A 50mm FX prime, an 18-140 DX zoom, two AF-P lenses and a 35mm DX prime. Nikon publishes a list of bodies AF-P lenses do not work on, and it is long.
Nikon
Why we like it
Nikon
Why we like it
Nikon
Why we like it
Nikon
Why we like it
Nikon
Why we like it| Product | Rank | Brand | Best For | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens wit... | #1 | Nikon | Best Overall | 9.8 |
| Nikon 2213 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S... | #2 | Nikon | Best All-Rounder | 9.6 |
| Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ... | #3 | Nikon | Best Telephoto, If Your Body Supports It | 9.4 |
| Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G V... | #4 | Nikon | Best Ultra-Wide | 9.3 |
| Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX AF-S NIKKOR Lens wit... | #5 | Nikon | Best for DX Low Light | 9.1 |
Buyer checklist
These are all genuine Nikon products with published specifications, and the figures below come from Nikon's own listing copy: focal lengths, aperture ranges, picture angles in degrees, minimum focus distances measured from the focal plane, maximum reproduction ratios, filter thread sizes, motor types and 35mm-equivalent framing. As with the Canon lenses we compared, the Amazon detail tables are unreliable, giving a 140mm focal length as 14 centimetres and listing optical stabilisation on the 50mm f/1.8G, which has none, so we ignored the tables entirely. The compatibility lists for the AF-P lenses are quoted directly from Nikon's listing text because they are the single most consequential specification in the group. Two listing conditions to note: several of these lenses also appear as Renewed or 90-day-warranty units under separate ASINs, and we have used standard listings where one exists and said so where the product ships as a bundle instead. Nothing here was mounted or tested by us.
Nikon publishes the list, and quoting it is more useful than summarising it. Incompatible: the D4 series, D3 series, D2 series, D1 series, D800 series, D700, D610, D600, D300 series, D200, D100, D7000, D5100, D5000, D90, D80 and D70 series. Limited function: D5, D810 series, Df, D750, D7200, D7100, D5200, and Nikon 1 bodies with the FT1 adapter. Fully compatible: D7500, D5600 and newer. A firmware update may be required even on compatible bodies. If your camera is on the incompatible list, an AF-P lens is not a lens you can use, and that includes several bodies that are otherwise perfectly capable.
The focus motor and how the lens is controlled. AF-S uses Nikon's Silent Wave Motor and behaves like a conventional lens with physical switches on the barrel. AF-P uses a pulse or stepping motor, which is quieter and smoother for video, but it removes the physical controls: Nikon's own bullet says you access lens settings in the camera menu. That is why older bodies cannot drive them, because those cameras have no menu entries for a lens that expects to be configured that way. AF-S is the safe choice across a wide range of bodies; AF-P is better for video on a recent body.
It mounts and it works, with a penalty. A DX lens projects an image circle sized for Nikon's APS-C sensor, so on an FX full-frame body the camera switches to DX crop mode and uses the central portion of the sensor, which on a 24-megapixel FX body leaves you around 10 megapixels. Three of the five lenses here are DX. The 50mm f/1.8G is the FX lens in this group, and Nikon states it is optimised for edge-to-edge sharpness on both formats, which makes it the one lens here that is not a compromise on either kind of body.