, help you to reduce unnecessary grazing or backlighting in order to reduce light reflections in backlit shots. Lens hoods are not always included in the scope of delivery and can be purchased as expensive accessories. 

It can be worth taking a look at cheaper panels from other manufacturers, as they are in no way inferior to the original in terms of function.
 

Which accessories for lenses are important?

 
  • A common accessory for lenses are various filters that can be screwed on.
  • UV filters, prevent rays in the ultra-violet range, which may reduce the quality of your recordings.
  • Pol filters reduce reflections on smooth surfaces and bodies of water. 
  • The neutral density filter is popular among ambitious photographers. It enables a very long exposure time even in bright light. You can use it to smoothly reproduce rough, flowing water in your recordings. People and objects in motion are not visible in the photo due to the long recording time; full spaces appear deserted in the photo.
 
A lens pouch, known as a quiver, is a useful accessory for storage and protected transport. These are special bags to match the shape of your lens. A lens pouch is often included. 

For large top-heavy telephoto lenses, tripod rings are a useful accessory. They protect the tripod and ensure balance. They are attached directly to the tripod clamp mount on the lens.

Proper care and storage

Dust and dirt on the glasses impair the performance of a lens and, in the worst case, lead to a selective blurring of the image. You should therefore regularly check the front and rear lenses of your lens for dirt. Impurities can attack and damage the coating of the glasses in the long term.
 

How to clean the Nikon D3200 lens?

First remove superficial dust and dirt with a soft brush. You can find specially suitable cleaning brushes in stores. Alternatively, you can clean with compressed air, but please take great care.

With glass cleaner or camera lens cleaner you can handle the lens surfaces to stains soften and dissolve. Treat the surfaces with a soft lens cleaning tissue and gently wipe from the center to the edges with a gentle motion.

Attention! Treatment with harsh cleaning agents and scrubbing with a cleaning cloth should be avoided at all costs. If you don’t dare to clean it, you can have the lens cleaned in many specialist shops.
 
You should store your lens properly. Place it vertically on the back or front cover, avoid lying down. The aperture can get out of shape when lying down for a long time and, in the worst case, adversely affect recordings. Make sure that the lens does not fall over.

Conclusion

Summing up, identify your needs before opting for Nikon D3200 lenses. if you are a beginner, it is better to start with a zoom lens and practice until you are pro enough for a specialized prime lens for portraits, landscapes, or telephotos. 

For novices, kit lenses are not capable of delivering absolute quality and perfection. It’s better to go for a professional lens range instead of relying on a vendor-provided kit lens. 

For professionals, it is always a hard pick to choose the best camera lens that adheres to the flimsiest perfections in image quality and for post-capturing edits. Dig into our best Nikon D3200 lenses featuring the tiniest details about the lenses with full compatibility to Nikon D3200 body.

Frequently Asked Questions

All the lenses with DX-type support are compatible with Nikon D3200. Nikon D3200 is the earliest in Nikon’s DSLR series, therefore all the Nikon lenses are made per the compatibility range of Nikon’s early models.

Nikon’s f/1.8G 35mm is the sharpest lens and is fully compatible with the Nikon D3200 body. The lens features a high aperture range, processing speed, and the fastest autofocusing speed at a wide viewing angle of up to 44 degrees.

Nikon 55-200mm is a long-range zoom lens compatible with the Nikon D3200 featuring all-purpose photography modes from portraits and landscapes to telephotos and nature photography. At 200mm, it captures stunning details with isolated backgrounds and perfect foreground shots. The anti-ghosting VR adjustments in Nikon 55-200mm capture close-up objects with near-perfect accuracy.

Nikon D3200 works great in sports photography. It has an impressive shutter speed of 1/4000s that makes it freeze any high-speed action almost instantly without any ghosting effects. Also, the AF is assisted with multiple focus points for continuous and quick autofocusing while trailing a sports action.

Nikon D3200 is lightweight and widely compatible with the contemporary lens range as well as for low-end lens types. It is a great camera to start with if you are a beginner.

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