Nikon D3300 Camera Review

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)