Nikon D3300; Review

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.

Nikon generally updates its entry-level cameras with greater frequency with those at the top of the line, since it's 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.

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.

Along 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.