A couple of weeks ago, I played around with the retrostyled, pro-grade Nikon Df. This time, I’m going to the other end of the spectrum by trying out the new Nikon D3300, the company’s entry-level DSLR camera.
Let’s just say right up front that while the D3300 does not have the quality of the Df, it isn’t meant to have it. This camera is made for first-time DSLR users who might still be learning the difference between an F-stop and the ISO.
The D3300 addresses this and other questions with its built-in guide, a feature it has inherited from its predecessors in the D3000 line. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the camera and its features.
The camera is smaller and lighter than earlier D3000-line cameras.
In fact, in several instances the lenses I used were heavier than the camera itself. The good thing about this is it’s fairly easy to carry around and won’t be much of a burden on hikes or during long events. The bad news is that the camera isn’t sealed from dust and moisture like more expensive cameras so you have to be careful with it. That’s fairly typical for entry-level DSLR cameras, though.
The key to the D3300 is the photo quality users can get from this 24.2-megapixel camera.
I used it in several locations, including taking the camera on a nature hike.There, I used the camera for macro shots, shooting a waterfall and getting that smooth water look. I even used a long lens to capture a couple of bird shots.
The camera performed very well on the trail. The thing that impressed me the most was the color it captured. I used the camera in standard color mode, just to see how it would do. The resulting colors were vivid, sharp and very close to what I was seeing. (Photo samples are up on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Tech-Spotlight-column/143770982301273.)
Although the camera worked well in auto, I switched it to manual to see how well that setting worked, because eventually a D3300 owner will move from auto to manual. One of the things I shot in manual was the waterfall. The camera produced some really nice waterfall shots, even in harsh, midday sunlight. It handled my adjustments well, and the white balance was nearly spot-on.
Surprisingly, the D3300 did fairly well in low-light conditions at 800 ISO (“film speed” for you old-schoolers). The images did have some graininess, but not nearly as much as I expected. I’ve used a D3000 before and gotten a lot of grain at 800 ISO. Nikon has improved this in the D3300,though it’s still really grainy beyond 800. This just means pictures won’t be as sharp in low light or in fast action if the ISO is set high, which it usually is for those occasions.
The camera comes with several presets, as well as a group of special effects that can be accessed either through the camera’s menus or using the “Effects” mode on the top dial. The special effects include night vision, toy camera, miniature, spot color, painting and panorama.
The effects built into the camera are fun to play with,but they don’t provide a lot of control. Consequently, you never really know what you’ll get, or if it will be the look you really want. In most cases, it looked fun, but the photo wasn’t really something I would use.
I didn’t have much luck with the “easy” panorama setting.
It seems easy to use - you press the shutter, then move from one direction to the other along the line the camera provides. The problem is, doing this in anything but bright light usually gave me a message saying it was unable to create the panorama. Granted, most panoramas are made outdoors, but if someone wanted something indoors, they might not have as much luck.
The camera includes a Live View mode that’s slightly faster than its predecessor, the D3200, but still is awfully slow when taking a picture.It is good for movie mode, which also is included with the D3300. The camera also is able to use a wireless remote, something that had been removed in a previous version of the camera, but returned to the D3200.
Bottom line, the D3300 is a great starter camera. While some of the special effects are merely OK, the camera performs well in the more traditional shooting modes. Although the sharpness wanes at longer distances, images are still fairly sharp up close, and the color is vivid and realistic.
It might not be the pro-grade Nikon Df, but the D3300 does exactly as it’s intended - it introduces new users to the world of DSLR photography and gives them the ability to go from taking nice pictures to creating great photos.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
Where it’s @
The Nikon D3300 requires an SD or SDHC memory card to record photos. The camera with the 18-55mm lens retails for $650. More information is available at nikonusa.com.
Business, Pages 19 on 04/14/2014