Best wildlife lens for Nikon D7200

Choosing the right lens for wildlife photography is crucial and can be a daunting task given the potential cost. Considering factors like budget, weight, and image quality this article helps with selecting the best pairing for the best wildlife lens for the Nikon D7200.

Wildlife photography

Wildlife is a genre of photography which can be highly rewarding and addictive. However, to get started you will need a suitable lens for best results. The gear used by professional photographers can put you off due to the size and cost. The good news is that cheaper options exist which are perfect for the Nikon D7200, enabling great results.

Although this is the case for most types of photography, it’s recommended that you invest more in the lens as opposed to the camera. Fast focusing, high frame rate and high-resolution camera sensors within high-end cameras can all help. But they come at a cost and it’s better to invest in a longer focal length lens with the widest aperture you can afford, before investing in camera upgrades. Within your photography, you will find the lens is a game changer in comparison to the camera body.

I’ve found the D7200 to work great for wildlife. The relatively fast 51 focus point focusing system is a significant upgrade when compared to entry-level DSLR cameras. The 5-6 frames per second frame rate, which may not be up with mirrorless cameras still allows for capturing action. The 24.2MP CMOS sensor is also fairly high resolution, allowing you to crop in significantly, often needed for wildlife photography. 

Full frame vs. Crop sensor cameras

Crop sensor cameras have a significant advantage for wildlife photography on a budget, as the crop factor is 1.5x-1.6x. This increases the effective focal length allowing greater reach with a shorter focal length smaller and lighter lens. Nikon crop sensor cameras such as the D7200 and D7500 have a 1.5x crop factor. This means that a 300mm lens would offer a full-frame equivalent focal length of 450mm on the D7200. This extra reach makes the combination an excellent choice for wildlife photography where you may be far from your subject.

Although professionals typically use full-frame sensor camera bodies, to achieve the same reach as a crop sensor body a much larger and more expensive lens would be required.

Read more in this article about whether a crop sensor or full frame sensor camera best for you?

Because DLSR camera systems have been around for a while, a wide range of lenses are available, and also available second-hand for attractive prices. If you decide to invest in full-frame coverage lenses (FX), these are fully compatible with your Nikon D7200 (DX) camera. These FX lenses will also be compatible with a full-frame camera if you switch. The reverse is not possible, e.g. DX compatible lenses will not work on full-frame cameras, unless they’re used in crop mode, which reduces the resolution, somewhat defeating the purpose of investing in a high-resolution sensor full-frame camera body.

Overall the Nikon D7200 is an excellent camera body for wildlife photography when paired with the right lenses.

Lens choices – Best wildlife lens for Nikon D7200

Now, let’s get into lens choice. This is what is between your subject and your camera, and therefore acts as a critical part of the photography process. 

First, the importance of light, without light, photography is not possible. Wide aperture lenses have a wider opening and allow more light through the lens to the sensor. When considering the exposure triangle a wider aperture allows for increased shutter speeds or lower ISO. These contribute to ensuring sharp photos without motion blur and also with reduced noise.

Narrow aperture (higher f/stop) lenses let in less light, typically leading to higher ISO requirements to maintain shutter speeds, especially in low light. Although full-frame camera sensors typically offer better low-light performance and dynamic range, the Nikon D7200 fares well against other crop sensor cameras. DXOMARK is a great website to compare cameras and lenses in terms of performance, but don’t get too sucked into the numbers! 

Telephoto, super-zoom and super-telephoto lens options 

Zoom lenses come with a variety of focal lengths

• Super zoom: 10×-18× (For example: 16-300mm = 18.75x)
• Medium telephoto: 70-100mm
• Telephoto: 100-300mm
• Super telephoto: 300-600mm

The chart below summarises the cost and weight of the above lens types, ordered by ascending cost, left to right.

The cheapest and lightest lens options are only for DX (Crop sensor cameras) which include the Nikon D7200. Although these max out at 300-400mm focal lengths, when paired with the 1.5x crop factor of the D7200 crop sensor this increases the maximum reach to an effective focal length of 450 to 600mm.

The disadvantages of these lenses are the narrower aperture, chromatic aberration and reduction in sharpness. However, in good light, the narrower aperture is less of an issue, and chromatic aberration can be corrected during post-processing in programs such as Lightroom. Unless you’re closely inspecting images at high magnification the sharpness reduction may not be an issue for most people. By stopping down these lenses to a narrower aperture such as f/8 sharpness and image quality can be improved, if you have enough light to allow this. 

Superzoom

For me, the Tamron 16-300mm is a good choice paired with my Nikon D7200, especially given the affordable price and zoom range which makes this a highly versatile lens for DX-format cameras. The in-built VR (Vibration Reduction) allows lower shutter speeds and ISO.

I find that because the lens is so light and compact, I can take it out with me more often, which increases the chances of capturing great photos of the wildlife in my area and when we’re on our travels to more exotic locations.  This is why it’s one of the best lenses for travel photography. Although wide aperture and long focal length lenses may be great lenses for wildlife, they are not always a practical option in certain scenarios.

Telephoto

Unlike superzoom lenses telephoto lenses start at a longer focal length, for example, 70mm as shown in the options below. If you’re unlikely to need wide focal lengths for other genres of photography, then these lenses are worth investigating. A f/4.5-6.3 and f/4.5-5.6 options are listed below

To summarise, within these lens categories

Lens Brand	DX or FX	Focal range, mm	Aperture range, f/	Weight /Cost	Second-hand cost	Key points
Tamron	DX	16-300	3.5-6.3	0.54kg £499	£249	Wide focal range
Nikon	DX	18-300	3.5-6.3	0.55kg £625	£349	Not as wide as 16mm option
Sigma	DX	18-300	3.5-6.3	0.58kg n/a	£269	Cheaper 2nd hand than Nikon
Tamron	DX	18-400	3.5-6.3	0.71kg £699	£469	Very wide focal range, to 400mm
Nikon	FX	28-300	3.5-5.6	0.80kg n/a	£489	A couple of mm higher at the wide end than 16mm option
Nikon	DX	70-300	4.5-6.3	0.40kg £299	£139	Lightweight & cheap
Nikon	FX	70-300	4.5-5.6	0.74kg £629	£199	f/5.6, FX & DX compatible

Super telephoto

Super telephoto are longer lens options which extend past 300mm.

The chart shown above shows that wider apertures and longer focal length lens options from 400-600mm come at a higher cost and weight (right-hand side of the chart). Comparing super telephoto options the heaviest have an aperture of f/5.6. The only exception to the above is the broad focal range Nikon 80-400mm f/5.6, this comes at a reduced weight, but with a significant cost penalty. 

Super telephoto lenses not only have impressive reach, but the focal range also allows for flexibility in terms of framing.

Cost of aperture & prime lenses

In general, wider aperture lenses are larger, heavier and cost more. However, they also provide best-in-class image quality, sharpness and typically faster focus performance, especially in prime lenses. The reason wide aperture lenses are larger is because let in more light to the sensor, this physically requires a larger front element and lens construction. More glass and a larger lens then lead to increased weight.

The table below summarises the difference in cost and weight of the NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 compared to the f/4 version. One extra stop of light costs an additional £4700 and 2.1kg!

Lens	Aperture	Cost	Weight
NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR	f/4	£1,679	755g
NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II	f/2.8	£6,299	2900g
Difference for f/2.8	+One full stop of light	+£4,620	+2145g

Second-hand lenses

A great way to get a top-of-the-range lens is to buy it second-hand. Often companies such as MPB and Park Cameras provide a warranty for peace of mind. Photos of the actual product you are buying and a great overview of the condition are also included which can help you make a decision.

Typically cosmetic wear, for example, scratches and dust within the lens do not impact the functionality of the lens. Many people are always selling their gear, which means there is always a wide selection of lenses to choose from.

The chart below compares the cost as new (blue) with an indication of the second-hand price of the best-condition lenses available on MPB in February 2024 (yellow). The chart shows that second-hand options can be less than half the cost of a new lens.

It’s well worth considering second-hand gear when looking to upgrade your gear.

Long focal length prime lenses

These are the top-of-the-range options for image quality, sharpness and focus speed and are extremely popular with wildlife photographers for good reason. They typically have wider apertures bringing improved low light performance at times of the day which are often best for capturing wildlife such as the early morning or late evening. 

The price range of these lenses may not always make them a suitable choice, but if you choose to invest you are sure to get a high-build quality game changer of a wildlife photography lens. These are capable of producing top-class overall image quality

The chart below shows all the lenses described in this article, but also includes long focal length prime lenses at 300mm or longer.

It’s clear that the cost of these lenses far exceeds the zoom lens options, whether that is superzoom, telephoto or super telephoto, however, the weights are often lower, especially when comparing the same aperture.

A few lenses are worth a specific mention:

• Nikon 400mm f/4 – This when paired with a crop sensor camera such as the D7200 or D500 can be one of the ultimate handheld wildlife gear combinations with an effective focal length of 450mm.
• Nikon 500mm f/5.6 – When comparing the weight of this in comparison to the Nikon, Tamron and Sigma options with 500-600mm the 500mm f/5.6 PF comes in lighter and therefore easier to handhold. Although the cost is significant, second-hand options can be almost half the cost. When paired with the D7200 this gives a huge reach of 750mm! In my opinion, this is one of the best prime lens options and is something I have my eye on.

f/2.8 or f/4 options add significant cost and weight, as previously discussed and shown in the chart above.

Best wildlife lens for Nikon D7200 – Final Recommendations

• Affordable and compact: Tamron 16-300mm or 18-400mm (superzoom), Nikon 70-300mm (telephoto).
• Enthusiast: Nikon 200-500mm or Tamron 150-600mm (super-telephoto)
• Professional or larger budget: 500mm f/5.6 (prime)

Of course, the right lens for you depends on your budget and individual needs but this article should help to guide you on possibilities.