The Nikon Z mount has some of the most capable cameras on the market today. With gems like the Nikon Z8, Nikon Z9, and the Nikon Zf, the company gives photographers much of what they need. But more importantly, they also are a platform that receives third-party support. In fact, some of the most affordable lenses for Nikon Z mount are from Tamron. In this roundup, we’re going to take you through our real-world reviews of some of the best affordable lenses for Nikon Z mount.
This article is presented in partnership with Tamron.
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Why You Should Trust Us
The Phoblographer has been doing real-world photography gear tests longer than any other photography publication currently run. We also have the largest database of real-world lens reviews, amongst other things like straps, camera bags, lights, accessories, and more. Here’s why that matters:
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How We Test and Choose the Best Affordable Lenses for Nikon Z mount.
- The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed in these roundups.
- If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
- When we test lenses, we’ve got various things in mind. First off, we consider who might want to buy the lens and what they might do with it. With that in mind, we try to tackle at least three genres of photography with that lens in a variety of situations. If the lens has weather resistance, then we’ll test it accordingly with a weather-resistant camera. We also test the autofocus of the lens in continuous mode, single mode, with exposure preview effects, without those effects, and then with all the major image quality parameters. These days, no one really makes a bad lens — but some are far better than others.
- In this specific roundup, we’re basing our findings on the reviews that we’ve done. We’re choosing a favorite, but we’re also giving photographers a bunch of others that they might like, depending on how they shoot.
Editor’s Note: All of these lenses are also available for Sony E mount. But for transparency, we’re including product images that were shot by the staff during our testing with all these lenses on Nikon camera bodies as well as sample images shot with Nikon.
Our Favorite Amongst the Best Affordable Lenses for Nikon Z mount.: Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2
We usually choose the Tamron 35-150mm option; but in this case, we’re going for the Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Di III VXD G2. Part of this has to do with the fact that Nikon rebranded the first version of this lens, and the G2 version by Tamron does a better job in pretty much every single way. It’s sharper, can have firmware updated via USB-C, boasts weather resistance, and also adds character. Considering that Nikon has recently been trying to embrace character in their cameras with their Picture Control profiles, we think that this lens is perfect.
These specs are taken from the LensRentals listing
| Angle of View | Diagonal 75° 23’- 32° 11’ (for full-frame mirrorless format)° |
| Aperture Blades | 9, Rounded |
| Aspherical Elements | 3 |
| Autofocus | Autofocus |
| Brand | Tamron |
| Compatibility | Full Frame |
| Filter Size | 67.0mm |
| Focal Length | 28.0-75.0 |
| Groups/Elements | 15/17 |
| Hood Included | Yes |
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Item Type | Lens |
| Length | 4.7″ |
| Lens Type | Normal Range |
| Low Dispersion Elements | 4 |
| Max Aperture | 2.8 |
| Maximum Magnification | 1 to 2.7x |
| Mfr. Model Number | A063 |
| Minimum Aperture | 22.0 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 7.1” |
| Mount | Nikon Z |
In our review, we state:
So how does the new Tamon 28-75mm f2.8 G2 perform on Nikon z bodies? Well, just as great as it ever was. It’s sharp, has a bit of character, beautiful colors, etc. But it’s also very lightweight and built insanely well overall.
A Look at Several Other Incredible Affordable Lenses for Nikon Z mount.
If you’re looking for something with a different range than what our favorite is, then consider these other lightweight zoom lenses. Maybe you’re doing bird photography? Or perhaps you’re hiking and looking for a nice landscape to photograph in the early morning hours to get away from it all. Whatever you’re into, we’re sure that we can recommend a lens to you that will help you make an image that will cause you to radiate with joy for the rest of the day.
Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD
Here’s what you should know about this lens:
- Versatile zoom range
- Excellent stabilization
- Lightweight
- Weather-sealed
- Custom controls
- Sharp, technically superb images
- 1:2 Macro focusing at 50mm
In our review, we state:
If I’m being my honest self, Nikon and Tamron are a union that keeps giving gifts to one another while embodying a chemistry that you’d want to see on the big screen.
Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD
Here’s what you should know about this lens:
- Impressively sharp for the price point
- Weather sealed
- Speedy autofocus performance
- Lightweight
- Very, very affordable at $599 after $100 Instant Savings (thru Jan. 5, 2025)
In our review, we state:
“…we tested it on the Nikon Z9 for birding photography. And overall, it did a good job.”
Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD
Here’s what you should know about this lens:
- Beautiful image quality
- Weather sealing
- One of Tamron’s most solidly built lenses to date
- Integrated USB port
- Lightweight for what this is; a very innovative lens
- Feels great in the hands
- F2 aperture to start is nice!
- Can do pretty well in continuous autofocus
- I adore that this isn’t one of Tamron’s sharpest lenses because it means that I don’t have to spend a ton of time retouching every pore
- $1799 after $200 Instant Savings (thru Jan. 5, 2025
- Just as fast as many of Nikon’s own lenses when using it on Nikon bodies
In our review, we state:
“The first time Tamron’s colors really hit me was when they came out with their 35mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 for DSLR cameras. The colors from the Tamron 35-150mm f2-2.8 Di III VXD hit me pretty much as hard, but the colors here are a bit more muted. I adore that. And it’s also so much more important for anyone shooting portraits.”
Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7 Di III VC VXD
Here’s what you should know about this lens:
- Smaller than competing lenses
- Handheld telephoto shooting
- Versatile zoom range, with close-up ability
- Great color and background separation
- Reasonable price
- Weather-sealing
- An excellent option for the Nikon Z mount
In our review, we state:
I’ve genuinely got no doubt in my mind that the Nikon z9 is capable when using the Tamron 150-500mm f5-6.7. Birds are such small subjects, but the lens does a great job when using it in both DX and FX modes. Surely, it can do the same when photographing humans doing sports.
Tamron 90mm f2.8 Di III 1:1 VXD
Image provided to the Phoblographer by Tamron.
Here’s what you should know about this lens:
- Weather resistance
- It’s affordable
- Lightweight
- Fast autofocus
- Autofocus works down to the minimum focusing distance
- 12 aperture blades for really nice bokeh
In our review, we state:
As far as innovations go, Tamron’s 90mm f2.8 Di III VXD is the closest focusing option with the most aperture blades. They’re also providing weather resistance, fast autofocus, and an easy way to update the firmware for only $699. For several full-frame camera owners, this might be the only viable choice on the market.
Credit to: André Costantini for macro flower photography and Junichi Shimizu for portrait. Images provided to the Phoblographer by Tamron.
Using This Guide to The Best Affordable Lenses for Nikon Z Mount
If you’re considering purchasing anything from this list of the best affordable lenses for Nikon Z mount, know the following:
- This is a sponsored roundup, but any professional will tell you that Tamron makes the best lightweight zoom lenses for pros. The image quality, autofocus performance, price, and overall quality are unparalleled.
- This roundup is targeting photographers who shoot with full-frame cameras. Most professional photographers reach for those as it is.
- Originally, these lenses were available only for the Sony E mount. But that has since expanded to Nikon Z for a few key gems in this list. Perhaps more mounts will be covered in the future.
- Yes, these lenses focus just perfectly fine on Nikon camera bodies. They can also use all of the functionalities that Nikon cameras have. Some of these lenses have received firmware updates to do just that.
- Our Editor in Chief owns three Tamron lenses. In fact, they’re the only zoom lenses he owns, and he’s famous for never wanting to use zooms.
- All of these lenses offer some of the best weather resistance on the market.
- As time has passed, we’ve found that these lenses get better with age. With newer camera sensors, we’re finding little tidbits of character come out that we’re really enjoying. As it is, we’re artists first and not technical at all.
Picking the Right One For You
If you’re still a bit confused as to the right lens for you, here are some questions to ask yourself
- What’s your budget?
- How will you use the product?
- What lighting situations are you in, and how will that affect what you’re doing? Our reviews hyperlinked in this article can help with that.
- Are you traveling a lot with it?
- Will you be using it in a situation that’s a bit rougher?
- Who else uses this product? How are they using it?
- What’s so appealing about this product that I can’t get from what I have already or something else?
- When will I really have time to use this product?
- Where will I bring this product?
- How will this product help bring me joy and joy in my photography?
These are just a few of the questions that we ask ourselves, but we think that you should ask yourself these for sure.