Which lenses are fully compatible with a Nikon D3200?

Asked 3/23/2015

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I have a Nikon D3200 and want to know what to look for when buying lenses. Which lens mount and lens types will work properly on this camera, especially if I want autofocus? Also, what are some common lens options for general use, portraits, landscapes, or telephoto shooting?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

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The kind of lenses you need depend a lot on what and how you like to shoot, and how limited you are by your budget. Basic features, like focal length, maximum aperture, and stabilization will be determined by your usage. See this basic guide to lenses for explanations of lens features and what they mean in practical terms.

You may also want to see Lens upgrade paths (sub $1000) for the EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens for Canon APS-C cameras even though it's couched specifically for Canon, a lot of the lenses mentioned have parallels on the Nikon side of the fence.

But if you're looking at 3rd party lenses as well as those offered by Nikon, the main thing is that you need a lens in the Nikon F mount that is Ai or later. While you can use a pre-Ai lens with a D3200, if you eventually upgrade to a prosumer body, pre-Ai lenses can damage the camera body. With 3rd party makers like Sigma, Tokina, Tamron, or Samyang/Rokinon, "for Nikon" is probably sufficient. This means the lens will mount on the camera and work.

Because the D3200 is a "crop body" (i.e., has an APS-C sized sensor in it, not a "full-frame"), you can use either DX or FX lenses on it. DX lenses project an image circle that only covers an APS-C sensor; FX lens image circles are much bigger and can cover a full-frame sensor, too. You can use DX lenses on an FX body, but you'll get black corners in your images, or your camera will crop the image down to the APS-C area, at which point you've kind of negated the point of having a full-frame sensor.

If you want a lens to autofocus on your D3200, you also need to have a lens with a focus motor in it. In Nikon terminology, this means "AF-S", not "AF". 3rd party lenses will typically mention if they have the autofocus motor for Nikon or not.

Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27440

11y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

The Nikon D3200 uses the Nikon F mount. For the fewest compatibility issues, look for Nikon F-mount lenses with a built-in focus motor: Nikon AF-S or the older AF-I. These will give you autofocus on the D3200.

Other Nikon F-mount lenses may still fit, but can have limitations depending on the lens. In general, newer AI or later F-mount lenses are the safer choice; older pre-AI lenses are best avoided unless you fully understand the compatibility limits.

Which lens you should buy depends on what you shoot:

  • General purpose: the 18-55mm kit lens is a solid everyday option.
  • One-lens travel/convenience: 18-200mm or 18-300mm.
  • Portraits/landscapes: 16-85mm is a common choice.
  • Telephoto: 70-300mm for a lower-cost option, or 70-200mm f/4 or f/2.8 for higher-end telephoto use.

Also pay attention to focal length, maximum aperture, and whether the lens has image stabilization, since those affect how the lens behaves in real shooting.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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