Best Lens for Nikon D5100 in 2023 [Buying Guide]

We can’t overstate the importance of having the right lens. It’s not just about buying a fancy lens with a pretty price tag and slapping on your camera. It is about choosing the best lens for Nikon D5100 that suits your needs, budget, and style.

So many photographers make the mistake of only sticking to the lens that came with their camera. These can be changed out to give you some awesome options to improve your shots and your creativity.

It’s important for you to know your photography style well. Are you a macro shooter? Are you into wide-angle landscapes? I want you to ask yourself this question and keep the answers in mind while we go through the reviews.

Sound like a lot to do?

That’s why I’m here. I’ve done all the tedious thinking and research and put together this review to make this process as easy as possible.

Stick with me and we will look at what is unique about each lens and what we do/don’t like about it – based on the way it performs in the real world and not on paper.

We want to give you some options if you’re on a bit of a budget – where the price is great – and corners aren’t cut on quality.

If you’re still with me then you’re in the right place – let’s get into the reviews.

Comparison of 7 Best Lens for Nikon D5100 in 2023

Feel free to use this table to jump straight to any lens that catches your eye. Here we’ll take a look at how the main features of all the cameras compare to each other.

Image	Product Name	Features	Price
	Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR Lens	Focal Length: 70-300mm Aperture: F/4.5 – 6.3 Lens Type: Telephoto Mount: F-Mount Format: DX Prime/Zoom: Zoom	Check Price
	Altura Wide AngleAttachment Lens	Focal Length: 52mm Aperture: Attachment Lens Lens Type: Wide angle Mount: θ52 Thread Format: Lens Attachment Prime/Zoom: Prime	Check Price
	Nikon 70-300mm Zoom Lens	Focal Length: 70-300mm Aperture: F/4.5 – 6 G Lens Type: Telephoto Mount: F-Mount Format: FX Prime/Zoom: Zoom	Check Price
	Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR Model 20061 Lens	Focal Length: 70-300mm Aperture: F/4.5 – 6.3 G ED Lens Type: Telephoto Mount: F-Bayonet Mount Format: DX Prime/Zoom: Zoom	Check Price
	Altura Fisheye Wide Angle Attachment Lens	Focal Length: 52mm Aperture: Attachment lens Lens Type: Wide angle fisheye Mount: θ52 Thread Format: Lens attachment Prime/Zoom: Prime	Check Price
	Nikon AF-S VR NIKKOR Zoom Lens	Focal Length: 70-300mm Aperture: F/4.5 – 5.6 Lens Type: Telephoto Mount: F-Bayonet Format: FX Prime/Zoom: Zoom	Check Price
	Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR Prime Lens	Focal Length: 50mm Aperture: F/1.8 Lens Type: Standard/Normal Mount: F-Mount Format: FX Prime/Zoom: Prime	Check Price

Our 7 Best Lens for Nikon D5100

Remember to keep your style, budget, and needs in mind while going through these reviews – let them guide how you evaluate each model.

Our reviews will help you with the rest.

1 Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR Lens

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This is a lightweight and powerful telephoto lens. You’ll be able to capture faraway objects in great detail. The aperture will let you get fantastic shallow depth-of-field shots that keep their sharpness and color.

This lens is great if you enjoy wildlife photography and shooting stills.

There are countless opportunities to get awesome shots with this lens – shots that the stock lens of your D5100 simply isn’t capable of providing.

You’ll also be able to snap stunning close-ups at concerts and sports and all kinds of events. The options are only limited by your creativity and willingness to get out there.

Key Features:

• 70-300mm telephoto lens
• F/4.5 up to F/6.3 aperture
• Perfect for DX-format DSLRs
• The near-silent autofocus pulse motor

2 Altura Wide Angle Attachment Lens

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This is a fast and easy screw-on wide-angle attachment to your current lens. You will be able to get a 0.43x wide-angle view on top of your lenses’ current ability.

We don’t advise you to use this attachment on top of an ultra-wide angle lens.

This attachment is small and compact so you can carry it around with your normal gear and quickly slap it onto your camera if you need quick quality wide angle shots.

It costs a fraction of a prime lens for D5100 DSLRs but has close to the same utility.

It’s great for shooting real-estate scenes and outdoor landscapes without distorting the image and losing color quality.

P.S. Make sure your lens has 52mm threads, otherwise, you won’t be able to attach this lens.

Key Features:

• Attach to the end of your current lens (52mm threads)
• 43x Wide angle lens
• Multi-coated glass for minimal distortion and glare
• 2-in-1 design allows for macro photography

Also Read: Best Lenses for Sony A7riii

3 Nikon 70-300mm Zoom Lens – Best Lens For Nikon D5100

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You’re getting excellent value for your money with this lens.

It’s obviously not going to give you the same quality lens that professional telephoto lenses will give you (for a far higher price) – but you’ll be able to build your skills and take amazing photos.

It’s one of the cheapest Nikon D5100 lenses for getting telephoto shots – while still delivering quality.

You’ll need to make sure you don’t damage the lens when adding and removing it from your camera as the mount is plastic. This isn’t a big deal and you should be doing this cautiously anyway.

You’re going to be able to take photos that were previously limited to much more expensive lenses – for a fraction of the cost.

This is a great lens for developing your skills and some trial and error experimenting.

On that note – here is a fantastic read if you’d like to learn more about telephoto lenses and get some creative ideas to help you get better photos.

Key Features:

• 70-300mm focal length
• F/4.5 – 6 G
• 9 diaphragm blades
• Lightweight with screwdriver motorized zoom

4 Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR Model 20061 Lens

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The autofocus on this lens is snappy and silent. This speed is really noticeable when you’re zoomed in and panning. It’s frustrating having to sit and manually fiddle with the focus or wait for slow autofocus to catch up.

You’ll be able to switch your focus between objects really quickly – and this makes it great for video too. You’ll able to capture some interesting film and photos if you get good with this lens.

This is possibly the best zoom lens for Nikon D5100 cameras if you’re a big telephoto enthusiast. The image quality is surprisingly sharp and not distorted.

Key Features:

• 70-300mm focal length
• 3x zoom ratio
• f/4.5 – f/6.3 aperture (f/32 minimum)
• 7 diaphragm blades
• 5x optical conversion factor

5 Altura Fisheye Wide Angle Attachment Lens

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Fisheye photography is a unique and visually stunning style of photography that lets you capture the world in a way that our eyes just aren’t capable of. You can get a 180° view letting you get the entire scene in other-worldly shots to challenge your creativity.

This is an attachment lens meaning that you’ll be able to attach it to the front of the lens you are currently using – provided it has 52mm threads on the front.

This lens is a smart addition to your collection because it’s so small and easy to carry in your kit. You’ll be able to put it on in a matter of seconds and it opens up a world of possibilities – in addition to what the primary lens can already do.

It’s compatible with many Nikon lenses for D5100 cameras that have the 52mm front threads.

Key Features:

• Expand the field of view of your current lens
• Compatible with several 52mm lenses
• 35x wide-angle fisheye view
• The macro portion is also available
• 180° wide angle fisheye view

Also Read: Best Travel Lens for Sony A6000 Cameras

6 Nikon AF-S VR NIKKOR Zoom Lens

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The image quality is top-class because of the extra light dispersion glasses. This help to keep the resolution and contrast as true as possible in your photos.

The autofocus is very fast and it’s silent. The videos that you take aren’t going to be affected by any of those vibrations – and it helps with image stabilization.

This lens is fully compatible with the D5100 making it one of the best zoom lenses for Nikon D5100 cameras.

Key Features:

• Vibration reduction due to Internal Focus (IF)
• M/A and M focus modes
• 2 Extra ED glass elements for contrast and resolution improvement
• FX format so it’s compatible with full-frame cameras

7 Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR Prime Lens

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This is the final Nikon D5100 lens review we’ll be doing here. Prime lenses are said to be generally be optically superior to zoom lenses. This lens is the best portrait lens for Nikon D5100 cameras.

This is actually quite a detailed topic so we won’t go into it in depth here – though we do think it’s very important for you to know. Here is a quality guide to getting you informed on everything we think you should know.

These types of lenses are your general carry lenses. They capture images that are natural and the closest to how our eyes see the world.

Prime lenses will improve your photography skills fast because you zoom by moving around on your feet – forcing you to think more about composition.

You really can’t go wrong with a good quality prime lens – and this a surprisingly good prime lens for Nikon D5100 cameras.

Key Features:

• F/1.8 aperture
• 50mm prime lens
• 48 feet minimum focus
• Professional level portraits

Our Final Thoughts

There was a lot for you to take here. Don’t feel overwhelmed if you’re just getting started. The Nikon D5100 is a great camera for you to develop your skills and get more creative.

We have looked at 7 great lenses that aren’t going to melt your wallet but are good enough to get you some professional-looking photographs.

The results that you get are only limited by your creativity and willingness to learn. These lenses are capable and they compete well for the best lens for Nikon D5100 cameras. All that’s left is for you to make your choice; jump in and order the lens that best suits your style, budget, and needs. You’ll be taking the very photos you’ve been mesmerized by – and it won’t take forever. It’s a matter of patience and practice. Get out there and keep doing what you love!

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