Nikon lenses

Once a photographer has decided on a camera, a new question arises: What lenses should be chosen? Since I have settled on a digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera with a Nikon F-mount I will only comment on Nikon lenses. Nikon has created some very fine but also quite expensive lenses. The Nikon arsenal of lenses falls into two categories: There are "zoom lenses" (with variable focal length) and "primes" (with fixed focal length).	Good primes usually can be bought for less money than good zoom lenses because the optics are less complicated. Most primes are sharp, give good contrast even at nearly full aperture and cause only little flaring. Quite a few zoom lenses deliver somewhat soft images with less-than-ideal contrast when fully opened and are prone to flaring due to the many optical surfaces.
	Top left: Ghosting with the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR lens. Top right / below: Flaring and ghosting with the Nikon AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D lens.
However, a good photographer can work around this most of the time. Contrast and sharpness of a zoom lens are improved by closing the aperture a bit and flaring and ghosting can be prevented by not directing the lens towards the sun. In the last few years Nikon has put some really excellent zoom lenses on the market with high contrast and excellent sharpness due to special low dispersion (ED) glass.	In addition they produce almost no chromatic aberrations. Chromatic aberration is a problem with older primes and zoom lenses, when combined with a digital SLR camera.
Top: Softness of the Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8D zoom two-touch lens at full aperture and 200mm.
Top: Almost no chromatic aberration: Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR at f/2.8.
A photographer who mainly shoots portraiture and has models posing for him / her will use primes most of the time. He / she has enough time to switch between different prime lenses. With a fixed focal lens a photographer can fully concentrate on an interesting perspective and good framing. A zoom lens has more degrees of freedom which don't make the job easier. For portraiture, prime lenses are an ideal choice. The same holds true for still life photography (food, architecture, landscapes, jewellery, ...).	For candids, people shots at a social event (wedding, birthday, ...), for fashion events or for photojournalistic work the fixed focal length of a prime can be a limiting factor. So, for every photographer there is a different set of lenses. At the top you can find links to the "Nikon glass" I normally use - with some comments. They are based on my own experience and others may disagree with some of the statements. And there are many great Nikon lenses that don't appear in my list...