In an earlier discussion, I mentioned the best portrait lenses you could buy for your D850. In this discussion, I will list the best lenses you could buy for your D850. I am not going to limit myself to one or two genres. Instead, I will pick the best lenses across several different genres.
First up is the standard prime. The toss-up is between the 35mm and the 50mm prime. I am a little biased in this regard. I love the 50mm prime more than the 35mm. It has been my favorite focal length since I picked up the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. Though I now sparingly use that lens, the focal length has remained one of my favorites. However, I must also add that the 35mm is more versatile than the 50mm. You can use the 35mm for shooting landscapes, street photography, weddings, and other genres. The 50m is a better choice for portraits and an excellent lens for street photography. Although they’re both excellent lenses, I am leaning toward the 50mm. You can, however, pick both lenses and try them out before making up your mind.
Regarding telephoto zooms, I prefer the 70-200mm any day. I prefer the f/2.8 version. There is an f/4 version available too. It costs much less than the f/2.8 version and is cheaper if you don’t need the extra one-stop light.
The 70-200mm is practical, serves many photography needs, and is excellent for shooting specific genres such as weddings, portraits, fashion, and headshots. Plus, the lens’s compatibility with a bunch of teleconverters means this lens can be used as a wildlife and birding lens. You will lose up to 2 stops of light with the TC-20E III, but the effective focal length will become 140-400mm. You can easily use this lens for jungle safaris and birding outings.
I pick the Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED among the macro lenses. This lens offers 1:1 magnification of small subjects from a minimum working distance of 31.4 cm. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8, Nano crystal coating, and Super integrated coating. The lens is compatible with the focus-shift feature that the D850 comes with and therefore is a great lens to boot. This feature makes it easier for the camera to make a range of images by adjusting the focusing distance between them. These images can then be used to create a single image with a vast depth of field. This is useful for macro photography.
