Nikon's entry-level DSLR loses its anti-aliasing filter for more detail than ever before
"A fantastic entry-level camera with superb detail reproduction and a decent kit-lens to boot."
For
High pixel count
No optical low-pass filter
Excellent Guide Mode
Easy to use
Against
Fixed LCD
Screen not touch-sensitive
Few direct controls
Manufacturers
generally update their entry-level cameras with greater frequency with
those at the top of the line, since they're keen to capture that
lucrative first-time buyer. Although these cameras are far cheaper than
the professional ones at the top of the range, by snagging a customer at
this stage in the buying cycle you're often guaranteed long-time
loyalty in terms of buying accessories such as lenses, and eventually, a
more advanced body.
Whenever I'm asked for an entry-level DSLR recommendation, those at the bottom of Nikon's range always spring to mind. The Nikon D3200, which I reviewed back in 2012 was an excellent performer and its easy handling made it the ideal choice for beginners. The
D3300 looks set to be another good choice for beginners. It offers the
same 24.2 million-pixel count as the D3200, but omits the optical
low-pass filter over the sensor and should therefore capture sharper,
more detailed images. Removing the anti-aliasing filter
is something we've seen mainly on professional and enthusiast level
cameras until now. Removing it increases the chance of moiré patterning
appearing on some images – usually when you photograph something with
repeating or close patterns. Enthusiasts and pros don't usually have a
problem with removing such patterning in post-processing, but it's
interesting that Nikon should choose this design for an entry-level
model, or, customers who are less likely to use image-editing software
to perform such tasks. Nikon claims that a high pixel
count, such as found on the D3300, almost eliminates the risk of such
patterning occurring, so it will be interesting to see if we can find
any examples of it in images straight from the camera.
The D3300 has many updated featuresAlong
with the sensor redesign, Nikon has also improved the user interface as
well as the Guide Mode, to give it more functionality and make it a
little cleaner in appearance. Like the Nikon D5300,
the D3300 has the manufacturer's latest generation processing engine:
EXPEED 4. This allows the new camera to shoot continuously at a maximum
rate of 5fps up to 100 fine quality JPEGs. In addition,
the native sensitivity range runs from ISO 100 to 12,800 and there's an
expansion setting that takes it to the equivalent of ISO 25,600.
Provided that noise is controlled to Nikon's usual standard, this should
mean that the D3300 performs better in low light than its predecessor,
making it more versatile.
The
EXPEED 4 processing engine is also responsible for allowing the D3300
to record Full HD movie footage at framerates up to 50p/60p and with
continuous autofocus. Helpfully, there's a microphone port as well as a
built-in stereo mic for better sound recording during movie shooting. Like
the D5300, the D3200 has a Special Effects mode that allows a
collection of styles to be applied to JPEG images and video. Nikon has
boosted the list of effects to 13 and it now includes Pop, which
increases colour saturation, Toy Camera, which creates a retro effect,
and Easy Panorama. These effects can be previewed in real time on the
LCD screen. The D3300 has a dedicated 420-pixel RGB
sensor to gather exposure, white balance and focus information to inform
the Automatic Scene Recognition system. Meanwhile, there's an 11-point
AF system, which has a central cross-type AF point for extra
sensitivity. Finally, although the D3300 uses the same
battery as the D3200, we are told that the new processing engine allows
the camera to be more efficient in its power consumption, and the
battery is claimed to last for around 700 shots – we'll be keen to put
that claim to the test during our review.
Performance
We were big fans of both the D3200 and the D3100,
so we had pretty high hopes that the D3300 would continue this
impressive line-up. Nikon entry-level cameras offer a lot for the cash,
and the D3300 is no different in that respect. The big
difference between this camera and its predecessor is the removal of the
anti-aliasing filter, which has been done to improve detail resolution.
As expected, the D3300 has excellent resolving power, zooming in to
images to 100% reveals that very fine details can be seen. Happily,
we've not come across any examples of moiré patterning when shooting
stills, suggesting Nikon's claim that a high pixel count presents less
of a problem for AA filter-less cameras is accurate. Our
labs data indicates that the camera performs better than its
predecessors in our resolution test – you can see a full set of charts
on the next page.
Noise is well controlledWith
such a high pixel count (24 million pixels), there comes the increased
chance of noise appearing in images. The D3300, like the D3200, handles
low light, high sensitivity situations very well. Noise only really
starts to become particularly apparent when shooting at ISO 3200 above,
and even then it's acceptable, or certainly preferable to a blurred or
missed shot.
Examining images at 100% reveals that detail is kept
well, while our lab charts indicate that the D3300 favours detail
reproduction over noise reduction, something which is borne out in real
world shots, but not to the extent that shots become unacceptably noisy.
Again you can read in-depth analysis from our labs testing on the next
pages. Image smoothing is something that can be seen
right the way through the sensitivity run, but at the lower end of the
spectrum it's not particularly noticeable, only when examining images
very closely at 100% does it become apparent. When printing at normal
sizes, such as A4, or sharing online, it doesn't present a problem. One
of the benefits of having a large pixel count is the ability to crop
images and still retain a decent resolution, but this is something to
bear in mind if you've been shooting at a high sensitivity and want to
crop an image. Any image smoothing or noise may become more apparent the
more you crop the image.
Metering
In the
majority of everyday shooting conditions, the D3300's general-purpose
metering does a good job of producing accurate exposures. I did find,
however, that the camera can get confused if you're shooting something
with very high contrast – for instance a bright sign in otherwise dark
conditions. It's not particularly surprising, and switching to spot
metering or dialling in some exposure compensation helps to reduce this.
If you shoot in raw, you've also got the option to alter the exposure
in post-production, with raw format files containing plenty of detail
for you to work with. Automatic white balance is
similarly impressive, managing to produce accurate colours even while
shooting indoors. The only time I had to change from the automatic
setting was when shooting a row of red outdoor lights, when the camera
got a little confused and produced a slightly colder colour than I would
have liked. Otherwise, shooting under normal household artificial
lights produces images which are very close to accurate, hardly erring
towards warm tones at all, which is excellent to see in a beginner
camera.
Autofocus
Autofocusing speeds are pretty
high, especially in daylight or well-lit conditions. It's rare for the
kit lens to hunt around to acquire focus, and rarer still for it to
present a false confirmation of focus. Speeds do drop a little in lower
light conditions, but it's only when it gets very dark that the lens
struggles to focus at all. It's worth bearing in mind, though, that
focusing speeds drop significantly when using Live View, so it's only
really recommended you use that if you're shooting something stationery,
or you're shooting from an awkward angle and can't compose using the
viewfinder. The new kit lens is a decent performer to
get you started with. Its focal length range is good for a variety of
general situations, while it is capable of producing sharp images. By
shooting at a mid-range aperture of around f/8 we can assess the
sharpness of the lens across the frame, and in this respect, the lens
puts in a good performance. A good suggestion for a next lens would be a
50mm f/1.8, which would be handy in lower light conditions, and for
shooting portraits. I was very impressed by the D3300's
battery performance. After a day of shooting, checking images and then
scrolling through saved images, the battery life indicator hadn't even
dropped a single bar. Nikon's claim of around 700 shots per charge seems
about accurate and makes it an excellent camera for holidays, family
outings and other times where you don't want to worry about conserving
the battery life.
At normal printing and web sizes, this image, shot at
ISO 1600, appears fine, but if you zoom in to 100%, you can see a fair
amount of color noise int he sky. The D3300 seems to prioritize keeping
detail over noise reduction, so this is to be expected in certain
situations.
Click here to see the full resolution image The
camera's automatic white balance setting copes extremely well, even
under artificial lighting conditions, which is nice to see.
Click here to see the full resolution image The
18-55mm lens offers flexible focal length options, making it ideal for
shooting a number of different situations. This was shot at the maximum
telephoto end of the optic.
Click here to see the full resolution image Colour
reproduction is excellent, even when shooting subjects which may
ordinarily confuse other cameras, such as neon lighting.
Click here to see the full resolution image In
this scene, all-purpose metering was a little thrown by the mixed
lighting conditions, so I needed to dial in +1 exposure to produce a
more balanced image.
Verdict
Nikon continues to impress in this segment of the market.
While the entry-level area may not seem like the most lucrative, hooking
somebody in at the beginning of a buying career is key to long-term
sales, so it's no surprise that companies such as Nikon pull out all the
stops here. You get a lot of seriously good kit for
your money. For starters, there's the 24 million-pixel sensor which,
with its AA filter-less design, is capable of producing more detail than
the previous version of the camera, and gives beginner users who are
short on lenses the double benefit of being able to crop into the scene
for extra reach if needed.
The
new 18-55mm kit lens collapses down to give you extra room in your bag,
and while it still doesn't make the camera small compared to the likes
of compact system cameras, it's an appreciated small touch which could
make a big enough difference to sway you towards this model if size is a
factor.
Updating the user interface to give it a crisp and clean
look is also a smart move – most of the other manufacturers have stuck
with the same UI for some time now, and some are starting to look a
little dated. The Guide Mode continues to be something which makes this
camera appealing to novice users as well, not having to dig out the
manual or search online for help is especially useful when you're out
shooting with the camera and get a little stuck. It's a
bit of a shame that this camera doesn't have inbuilt Wi-Fi connectivity,
as this would probably have been even more enticing to beginner users
who are used to sharing their shots instantly from smartphones. There's
also no touch or articulating screen, which is perhaps to be expected at
this price point, but does make some of the entry-level compact system
cameras which do offer this functionality all the more appealing. Nikon
is of course constantly waging a war with its greatest enemy, Canon. By
comparison to the D3300 though, Canon's latest introduction into this
segment, the EOS 1200D, seems a little lacklustre. Although
of course Nikon would like you to spend additional money on extra
lenses for your camera, the fact that you can crop and still retain a
decent image size is a bonus for those that don't have the readies to
fork out for extra optics. That said, this camera is more expensive than the newly announced Canon 1200D,
and, although it arguably offers more value for money in terms of the
features included, that's not necessarily something that the
cash-strapped will be thinking about. Hopefully the price will drop in
the next few months to keep up with those kinds of customers.
We liked
Once
again, Nikon has produced an excellent entry-level camera which novices
should be able to pick up and use without too much problem. The Guide
Mode is great for helping you out along the way should you need it,
making it a camera you can really grow with as your skills and knowledge
progress.
We disliked
It's a shame not to see
Wi-Fi incorporated on this camera, as it's so squarely aimed at the
novice who would likely be used to quickly sharing an image via their
smartphone. Wi-Fi and NFC is starting to become so standard that it
almost seems like an omission rather than a bonus nice to have feature.
Final verdict
The
entry level market is likely to continue to be hotly contested, but
Nikon shows no sign of losing its grip on this very important market. With
its high resolution it satisfies those who crave megapixels without
skimping on image quality. Despite initial reservations about removing
an anti-aliasing filter on a camera aimed at novices, I've been unable
to find any evidence of moiré patterning in stills shooting, so overall
it seems like a good choice, leading to very fine detailed images. An excellent buy for those who want to purchase their first DSLR.
