Nikon D3300 Camera
In the year 2014 at Consumer Electronics Show, one of the biggest camera announcements may well have been the little Nikon D3300 and its collapsible 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR II lens. It may not shoot 4K video or offer a curved LCD. Those shows are all about the tech trends. But it does represent the next generation of Nikon’s very popular entry-level DSLR line and that in itself is noteworthy.
At the bottom of Nikon’s entry-level series, the D3300 sits positioned as the friendliest of beginner-friendly DSLRs, just below the D5300. Don’t be fooled by their class bearing. Though both cameras use a powerful 24 MP APS-C sensor. Opting for the D3300 rather than the D5300 means living with a fixed 3.0-inch LCD, rather than one that’s fully articulated, and no built-in Wi-Fi.
Nikon D3300 key features
- 24.2 MP DX-format (APS-C) sensor
- Fixed 3.0″ 921k-dot LCD
- 5 fps continuous shooting
- 1080/60p HD video
- Expeed 4 processor
- 700 shot battery life
For many of D3200 gain over the previous model, the D3300’s Expeed 4 branded processor is responsible. This model gets an upgrade to 1080/60p video recording, an extra frame per second in burst mode. A higher ISO range up to 12800 and with 25600 expansion.
Specs comparison
The specs should be noted that the D3300 appears to give better battery performance than the D5300. Actually, they use the same EN-EL14a battery. The D5300’s lower claimed battery life reflects a calculation for use of the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi and GPS. The D3300 is well above its peers in terms of battery capacity by any measure. The differences between this model, its predecessor, and the step-up model are illustrated in the table below.
| Nikon D3300 | Nikon D3200 | Nikon D5300 | |
| Sensor | 24.2 MP DX format CMOS (23.5 x 15.6 mm) | 24.2 MP DX format CMOS (23.2 x 15.4 mm) | 24.2 MP DX format CMOS (23.5 x 15.6 mm) |
| Image processing | Expeed 4 | Expeed 3 | Expeed 4 |
| LCD | Fixed 3.0″ 921k-dot LCD | Fixed 3.0″ 921k-dot LCD | Vari-angle 3.2″ 1037k-dot LCD |
| AF system | 11-point (1 cross-type) | 11-point (1 cross-type) | 39-point (9 cross-type) |
| Viewfinder | 0.85x (95% coverage) | 0.80x (95% coverage) | 0.82x (95% coverage) |
| ISO range | 100-12800 (expansion to 25600) | 100-6400 (expansion to 12800) | 100-12800 (expansion to 25600) |
| Connectivity | With optional WU-1a Mobile Adapter | With optional WU-1a Mobile Adapter | Built-in |
| Video capture max. resolution | 1080 60p | 1080 30p | 1080 60p |
| Continuous shooting | 5 fps | 4 fps | 5 fps |
| Battery life | 700 shots | 540 shots | 600 shots |
| Dimensions | 124 x 98 x 76 mm (4.88 x 3.86 x 2.99″) | 125 x 96 x 77 mm (4.92 x 3.78 x 3.03″) | 125 x 98 x 76 mm (4.92 x 3.86 x 2.99″) |
| Weight | 460 g (16.23 oz) | 505 g (17.81 oz) | 530 g (18.70 oz) |
Very good high ISO performanceGood dynamic rangeExcellent image quality with lots of fine detail
- Good print quality
- 1080/60p video
- Deep buffers with JPEGs
- Uncompressed HDMI output.
CONS
- AF struggles in low-light
- Buffer depth is shallow with RAW files
- Contrast-detect AF in live view is slow
- No AE bracketing; No built-in Wi-Fi.
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