Nikon D3300: Nikon's entry-level DSLR loses its anti-aliasing filter for more detail than ever before

Nikon's entry-level DSLR loses its anti-aliasing filter for more detail than ever before

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.

Nikon D3300 — *The D3300 has many updated features*

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.

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.

Build and Design

The D3300 is the second DSLR from Nikon to use a monocoque construction. That means it's made from one piece of material, making it both lighter and stronger than the D3200.

Nikon has also reduced slightly the size of the camera when compared to the D3200, but placing the two side by side doesn't reveal too dramatic a difference. The grip is still deep and comfortable to hold, with the textured surface making it feel particularly secure in the hand.

What does make a significant difference however is the new 18-55mm kit lens, which is now collapsible. While by no means small in comparison to compact system camera lenses, when collapsed the lens is quite a bit shorter than its predecessor, making it easier to fit into a bag when not in use.

When you want to use the camera (with this kit lens attached), you'll first need to press a button on the lens barrel to expand it back into normal proportions. This does mean that start-up time from packed away is a little slower than other cameras, but you can of course leave it extended if you need a quicker start.

Like the D3200, the D3300 has a three-inch LCD screen with 921,000 dots. This is a fixed unit and Nikon is still resisting the urge to join the touchscreen revolution, which is a little disappointing given how many of the camera's controls are changed via the screen itself.

That brings us to the user interface. The D3300 has a pleasingly modern appearance, with the high resolution giving the display beautifully rounded edges and displaying the interface's colours well. When shooting, the camera displays three circles which represent shutter speed, aperture and sensitivity (ISO). These displays change as you alter settings using the scrolling dials, most obvious being the aperture circle which closes and opens to represent the opening and closing of the aperture blades.

A dial on the back of the camera is used for altering the aperture or shutter speed, depending on the mode you're shooting in. When in fully manual mode and needing to control both, you'll need to hold down the exposure compensation button while scrolling the dial to switch between the two parameters.

There isn't a huge number of buttons on the D3300, which is to be expected of an entry-level camera. On the top plate you'll find a mode dial for switching between exposure modes, such as fully automatic, aperture priority and the newly incorporated Effects mode. Also on the top plate you'll find the exposure compensation button (for use in automatic and semi-automatic modes) and an info button, which helpfully turns off the rear display, preventing it from being a distraction while using the viewfinder.

A sort of quick menu is accessed on the D3300 by pressing a button labelled 'i' on the back of the camera. After you've pressed this, use the directional keys to pick a setting you want to change – such as white balance – and then press OK to bring up the different options available to you. Unfortunately, this menu isn't customisable, so if there's something on this menu you rarely use, you're stuck with it.

There is also a function button near the lens mount. By default holding this down will allow you to quickly change the ISO, but you can change this to control JPEG quality, white balance or Active D-Lighting. ISO seems like a sensible choice since it's something you'll probably need to change the most often out of the options available.

Changing the AF point is very simple. All you'll need to do is press the directional arrow keys to move around to the point you need. As the central AF point is cross-type, it is more sensitive than the others, so you may find it beneficial to focus and recompose in certain situations, or, if you're just aiming for speed.

The viewfinder is optical and offers a 95% field of view. While it is bright and clear, not being 100% does mean that there is a chance of something appearing in the final image that you didn't notice in composition. With such a large resolution though, cropping out any of those mistakes shouldn't lead to a reduction in quality.

The D3300 sits at the bottom of Nikon's entry-level series, 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 24MP 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
Expeed 4 processor
Fixed 3.0" 921k-dot LCD
1080/60p HD video
5 fps continuous shooting
700 shot battery life

The D3300's Expeed 4 branded processor is responsible for many of its gains over the previous model, the D3200. This model gets an upgrade to 1080/60p video recording, an extra frame per second in burst mode, and a higher ISO range up to 12800 (25600 with expansion).

Operation and Controls

In the Auto and scene modes, the D3300 behaves very much as a point-and-shoot, with very little user intervention required or allowed (you get control over focus and flash modes, but that's about it). Guide mode is a middle ground - you take control of the camera's exposure settings using a 'usage scenario' logic - but it's on switching to the PASM modes that the D3300 really comes into its own.

From the top you can see the D3300's flash, shown here in its closed (stowed) position and the hotshoe which can accept any of Nikon's current range of Speedlight flashes. The left-hand side of the top plate is bare, but on the right of the pentamirror 'hump' you can see a cluster of control points ('info' button, movie start/stop and exposure compensation) along with the mode dial.

The basic exposure parameters - shutter speed, aperture, and exposure compensation - are all handled by the well-placed rear thumbwheel in concert with the exposure compensation button. This layout makes changing these settings fairly quick and fluid, though the twin dials of the Fujifilm X-A1 are a step ahead. We also like Nikon's dedication of the four-way controller to selecting a focus point manually - combined with the 11-point AF system this makes focusing on off-center subjects a breeze, without having to always focus and recompose for every shot.

The rear dial handles either shutter speed or aperture in the semi-manual modes. In full manual mode, the dial sets shutter speed at default - pressing and holding the exposure compensation button switches it to aperture. It's still possible to apply exposure compensation in manual exposure mode (via the 'i' menu), which either applies a bias to the target shown by the meter, or adjusts the image brightness directly, if you have Auto ISO engaged.

The other shooting controls - ISO, white balance, focus mode and the like - are all set from the active control panel on the rear display, accessed by pressing the 'i' button. Likewise Live View is accessed by pressing the 'Lv' button, which you'll need to do in order to record video.

The D3300 also offers a customizable function button on the front of the camera near the lens mount, with just a handful of settings it can be tasked with accessing. The exposure lock button on the rear next to the command dial can also be customized to handle focus and/or exposure only. Here are all of your options:

Button	Available functions:
Fn Button	• Image quality/size • ISO sensitivity • White Balance • Active D-Lighting
AE-L AF-L	• AE/AF lock • AE lock only • AE lock (Hold) • AF lock only • AF-ON

The function button acts as a direct control to whichever setting it's assigned. Pressing and holding the Fn button makes it possible to use the command dial to change the setting. This means that the user has direct access to either shutter speed or aperture (depending on the shooting mode), exposure compensation, and another setting like ISO. For a beginner learning the basics of exposure, that's probably enough.

Interface

The D3300 features a slightly more condensed 'quick' menu than is offered in its bigger siblings like the D5300, omitting Active D-Lighting access, but all of the essentials are present. The command dial can't be used in either selecting a function or setting it. We were annoyed by this behavior in the D5300, since use of the command dial would make changing settings just a little bit quicker, but D3300 users (who we expect to be using one of the automated modes more often) may not find this as irritating. This camera is targeted more clearly toward a user moving up from a point-and-shoot, so this point-and-shoot-like interface is likely not a problem - unless that user has ambitions beyond that approach.

	The 'info' button on the top of the camera toggles this settings display on and off. Two rows of settings are stacked along the bottom of the display.
	Pressing the 'i' button on the back panel activates* the quick menu, highlighting the item that was last accessed. The four-way controller is used to navigate between settings.* Unlike many of its rivals, there's no option to then directly change the setting, though...
	..instead, pressing the 'OK' button brings up a sub-menu where the desired setting can be changed by using the directional buttons (again, the dial remains unused).
	'Help' screens are available to explain various camera and exposure functions. Highlighting an item on the quick menu and pressing the '?' button (also the zoom out button) on the back panel will bring up this informational screen.

Losing the shortcut to Active D-Lighting is disappointing, but doesn't feel like a huge loss since it's only available in on/off states (the D5300 offers more control over ADL modes). It can be assigned to the customizable Fn button, but that requires giving up your only means of direct access to ISO. The D3300 does not offer a touch screen, and neither do most of its entry-level DSLR peers. However, touch screens can be found among the mirrorless competition - the Olympus E-PM2 and Panasonic GF6 both offer one. We think that those moving to a more advanced camera and are accustomed to point-and-shoot or smartphone interfaces would feel at home with a touch screen.

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.

With 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.

Auto ISO

The D3300 offers an Auto ISO system similar to what's offered in the D5300. It's accessed from the shooting menu, where you can set a baseline ISO along with a maximum sensitivity and a minimum shutter speed, which can also be set to Auto. Selecting Auto maintains a '1/equivalent focal length' rule for shutter speed in P and A modes. In the D5300 you can also choose to skew this higher or lower, depending on your faith in VR and your confidence in handholding. There's no option to do this in the D3300.

As has long been the case with Nikon, the D3300 makes it unusually awkward to engage and disengage Auto ISO - you can only do so from the main menu. In a move that risks being confusing for beginners, you can continue to manually specify an ISO, while in Auto ISO mode, but all you're doing is specifying the minimum that the camera will use.

	Diving into the camera menu is the only way to turn ISO Auto on or off. From this screen you can also set a maximum sensitivity and minimum shutter speed.
	What's missing here? The D5300 offers the chance to customize your Auto minimum shutter speed, rather than simply following the 1/equivalent focal length rule. In the D3300, this option is not available.

Even without the ability to adjust its behavior to your liking, this dependence on focal length is very helpful, but doesn't hold up in the very basic full Auto mode. In this mode the camera operates under the assumption that you want to use the built-in flash unit. If you override this and turn the flash off (which thankfully, you can) the camera doesn't take this into account. This means you could find yourself shooting at the long end of the zoom and the camera is happily shooting at ISO 100 and 1/60sec. Take into account the high resolution sensor here and you're likely to see some shake under these circumstances. The bottom line is that, counter-intuitively, beginners might be better served by using Program mode.

Battery Life

The D3300 ships with Nikon's EN-EL14a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, providing a CIPA-rated life of 700 shots per charge. That's head and shoulders above the Canon T5's estimated 440 shots and the Pentax K-50's 410 shots (and miles ahead of the 300-odd images most of its mirrorless rivals will produce, thanks to their need to use their rear screens). In testing this proved to be a realistic figure, fielding a long day of shooting without a problem and only needing a recharge with moderate use every couple of days. An MH-24 charger is bundled with the camera, charging a depleted camera in under two hours.

Image Quality and Features

The D3300 relies on the 24 megapixel APS-C sensor used by its D7100 and D5300 siblings. Like those cameras it lacks an optical low pass filter, a component of the camera's sensor that's designed to slightly blur fine detail in an effort to reduce the risk of moiré. The effect of removing the OLPF, in theory, is to allow the sensor to capture slightly more fine detail.

In reality we found that the difference in sharpness between this sensor with and without an OLPF is very hard to see in the real world, and it depends on using the best lenses at their sweetest apertures. Kit lenses like the 18-140mm F3.5-5.6 VR we used with the D5300 and the D3300's bundled 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR II are rarely sharp enough to yield any extra sharpness that the removal of the OLPF provides. Since many D3300 users will be perfectly happy to keep shooting with the kit lens, we think there's no real advantage or consequence of the camera's sensor design.

JPEG image quality

Did we mention that the D3300 has a 24 megapixel APS-C sensor? It has a 24 megapixel sensor. JPEG image quality from all of those pixels is very good, and lines up with everything we've seen from other Nikon bodies with the same sensor. All images below were captured with the 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 VR II kit lens.

ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/1000sec	100% crop


ISO 450, f/4.0, 1/40sec	100% crop

ISO 3200, f/4.0, 1/60sec	100% crop

ISO 25600, f/5.0, 1/100sec	100% crop

Nikon's JPEG engine tends to take a more aggressive approach to noise reduction and muddles a bit more fine detail in the process than we'd ideally like, something that becomes more obvious around ISO 3200. Keep in mind though that the above are pixel-level details from very large images. Downsizing for printing or viewing at web-friendly-sizes will have a sharpening effect. Toning down the camera's noise reduction settings will also yield sharper images, and for the very best results the D3300's Raw files provide lots of latitude for post processing.

Raw

A major advantage in shooting Raw is the ability to recover tone and detail from parts of an image that the camera's JPEG engine hasn't revealed. The example below shows how far you can take the D3300's 12-bit Raw files in Adobe Camera Raw. The left image was converted in ACR 8.3 at default exposure settings, and the example on the right reflects increases in exposure and shadows. No noise reduction was applied in ACR to either image.

ACR defaults with NR turned off	ACR defaults with +0.30 exposure and +100 shadows


100% crop	100% crop

We've taken the example above further than is sensible, for illustrative purposes. Consistent with Nikon's other 24 megapixel DSLRs, at base ISO the D3300 provides a wealth of information for processing later in Raw. There's a fair amount of noise in the shadow regions of the image on the right, but the level of detail recovered is impressive.

Source

Engadget Nikon D3300 Reviews (Critic Reviews 8.8/10)

Trusted Reviews Nikon D3300 Reviews (8/10)

DPReview Nikon D3300 Reviews

Techradar Nikon D3300 Reviews (Design 4/5, Features 4/5, Performance 4.5/5, Usability 4.5/5, Value4.5/5)

CNET Nikon D3300 Reviews (CNET Editor's Rating 3.5/5)

The Good The Nikon D3300's photo quality improves on its predecessor, and while it's not incredibly fast it performs pretty well for its price class.

The Bad The feature set remains pretty limited.

The Bottom Line Very good photo quality for its class plus decent performance make the Nikon D3300 A solid choice for a first dSLR.

Official Website

Where to Buy

Official Website

$649.95 Crutchfield Nikon D3300 Zoom Kit 24-megapixel DSLR w/18-55mm DX VR lens and optional Wi-Fi (Grey)*free shipping

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$649.00 Unique Photo Nikon D3300 DX-Format DSLR Kit w/18-55mm DX VR II Zoom Lens in Grey*free shipping

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$646.95 ABT Nikon D3300 Black Digital SLR Camera With 18-55mm VR Lens Kit - 1532

$646.95 NewEgg Nikon D3300 1532 Black 24.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens

$646.95 PC Nation Nikon D3300 24.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera (Body with Lens Kit) - 18 mm - 55 mm - Black - 1532*free feedex