Nikon D5100 lenses

Hi, recently bought a D5100 and loving it so far.

I've been into photography for a few years but I've never really been able to work out what lenses fit what camera and what all the Codes and letter mean next to a lens.

I was just wondering what lenses are compatible with the Nikon D5100? Are these lenses compatible with other Nikon cameras? I'm planning to spend around £1000 in lenses eventually and I want to know if I'm going to be able to use these lenses on other Nikon cameras - otherwise..why spend so much?

Thanks.

If you want to keep the autofocus feature, the lenses have to bear the "AFS" code. This means that the lenses have a motor inside just for focusing and that they communicate with the body to establish focus. you can also get any other "F" mount Nikkor lenses but there won't be autofocus.

Have a look at this

Nikon SLR Camera & Lens Compatibility Chart

Thanks for the replies so far. How does one usually go about buying a lens? I mean obviously you'll choose a focal length that is required for your type of shooting but would you buy a lens purely for your current camera or is it realistic to buy a lens that will fit the majority if not all Nikon SLRs?

mikenikon said:

Thanks for the replies so far. How does one usually go about buying a lens? I mean obviously you'll choose a focal length that is required for your type of shooting but would you buy a lens purely for your current camera or is it realistic to buy a lens that will fit the majority if not all Nikon SLRs?

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Basically, you should be buying a lens that you need either for a specific kind of shots or in prediction to your future needs. What lenses do you have now, what kind of pictures do you or would you like to take, how much money are you ready to spend? You are the only one that can answer these questions. Of course, one can always buy whatever one wants, but if lenses will only be stored and not used… what's the point.

I'd say take pictures, lots of them. When the need for something special arises, get what you need.

Enjoy your Nikon!

As already pointed out by Marcel, anything with AF-S will auto focus on the D5100 and pretty much any if not all Nikon DSLR's.

You probably got the 18-105mm if you got the D5100 kit?

What I would suggest is not to rush out and buy lenses without being very sure you know what you want as this can work out very expensive if you make the wrong choice.

I would pay attention so some of the focal lengths you have available to you at the moment if you have the 18-105mm

18mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm

The reason I say this is because 35mm, 50mm and 85mm are very popular prime lenses for different purposes and 18mm because it will give you a good idea after a few months shooting if you need a wide angle or not.

On a D5100 the 50mm is a pretty good portrait lens but the 85mm even better, the 35mm is a very good day to day lens which will also take good portraits but if you get too close then the subjects face can look a little distorted.

When I first replaced my kit lens I went through Lightroom looking at what focal lengths I was using most and it soon became clear that most of my shots were around the 35mm length so it was pretty easy for me to decide that would be my best upgrade for the least amount of money.

Thanks for the responses. I'm sort of learning off some articles on the net about it at the moment. No, I won't rush ahead, I'll definitely have a ponder. From an initial POV, I'll be probably looking to buy a general use lens. Either prime or zoom. Everyone says some prime lenses have exceptional image quality. On the other hand I want to have the flexibility of a zoom lens.

Any recommendation? As for budget, I think around the £400 mark would be tops for each. (ish, give or take a few).

P.S Shibang - I don't have the 18-105mm, I have the 18-55mm.

I'd suggest the 55-200 zoom and the 35 f1.8G prime

The zoom I use pretty much all the. Time. The prime is great for portraits, indoors, and when lighting is poor.
Neither of these is expensive....I'm fairly new to DSLRs and didntbwant to spend too much, but didn't want to compromise on quality either.
Also I have the speedlight SB400 flash

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I think I would probably look next at the 35mm 1.8g or the 50mm 1.8g, the 18-55 kit lens you have is actually not a bad lens for general use, it's just when lighting is bad it lets you down and you can't use a low f-stop all the way through the focal length.

As for a zoom like the 55-200, I would probably hold off until you know you need the range, by then you might know if the 55-200 is what you need or if you need something faster like the Sigma 70-200 2.8 HSM II for example where you can control the f-stop through the entire range.

If you can't decide between the 35mm or the 50mm, spend a few weeks only shooting at those two lengths and you will soon know which is better for you.

As for the primes I own both the 35mm 1.8g AFS and the 50mm 1.8g AF. I bought the 50mm first for my D50 I liked the lens but found it to be a little to tight for indoor shots of the kids. When I bought the D5100 recently I also bought the 35mm I really like this lens for indoor shots of the kids and find myself using it more all around. My 50mm won't auto focus on the 5100 so I'll other sell it our keep it for the d50 as a backup. In the future I will likely look at the 55-300 or the 70-300 depending on the price at the time.