How do you choose between Nikon’s high-spec, affordable
entry-level DSLRs? Find out in our Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100
comparison.
But Nikon’s existing D3000-series beginners models will also continue for now. So how does the new Nikon D3300 compare vs the D3200 and D3100? In our Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100 comparison we examine 15 key specifications to see how they differ and how significant these differences are likely to be.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 01 Sensor
Nikon’s D3000-series cameras all use a DX format (APS-C size) sensor, but the resolution varies from one model to the next. The Nikon D3100 has an older 14.2-megapixel sensor which performs well enough, but is outshone by the 24.2-megapixel sensors in the D3200 and D3300.
If your technique is good and you print your pictures large, you will see the difference in the definition. 24 megapixels, incidentally, is the joint-highest resolution of any non full frame DSLR – at any price.
The Nikon D3300 adds another twist, though – Nikon has dropped the OLPF (Optical Low Pass Filter) in this model, which should mean that it reproduces ultra-fine detail and textures a little better than the D3200.
Optical Low Pass Filters are used to prevent interference (moire) effects when you’re photographing fine patterns, but Nikon has found that this is no longer a serious issue with its high-megapixel DSLR sensors.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 02 Processor
All digital SLRs use an internal image processing engine, and Nikon’s is called ‘Expeed’. The D3100 is the oldest model here and uses an older Expeed 2 processor, the Nikon D3200 uses Expeed 3 and the D3300 features Expeed 4. The processor has an impact on both high ISO noise reduction and continuous shooting capability.Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 03 Continuous shooting
The Nikon D3100 has a typical continuous shooting speed for a beginners camera of 3fps, but the D3200 offers 4fps – a useful gain.
But the Nikon D3300 is best of all, and able to shoot continuously at 5 frames per second. This is unusually fast for an entry-level camera and will make the Nikon D3300 better than the others for sports and action photography.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 04 ISO range
The newer Expeed processor in each model has an impact on the ISO range too. The D3100 is the worst here, offering a maximum ISO of 3,200.This can be increased to ISO 12,800 in Hi 2 mode, but the quality goes downhill. The D3200 is slightly better, with a normal ISO range of 100-6,400, again expandable to 12,800, but the D3300 shows a clear improvement over both, with a range of 100-12,800, expandable to ISO 25,600. This is very good for a beginner-level camera.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 05 Kit lens
This has identical optical specifications to its predecessor, but is narrower and, when retracted, much shorter. This changes the overall size of the camera/lens combination considerably. Nikon’s D3000-series camera bodies have always been very small, but somewhat let down by their ungainly and bulky kit lens.
But the new D3300’s retractable kit lens puts this right, and closes the size gap to SLR-style mirrorless cameras like the Olympus OM-D E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix G6. The dimensions tell the story.
The old lens measures 73mm across x 79mm long and weighs 265g. Nikon’s new retractable lens measures 59.5mm x 66mm and weighs just 195g.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 06 Autofocus
Interestingly, Nikon has stuck to the same Multi-CAM 1000 11-point AF sensor for all three cameras, presumably to avoid overlapping with cameras further up the range. It’s a competent but basic AF module, with a single cross-type AF point in the centre.Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 07 Shooting modes
In keeping with their beginner status, all three cameras come with Nikon’s Guide Mode, which walks you through the camera settings needed for particular kinds of photography.Interestingly, though, the Nikon D3300 adds an Effects setting to the mode dial. Previously only seen on the D5000-series cameras, these offer 13 different special effects including a ‘Pop’ super-saturated colour mode, a Toy Camera mode and for the first time on a Nikon DSLR a new Panorama mode – though while Nikon claims this produces ‘high-resolution’ images, they aren’t at the full resolution of the sensor itself.
It’s interesting that the Nikon D3300 appears to be encroaching on the territory of the D5000-series Nikon DSLRs, which are the next step up in the range.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 08 Movies
On the surface, these cameras appear pretty much the same – all of them offer a full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel movie mode. In fact, though, they’re not the same.What this means in practice is that in addition to regular movies, you can now shoot half-speed full-HD movies to create high-res slow-motion footage.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 09 LCD display
All three of these cameras come with a 3-inch LCD display, but the
one fitted to the Nikon D3100 is a low-resolution (by today’s standards)
230,000-dot screen.The big step came with the D3200, which has a 921K-dot LCD display, and this is much sharper and crisper than the D3100’s. The screen on the Nikon D3300 is the same as the D3200’s before it.
It’s a really good display, in fact, but fixed in place – it doesn’t flip out and rotate like the screens on Nikon’s D5000-series cameras. This isn’t really a surprise, since the articulating screen is one of the selling points of the D5000-series cameras, and Nikon wouldn’t want the D3300 to steal their thunder.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 10 Memory
All three have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card
slot, but Nikon quotes UHS-1 card compatibility for the Nikon D3200 and
D3300, which could prove an advantage for those shooting full HD movies
– though for regular stills photography, UHS-1 compatibility is not
really important.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 11 Wi-Fi
Nikon has only just starting building Wi-Fi capability into its cameras (the new Nikon D5300), but Wi-Fi capability has been available for a while in the form of the WU-1a adaptor. It’s small, inexpensive (£50/$60) and plugs into the camera’s accessory port.
It enables you to control the camera with your smartphone or tablet, transfer pictures and upload them to social networking and other sites from your smart device. It’s a really effective system, and cheap too. The Nikon D3200 and D3300 are both WU-1a compatible, but the D3100 is not.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 12 Battery
This new version offers a longer life between charges and is now used in the D3300 too, which can get 700 shots on a single charge, compared to the D3200’s 540 shots.
The D3100 can get 550 shots before it needs a recharge. Battery technology is might not be very exciting, but in this instance it does represent a very useful step forward.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 13 Dimensions
The D3200’s body is fractionally larger than the D3100’s by a millimetre or so in width and depth, while the Nikon D3300 body has shrunk slightly compared to the D3200’s, but the differences are so small as to be insignificant. All three are very compact and will feel more or less the same in the hand.The real difference is the new retractable 18-55mm lens supplied with the Nikon D3300. This dramatically reduces the overall size of the camera/lens combination, and this will make the Nikon D3300 feel quite different – in a good way!
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 14 Weight
The D3100 and D3200 bodies weigh the same, but Nikon has introduced a new ‘monocoque’ construction technique, first in the Nikon D5300 and now in the Nikon D3300. This results in a useful weight saving, and the D3300 is 45g lighter than its predecessors.This isn’t much on its own, but when you factor in the new retracting lens, which brings its own weight saving of 70g, the difference increases to 115g – so you really will notice it.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: 15 Price
As always with a brand new camera, the Nikon D3300 price tag is much higher than its predecessor’s, particularly since the older camera will always be discounted by this stage.There is a large price differential between the D3300 and the D3200 now, just as there was between the D3200 and the Nikon D3100 when the Nikon D3200 was launched. This gap will close, but perhaps not for a few months.
Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100: Our conclusion
At first sight, the D3300 looks like a very small upgrade over the D3200, but as is often the case with Nikon launches, there are lots of small changes which add up.The resolution is the same, but the removal of the Optical Low Pass Filter promises slightly improved fine detail rendition, the Expeed 4 processor brings a one-stop improvement in the ISO range and a 1fps boost in continuous shooting speed, and the new camera has an Effects mode previously found only on the more expensive D5000-series Nikons.
Perhaps most important of all, though, is the retracting kit lens. The D3300 is a little lighter than the D3200 and D3100, but the new lens slashes the overall package’s weight and size. The D3300 will feel like a very different camera compared to the other two.
Until the prices fall, though, it’s not the best value. That award has to go to the D3200, which offers a resolution unbeaten by any other APS-C format DSLR but also boasts a budget price tag.
The Nikon D3100 is cheaper still, but uses older sensor technology and can’t match the D3200’s speed and ISO range, and the saving hardly seems worth it.
Source: www.digitalcameraworld.com
