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6 Best Nikon Lens for Bokeh [2023 Review]

In: 
Published: 15/06/2021

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Many photos can be instantly enhanced by the presence of soft, creamy bokeh, which contrasts brilliantly with the clarity of the subject in the foreground. If you've been attempting to capture those dreamy, out-of-focus orbs in your shots, you'll need to invest in the best Nikon lens for Bokeh.

My Top Nikon Bokeh Lens Reviews

When it comes to getting the perfect blurred-out image, a good bokeh lens is a must. In this article, we’ll go over my choices for the best Nikon Bokeh lens and see how they perform, compared to each other.

 
Brand:
Nikkor 24mm f/1.4
 
Brand:
Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G
 
Brand:
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Lens Type:
Wide Angle
Lens Type:
Wide Angle
Lens Type:
Standard
Item Weight:
1.37 pounds
Item Weight:
1.32 pounds
Item Weight:
6.53 ounces
4.3
4.6
4.8
Brand:
Nikkor 24mm f/1.4
Lens Type:
Wide Angle
Item Weight:
1.37 pounds
4.3
Brand:
Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G
Lens Type:
Wide Angle
Item Weight:
1.32 pounds
4.6
Brand:
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Lens Type:
Standard
Item Weight:
6.53 ounces
4.8

Here's a quick recap of my top recommended Nikon Bokeh lens listed in this article. In this table, I've also included an overview of their top features.

ProductFocal LengthMaximum ApertureItem Weight (Pounds)
Nikkor 24mm f/1.424mmf/1.41.37
Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G35mmf/1.41.32
Nikkor 105mm f/2.8105mmf/2.81.74
Nikkor 50mm f/1.850mmf/1.80.40
NIKON 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G 24-85mmf/3.5-4.51.07
Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.510-24mmf/3.5-4.50.97

Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 

Although the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 is a wide-angle lens, the tiny depth of field of f/1.4 produces a pleasing bokeh. Although the bokeh quality isn't as outstanding as other Nikon portrait lenses like the Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G, it's still great for real estate photography.

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G

Nikon understands that photographers who use this lens anticipate high dimensional quality, which means that the subject and background appear to be separated. The 24mm f/1.4 has proved to produce great bokeh, which is the factor that gives photographers this favored effect. 

At any aperture, the 9 rounded aperture blades aid in keeping the contour of the background highlights round, full, and without outlining. 

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G
4.3
Pros:
  • Great, crisp image quality
  • There’s coverage of the entire frame
Cons:
  • At a wide aperture, the corners are too dim unlike the Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G
  • There is some barrel distortion visible
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Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G

The NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G is a great wide-angle lens that is ideal for real estate photography. Its fast f/1.4 maximum aperture is perfect in poor ambient light and allows you more flexibility of depth of field when subjects are separated.

Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G

When it comes to bokeh, the Nikon 35mm produces an excellent result. Bokeh isn't as attractive when the lens is wide open, with some harsher highlights, but slowing down to f/2.0, it considerably enhances bokeh. 

Likewise, the backdrop highlights appear extremely clean and smooth at f/2.8 and beyond. However; the lens is significantly larger and heavier than other options in my list hence difficult to carry around.

Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.4G
4.6
Pros:
  • An excellent crispness in the center
  • A large aperture collects a large amount of light as opposed to the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 which is worse in low light conditions
Cons:
  • At larger apertures, there is some edge softening
  • Different from the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8, there is a slight barrel distortion
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Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

The Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 is a basic standard prime with a brilliant maximum aperture and light construction. The 50mm focal length, which corresponds to the natural field of vision, is ideal to create the perfect bokeh.

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8

The AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G is a lens that will take your breath away. With a 50mm focal length and a fast f/1.8 aperture, you can create spectacular photographs with a narrow depth-of-field, allowing your subjects to stand out against their surroundings.

The only thing to keep in mind is that the lens suffers from focus shift, unlike the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 which has no spherical aberration.

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8
4.8
Pros:
  • Its performance in poor lighting situations is impressive
  • It is the most lightweight on my list, making it convenient for carrying.
Cons:
  • It lacks the image stabilization function
  • The lack of zoom capabilities limits its versatility
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Nikkor 105mm f/2.8

The Nikon 105mm f/2.8 is one of the best macro lenses for bokeh. Its 9 rounded aperture blades make it very smooth, and it's a very strong and well-built lens.

Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G

It generates a stunning artistic background blur, or bokeh when shot wide open at f/2.8—gentle, soft, and circular with no obvious boundaries and no "onion rings" or spirals. 

The only possible disadvantage until now has been that this lens is much larger and heavier hence difficult to carry it around.

Best Overall
Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G
4.7
Pros:
  • Blurred shots are avoided thanks to image stabilization.
  • The extra-low dispersion lens element reduces lens faults and improves image quality
  • In comparison to Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, it reduces vibration better
Cons:
  • The lens is somewhat heavier than other models like the NIKON 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G making it a challenge to carry it around
  • The short working distance for 1:1 photography
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Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G 

With a plastic casing and a metal mount, the Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G boasts a sturdy build. It is lighter than the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 at 16 ounces. Because of its lightweight structure and tiny size, it works well with all Nikon DSLRs.

Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5

The Nikon 24-85 mm has seven rounded blades in its aperture, resulting in a subtle out-of-focus effect. Despite the seven rounded aperture blades, the bokeh of this lens is great. The bokeh is smooth only at 85 mm focal length and full aperture.

The disadvantage of this lens is that it has obvious vignetting when used wide open at 24 mm and some distortion that may be seen when capturing photos.

Nikon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5
4.5
Pros:
  • The image stabilization mechanism eliminates the camera shake effect.
  • It can shoot in harsh lighting with less flare and ghosting.
Cons:
  • Its performance in backlit conditions is less appealing.
  • It produces less appealing bokeh than the Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8-4.
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Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 has an autofocus technology that is very precise and fast. A rounded seven-blade diaphragm helps with the lens’s excellent bokeh quality. When shooting at higher shutter speed rates, an electromagnetic diaphragm is used for more accurate and realistic exposure control.

Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II

When you are shooting wide open in low light conditions, the lens has a slight slowdown in sharpness. When also shooting at wide apertures, there is also some distortion and vignetting.

Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di-II
4.4
Pros:
  • You can focus on your subject steadily and effectively thanks to the quick autofocus motor
  • Unlike the Nikkor Z 14-30mm F/4S, its image stabilization feature allows you to snap sharp shots of static subjects at lower speeds
Cons:
  • When photographing in low light, the BBAR coating lowers lens errors
  • Has slow autofocus compared to Nikkor Z 24-50mm f/2.8S which offers fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus
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Conclusion

A Nikon bokeh lens is a great method to give your photos a dreamy vibe. By adding bokeh to your images, it creates a well-balanced background while allowing the topic to shine out more. I hope that reading the descriptions of my favorite lenses will be useful in deciding which one is right for you.

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