16 Best Nikon Lens For Sports

Are you looking for the best Nikon Lens for sports? Nikon is one of the premier names in the photography world, and its lenses are considered some of the best on the market. For many sports photographers, Nikon’s lenses are often their go-to equipment due to their sharpness, low distortion, and wide range of focal lengths.

When it comes to Nikon lenses for sports, there is a wide selection of models to choose from. From short telephoto lenses to long telephotos and zooms, Nikon lenses for sports can cover any and all sporting events. In this article, we’ll review the 16 of the best Nikon lenses for sports shooting, giving you the pros and cons of each lens along with our overall impressions.

1. Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Lens

The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor is one of the most popular telephoto lenses on the market for sports photography. It features fast and accurate autofocus, built-in VR image stabilization, and an incredibly sharp and clear image quality. Its constant f/2.8 aperture can help you to capture fast-moving action easily, while the deep depth of field helps you capture a larger scene in focus.

This is perfect for capturing tighter details of a larger sporting event. While this lens is slightly heavier than other lenses from Nikon, the image quality, telephoto zoom range, and fast aperture all make this lens a must-have for sports photographers.

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in VR image stabilization
• Sharp and clear image quality
• Constant f/2.8 aperture
• Deep depth of field

Cons

• Heavier than most other Nikon lenses
• Expensive price tag

2. Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Zoom Lens

The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR zoom lens is the perfect lens for sports and wildlife photography. This lens combines a massive telephoto range, fast and reliable autofocus, and impressive image quality into a compact and lightweight design. The wide-angle zoom range allows you to capture even the fastest action, while the VR image stabilization keeps your images sharp and blur-free.

The lens also features a protective fluorine coating to repel dirt, dust, and moisture, as well as a 9-blade aperture for beautiful bokeh. For sports and wildlife photographers, the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR zoom lens is the perfect choice.

Pros

• Massive telephoto range
• Fast and reliable autofocus
• High-quality image
• Compact and lightweight design
• Protective fluorine coating
• 9-blade aperture for beautiful bokeh

Cons

• Low maximum aperture of f/5.6
• Long minimum focusing distance

3. Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor is another great choice for sports and wildlife photographers. This lens offers a wide 4.9x zoom range, fast and accurate autofocus, and built-in image stabilization to ensure that your images are sharp and clear. This lens also features a 9-blade aperture for beautiful background blur and fast and silent focusing, making it perfect for shooting sports.

The lens is also weather-sealed to protect against dust and moisture, and it is surprisingly lightweight for its size. If you need a versatile and powerful telephoto lens for shooting sports, the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor is the perfect choice.

Pros

• Wide 4.9x zoom range
• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• 9-blade aperture for beautiful background blur
• Fast and silent focusing
• Weather-sealed to protect against dust and moisture
• Lightweight for its size

Cons

• Expensive
• Maximum aperture of f/5.6

4. Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR AF-S Nikkor Telephoto Lens

The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR AF-S Nikkor telephoto lens is a powerful and lightweight option for sports photographers. This lens features a fast and quiet focusing system, built-in image stabilization, and a 9-blade aperture for beautiful bokeh. The lens is also lightweight and portable, making it an excellent choice for those who don’t want to lug around a large and heavy lens.

The only downside to this lens is its high price tag, but if you’re willing to pay for it, you’ll get excellent image quality and a versatile telephoto lens.

Pros

• Fast and quiet focusing system
• Built-in image stabilization
• 9-blade aperture for beautiful bokeh
• Lightweight and portable

Cons

• Expensive

5. Nikon 24-120mm f/4G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon 24-120mm f/4G ED VR AF-S Nikkor is a great choice for sports photographers who need a versatile wide-angle to short telephoto lens. This lens features a fast and accurate autofocus system, built-in image stabilization, and a fast f/4 aperture. This wide range of focal lengths makes this lens perfect for capturing the bigger picture, while the excellent image quality keeps your images sharp and clear. The only downside to this lens is its relatively high price, but for those who can afford it, this lens offers a great combination of features and quality.

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Fast f/4 aperture
• Wide range of focal lengths
• Excellent image quality

Cons

• Relatively high price

6. Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR Zoom Lens

The Nikon 16-35mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR is a great choice for sports photographers who need a wide-angle lens. This versatile lens offers a wide range of focal lengths, fast and accurate autofocus, and built-in image stabilization. The wide f/4 aperture allows you to capture the faster action, and the superb image quality ensures that your images are sharp and clear.

The only downside is the relatively large and heavy size of this lens, but for those who need the wide angle, this lens offers excellent image quality and a fast aperture.

Pros

• Wide range of focal lengths
• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Wide f/4 aperture
• Superb image quality

Cons

• Relatively large and heavy size

7. Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor is one of the most popular telephoto lenses available, and it’s an excellent choice for sports photography. This lens combines a wide 4.3x zoom range with a fast and accurate autofocus system and built-in image stabilization.

The constant f/4.5-f/5.6 aperture ensures that you can capture fast action, while the superb image quality makes sure your images are sharp and clear. The only downside to this lens is its relatively large size and weight, but for those who need the telephoto range, it’s an excellent choice.

Pros

• Wide 4.3x zoom range
• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Constant f/4.5-f/5.6 aperture
• Superb image quality

Cons

• Relatively large size and weight

8. Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR AF-S Nikkor is an excellent choice for sports photographers who need a fast and versatile lens. This lens features fast and accurate autofocus, built-in image stabilization, and a wide f/2.8 aperture. The constant f/2.8 aperture allows you to capture fast action easily, while the deep depth of field gives you the flexibility to capture larger scenes in focus. The only downside is the relatively high price, but for those who can afford it, this lens is the perfect choice for shooting sports.

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Wide f/2.8 aperture
• Constant f/2.8 aperture
• Deep depth of field

Cons

• Relatively high price

9. Nikon 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Telephoto Lens

The Nikon 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor telephoto lens is one of the best Nikon lenses on the market for sports photography. This lens combines a fast and reliable autofocus system, built-in image stabilization, and a wide f/2.8 aperture into an incredibly sharp and clear image quality.

The deep depth of field allows you to capture larger scenes in focus, while the fast and silent focusing makes it easy to capture even the fastest action. Unfortunately, this lens is also expensive and relatively large and heavy for its size, but for those who need a fast telephoto lens for shooting sports, it’s an excellent choice.

Pros

• Fast and reliable autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Wide f/2.8 aperture
• Deep depth of field
• Fast and silent focusing

Cons

• Expensive
• Relatively large and heavy

10. Nikon 200mm f/2G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor Telephoto Lens

The Nikon 200mm f/2G ED VR II AF-S Nikkor telephoto lens is one of the best lenses on the market for sports photography. This lens offers fast and reliable autofocus, built-in image stabilization, and an incredibly sharp image quality. The wide f/2 aperture lets you capture fast action easily, while the deep depth of field allows you to capture larger scenes in focus. The only downside to this lens is its large size and weight, but for those who need the speed and image quality, this lens is an excellent choice.

Pros

• Fast and reliable autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Wide f/2 aperture
• Sharp image quality
• Deep depth of field

Cons

• Large size and weight

11. Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor Lens

The Nikon 85mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor is a great choice for sports photographers who need a fast prime lens. This lens features fast and reliable autofocus, a wide f/1.4 aperture, and an incredibly sharp image quality. The shallow depth of field helps you to isolate your subject from the background, while the wide aperture lets you capture fast action easily. The only downside to this lens is its relatively high price, but for those who can afford it, this lens is an excellent choice for shooting sports.

Pros

• Fast and reliable autofocus
• Wide f/1.4 aperture
• Sharp image quality
• Shallow depth of field

Cons

• Relatively high price

12. Nikon 70-180mm f/2.8E ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon 70-180mm f/2.8E ED VR AF-S Nikkor is an excellent choice for sports photographers who need a versatile telephoto lens. This lens features a wide 3x zoom range, fast and reliable autofocus, and built-in image stabilization. The constant f/2.8 aperture ensures that you can capture fast action easily, while the deep depth of field gives you the flexibility to capture larger scenes in focus. The lens is also surprisingly lightweight for its size, making it ideal for those who don’t want to lug around a large and heavy lens.

Pros

• Wide 3x zoom range
• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Constant f/2.8 aperture
• Deep depth of field
• Lightweight for its size

Cons

• Expensive

13. Nikon 600mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S Nikkor Telephoto Lens

The Nikon 600mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S Nikkor is one of the best telephoto lenses available for sports and wildlife photography. This lens features fast and accurate autofocus, built-in image stabilization, and an incredibly sharp image quality. The constant f/4 aperture ensures that you can capture fast action easily, while the deep depth of field allows you to capture larger scenes in focus. The only downside to this lens is its expensive price and large size and weight, but for those who can afford it, this lens is an excellent choice.

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Sharp image quality
• Constant f/4 aperture
• Deep depth of field

Cons

• Expensive
• Large size and weight

14. Nikon 500mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S Nikkor Telephoto Lens

The Nikon 500mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S Nikkor is a powerful and versatile lens for sports and wildlife photography. This lens features a fast and accurate autofocus, built-in image stabilization, and an incredibly sharp image quality. The constant f/4 aperture helps you capture fast action easily, while the deep depth of field allows you to capture larger scenes in focus.

The lens is also weather-sealed to protect against dust and moisture, and it is surprisingly lightweight for its size. If you need a powerful, fast, and versatile telephoto lens for shooting sports and wildlife, the Nikon 500mm f/4E FL ED VR AF-S Nikkor is a great choice.

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Sharp image quality
• Constant f/4 aperture
• Deep depth of field
• Weather-sealed to protect against dust and moisture
• Lightweight for its size

Cons

• Expensive

15. Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens

The Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S Nikkor is a great all-in-one lens for those who need a wide range of focal lengths for shooting sports. This lens features a wide 10.7x zoom range, fast and reliable autofocus, and built-in image stabilization. The constant f/3.5-f/5.6 aperture ensures that you can capture fast action, while the deep depth of field gives you the flexibility to capture larger scenes in focus. The only downside to this lens is its relatively large size and weight, but if you need the flexibility of a wide range of focal lengths, it’s an excellent choice.

Pros

• Wide 10.7x zoom range
• Fast and reliable autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Constant f/3.5-f/5.6 aperture
• Deep depth of field

Cons

• Relatively large size and weight

16. Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR AF-S Nikkor Telephoto Lens

The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR AF-S Nikkor is another great choice for sports and wildlife photographers. This lens features fast and accurate autofocus, built-in image stabilization, and a wide f/4 aperture. The constant f/4 aperture lets you capture fast action easily, while the deep depth of field gives you the flexibility to capture larger scenes in focus. The lens is also lightweight and portable, making it an ideal choice for those who don’t want to lug around a large and heavy lens.

Pros

• Fast and accurate autofocus
• Built-in image stabilization
• Wide f/4 aperture
• Constant f/4 aperture
• Deep depth of field
• Lightweight and portable

Cons

• Expensive

Final Thoughts On Best Nikon Lens For Sports

When it comes to Nikon lenses for sports, there is a wide selection of models to choose from. From short telephoto lenses to long telephotos and zooms, Nikon lenses for sports can cover any and all kinds of sporting events. In this article, we’ve reviewed the 16 of the best Nikon lenses for sports shooting, giving you the pros and cons of each lens along with our overall impressions. Whether you need a wide-angle lens for capturing the bigger picture or a fast telephoto lens for shooting fast action, there’s a Nikon lens for every sports photographer.