These are the best Nikon wide-angle lenses, chosen for how they deliver rectilinear calm, corner-to-corner acuity, clean color, and confident handling across modern Z bodies and adaptable F-mount classics—perfect for landscapes, architecture, interiors, cityscapes, astro, and travel. Wide work is about geometry and flare control: optics that keep lines honest, coatings that hold contrast with sun or neon in frame, close focus for foreground anchors, and barrels—quiet AF or silky manual—that balance well on gimbals and tripods while taking filters without fuss. On Z full-frame, anchor with the NIKKOR Z 14–30mm f/4 S for rectilinear coverage and standard screw-in filters (a unicorn at 14mm), add the Z 17–28mm f/2.8 when you want speed for interiors and night streets, and the Z 20mm f/1.8 S for prime-grade sharpness and astro-friendly corners; Z 24mm f/1.8 S is the blue-hour workhorse for environmental portraits and city scenes, while the Z 28mm f/2.8 and Z 26mm f/2.8 give pocketable, flare-disciplined travel wides. For versatile one-lens trips, the Z 24–70mm f/4 S stays clean at the wide end and intercuts beautifully with S primes; when you need the widest rectilinear look period, third-party Z-mount 11–18mm f/2.8 (DX) or adapted Laowa/Sigma/Tamron options fill specialty gaps. DX shooters should grab the Z DX 12–28mm f/3.5–5.6 PZ VR—sharp, stabilized, power-zoom for video—and the tiny Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR, which is surprisingly crisp at 16mm for travel and vlogging; add a fast DX prime or Viltrox 23/33mm f/1.4 for low light. Adapting F glass via FTZ unlocks legends: AF-S 14–24mm f/2.8G is the classic ultra-wide with signature sharpness for night cityscapes (use a square filter kit), AF-S 16–35mm f/4G VR brings filters and VR for handheld dusk shooting, AF-S 18–35mm f/3.5–4.5G is a featherweight, budget-friendly landscape zoom, and primes like the AF-S 20mm f/1.8G, AF-S 24mm f/1.8G, and AF-S 28mm f/1.8G pair speed with tidy edges and neutral color; value sleepers include the AF-P DX 10–20mm f/4.5–5.6 VR for rectilinear interiors on DSLR/DX with effective stabilization, and the Tokina 11–16mm f/2.8 or Sigma 10–20mm as used-market bargains. For character and specialty, Laowa’s Zero-D primes (9/11/12/15/20 shift) offer straight-line discipline and filter-friendly fronts, the Laowa 15mm f/4.5 Zero-D Shift and 20mm f/4 Zero-D Shift add perspective control for architecture, and the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 (or MF 14/2.8 Z) remains a budget astro/interiors option with modern coatings; for ultra-compact travel, look to TTArtisan/7Artisans pancakes (Z 11mm/10mm class on DX) that balance beautifully on gimbals. Image priorities that make these “best” in practice are consistent: low distortion or easy-to-profile mapping, restrained lateral CA so window frames and branches stay clean, flare resistance for sunstars and neon, close-focus distances that invite bold foregrounds, and sensible front diameters for simple CPL/ND workflows; for video, favor lenses with modest breathing (Z S-line) and quiet AF, and on Z bodies let IBIS smooth handheld walk-throughs. Technique turns good glass great—level the camera before minor keystone tweaks, shoot f/5.6–f/8 for peak acuity (stack focus rather than stopping past ~f/11), standardize a slim CPL to tame water/stone glare (use sparingly to avoid patchy skies), pack a 3–6 stop ND for silky water/cloud motion, and lock exposure/white balance for stitches; for astro, start around f/1.8–f/2.8 at 15–25s by the NPF rule and micro-back off infinity after a “hard stop” check with magnified live view. A practical kit recipe is simple: on Z FX, run 14–30/4 S for filterable ultrawide and add 20/1.8 S (plus 24/1.8 S) for night speed; if you want faster zooms, pair 17–28/2.8 with 28–75/2.8 for a light f/2.8 spine; on Z DX, carry 12–28 PZ VR for video + travel and keep 16–50 VR for everyday; via FTZ, build 16–35/4 VR + 20/1.8G (or 14–24/2.8G + square filters) for a budget FF ultrawide kit. Whether you’re straightening glass-and-steel skylines, threading tight historic interiors, layering seascapes at dawn, or filming handheld walk-throughs, the best Nikon wide-angle lenses deliver the geometry, flare discipline, and portable handling that make big scenes read elegant, immersive, and intentional straight out of camera.