Although there has been some overlap, digital SLR development has gone through some quite distinct phases.
Initially
the battle was to produce affordable models, and once this was achieved
manufacturers turned their attention to producing cameras with higher
pixel counts. This was followed by a push in sensitivity levels and
improved low-light performance.
During these development phases camera functionality has
also expanded, with manufacturers capitalising upon the benefits of
digital technology and introducing features such as Live View, video and
dynamic range optimisation systems. Now, there's a drive to make these
increasingly complex and versatile SLRs easier to use, while at the same
time helping photographers be more creative. The Nikon D5100, which serves as the Nikon D5000 replacement, typifies this era in DSLR evolution.
It may not have the 24 million pixels of the Nikon D3200,
but for many the D5100's 16.2 million pixels is enough. In addition,
the D5100 has an articulated 3-inch LCD screen, Special Effects and
fully automated Scene modes, along with the more advanced PSAM exposure
modes.
So on paper, it seems to offer pretty much
everything the aspiring photographer could wish for, with plenty of
opportunity to take creative images. Let's see.
Features
As Nikon's D5000 replacement, the Nikon D5100 sits above the Nikon D3100 and D3200, but below the D7000 in the lineup of Nikon DSLRs. It costs £550 in the UK and $750 in the US for the body only. From left to right: the Nikon D3100, D3200 and D5100Yet
the Nikon D5100 features the same 16.2-million-pixel CMOS sensor and
EXPEED 2 processor as the Nikon D7000. This means raw images are saved
as 14-bit files and users can expect similar quality results with the
two cameras.
However, like the Nikon D5000 it replaces,
the D5100's white balance and metering systems use information from a
420-pixel RGB sensor (the D7000 uses a 2,016 pixel RGB device) and its
autofocus (AF) system has 11 points. While
it may not have the 39 points of the D7000's AF system, the D5100's
Multi-CAM 1000 AF module performed well in the D5000 and Nikon D90
(which has not been discontinued; read our Nikon D90 review).
Like
the D7000, the D5100's native sensitivity can be set from ISO 100 to
6400, and there are four expansion settings topping out at the
equivalent of ISO 25,600 (Hi 2). On those rare occasions when this is
not high enough, Nikon D5100 users can select the Night Vision Special
Effect mode, which pushes the sensitivity to ISO 102,400.
This value is only matched by top-end DSLRs such as Nikon's full-frame D3s. However, while the D3s can shoot in colour at ISO 102,400, the D5100 can only record monochrome images. In
manual exposure or shutter priority mode when the shutter speed is
1/250sec or faster, the Nikon D5100 can shoot continuously at a maximum
rate of 4fps for around 100 highest quality JPEGs or 20 raw images or 12
simultaneous raw and JPEG files when a class 6 SD card such as a
SanDisk Extreme III is installed.
While this is
impressive for a camera of this level, keen action photographers may
look enviously at the 6fps shooting offered by the D7000. It's also
worth bearing in mind that it takes around 1 min 50 sec for the D5100 to
write 100 Fine JPEGs to the SD card.
Perhaps the most
noticeable upgrade that the Nikon D5100 makes on the D5000 is with the
LCD, which goes from being a 2.7-inch 230,000 dot display to a 3-inch
920,000 dot screen. This matches the size and resolution of the D7000's
screen and it should make a significant difference when using Live View
and focusing manually. It
was something of a disappointment that the D7000 doesn't have an
articulated screen, but Nikon has not made this mistake with the Nikon
D5100. Unlike the D5000, however, which had the articulation join at the
bottom on the screen, the D5100's screen is hinged on the left. This
makes the screen easier to use when the camera is on a tripod.
In
addition to the Active D-Lighting (ADL) dynamic range optimisation
system that we now expect with Nikon SLRs, the Nikon D5100 has an HDR
(high dynamic range) mode. When this is selected the camera takes two
exposures, one over and one under the 'correct' exposure and merges them
automatically into a single image with more shadow and highlight detail
than normal. It could prove useful in high contrast conditions if the
effect is subtle and not overtly 'HDR'.
Although there's a
lot packed into the D5100, including full HD (1080p) video and multiple
exposure capability, Nikon seems proudest of its Effects modes. These
allow the user to apply special effects (Night Vision, Color Sketch,
Miniature, Selective Color, Silhouette, High Key and Low Key) to images
as they are captured – rather than post capture as with the Nikon D3100
and D7000.
Furthermore, the impact of these effects can
be seen on the screen when the camera is in Live View mode. While these
are fun and allow the user to create some interesting images, it's
disappointing that its not possible to save raw files at the same time
as the JPEGs when these effect options are selected.
Build and handling When
gripping and squeezing the Nikon D5100 a little harder than strictly
necessary it becomes clear that it is, on the whole, very well built. It
feels nicely put together and designed to last.
The
question mark is over the SD card port cover that, when closed, still
moves under a tapping finger. It's not a major point, but it doesn't
quite match the high quality feel of the rest of the camera.
One
knock-on effect of the success of compact system cameras appears to be
that SLR manufacturers are making smaller cameras. Hence, at 128 x 97 x
79mm and weighing in at around 560g (with battery and card) the D5100 is
approximately 10% smaller and lighter than the D5000 it replaces and the articulated screen is 17% thinner. From left to right: Nikon D3100, D3200 and D5100This
and the larger LCD screen has meant that Nikon has had to make a few
changes to the D5000's control layout for the D5100. It would certainly
be hard to find room for any additional buttons on the rear of the D5100
without seriously limiting space for the photographer's thumb.
Perhaps
the most significant difference in the control layout between the two
cameras is that the Live View button found on the rear of the D5000 has
gone and instead the D5100 has a sprung lever switch underneath the main
mode dial. This
switch feels well made and the D5100 responds quickly to its use, but
given that using Live View means looking at the screen, it is debatable
whether moving its activation control to the top-plate is the best
solution. It's easy to mistake it for the camera's power switch.
Similarly,
movie recording is now started and stopped by pressing the dedicated
button, which is also on the camera's top-plate. Nikon would argue that
there is logic to putting the shooting or recording buttons close
together. Also,
because the D5100 has an articulated screen, you may find you more
often view the camera from above than you would with a camera with a
fixed screen, and the top-plate controls are easier to locate when
shooting in this way.
Although the screen provides a
clear view of the image being composed and the magnified view has enough
detail to facilitate manual focus, reflections are an issue in bright
sunlight. While it is still possible to compose the image accurately,
and the shade of a hand will ensure enough detail is visible for manual
focusing, it can sometimes be tricky to make out some of the smaller
on-screen icons.
As the viewfinder offers just 95%
coverage (standard for a camera of this level), there is scope for a few
surprises around the image frame.
On the plus side,
however, even with the AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G kit lens, the
view is bright and clear enough to allow manual focusing – although in
many instances it may be better to do this while looking at the
magnified Live View image.
When the Color Sketch or
Miniature Special Effects modes are activated on the screen the Live
View image becomes very jerky, presumably because of the demand on the
D5100's processing power. Nevertheless,
the effects are easy to use and generally work well, although a grainy
monochrome mode might be preferable to the Color Sketch mode. It would
also be nice to have control over the exposure or at least exposure
compensation when these modes are selected.
Small
niggles aside, the Nikon D5100 is easy to get to grips with, and while
there might not be direct control for aspects such as sensitivity, drive
mode, white balance and metering, these and more can be accessed
quickly via the Information Display.
Performance
Chroma noise is much less of an issue in high sensitivity
images than it used to be, and it's impressive just how little coloured
speckling is visible in images captured with the D5100 in its highest
ISO setting, ISO 25,600 (equivalent) when noise reduction is set to the
default Normal value.
At 100% on screen (or at actual
pixels in Photoshop), there is some fairly subtle false colouring
visible, and there's an obvious speckled texture of luminance noise, but
the images are still usable and many cases would make decent A3 (23.4 x
16.5-inch) prints.
As
we would expect, images improve significantly when the sensitivity
settings is kept below the expansions settings and while there is a dip
in the level of detail resolved at ISO 6400, the results are still very
respectable. In
the past Nikon's auto white balance (AWB) system has been accused of
being a little too accurate, so that warm light is rendered neutral and
some of the atmosphere of the scene is lost. The Nikon D5100's AWB
system seems to fare a little better on this score, but there is a
tendency for it to make scenes captured under hazy sunshine look a
little too yellow.
This is especially noticeable with
landscapes containing lush, green grass, but it is effectively countered
by switching from the Standard Picture Control mode to Landscape mode,
since this boosts greens and blues.
Nikon has some of the
best phase detection AF systems around, and the D5100's doesn't
disappoint. Paired with a Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED, it proved up to
the job of keeping pace with cars moving at 80mph on a race track. The
contrast detection system available in Live View mode is also good,
only struggling to find sharp focus in fairly low light or when the
subject is very close. That said, the subject tends to glide into sharp
register rather than snapping into focus as it does with the phase
detection system.
There's very little to say about the
D5100's metering system, apart from it works very well. Although the
exposure compensation facility still comes in handy occasionally, in its
Matrix mode the system usually takes brighter or darker than average
subjects in its stride. The camera's dynamic range is also good, so
highlight and shadow detail isn't lost earlier than it should be.
All things considered, the Nikon D5100 is a very capable camera.
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.
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.
There's an extra stop of sensitivity for low-light shoting
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.
The hand-grip is slightly smaller than the D3200's
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.
The kit lens folds down to become super-compact
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 aren't a huge number of control buttons
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.
The viewfinder offers 95% coverage
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.
Noise is well controlled
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.
It's a great workhorse that can see in the dark, but you won't want to use ISO 409,600 very often
The Nikon D4,
launched back in 2012, was a revolutionary camera that combined fast
capture speed, superb ergonomics and control, and truly professional
caliber video options. In our review
we found the D4 to be a multimedia powerhouse that was designed from
the ground up to serve modern photojournalists asked to do it all. As
the company has done with previous generations of pro-level cameras like
the D2X/D2Xs, and D3/D3s, Nikon is back with a subtle refresh of its
top camera, touting greater dynamic range, improved continuous shooting
speed with autofocus, and a frankly ridiculous top ISO of 409,600. Meet Nikon's D4S (MSRP $6,499.95).
As
with those earlier top-level refreshes, the D4S doesn't drastically
alter the D4's blueprint. Instead, it's a minor adjustment of the camera
that preceded it, adding a couple of new features and a new processor
rather than taking the whole thing back to the drawing board.
We've gotten a chance to run the D4S through our full suite of lab
tests along with the standard 24-70mm f/2.8G Nikon lens to see what
working professionals can expect from Nikon's latest and greatest DSLR.
While the improvements are subtle, the D4S is without a doubt the best
digital SLR Nikon has ever produced.
Features
Nikon has been pretty tight-lipped about
the changes made to the D4S's sensor, but we're told that it's new and
that it has an effective pixel count of 16.23million, while the D4's count is 16.25 million. Not a huge change then, and the pixel pitch remains the same at 7.3 µm.
According
to Nikon, the new sensor and Expeed 4 engine combination results in an
approximately 1.5EV improvement in noise performance and this has given
the company the confidence to expand the D4S's native sensitivity
setting by 1EV on the D4 to ISO 100-25,600. In addition, the expanded range is ISO 50-409,600.
Thanks to the Expeed 4 processor, the D4S has a maximum continuous shooting rate of 11fps. The D4 can also manage this speed, but not the accompanied ability to focus and meter between shots.
The
buffer capacity has also been increased, enabling as many as 200 JPEG
Fine quality files, 176 compressed 12-bit raw files or 60 uncompressed
14-bit raw files to be captured in a single burst. As with the D4, these images may be written to either CompactFlash or XQD media as the D4S has two card ports.
The D4S has new mirror and sensor mechanisms, with the former having better dampening than the D4,
to give a more stable image in the viewfinder. The blackout time
between frames is also shorter and there's a shutter lag of just 42ms.
These facts (and the new processing engine) probably explain why the camera is able to focus when shooting at 11fps.
Nikon
has improved the autofocus algorithms for the D4S and it uses an
Advanced version of the Multi-CAM 3500AF module found in the D4.
This adds Group-area AF mode to help when shooting subjects that are
comparatively small and close to a high-contrast or distracting
background.
In
this mode, the user selects an AF point and the camera uses it and the
ones immediately above, below, left and right to keep the subject sharp.
As with the D4
and other Nikon SLRs, the D4S also has 9-,21- and 51-point dynamic-area
AF and 3D-tracking modes. In the latter mode, the camera uses colour
information from the subject and background to track the subject around
the frame.
It's a good option when there is a clear
colour contrast between the subject and its surroundings. It's not a
good choice for team sports, however, when there may be many objects of
the same colour milling around the scene.
It's
also possible to specify the speed at which the camera responds to
changes in the subject's distance. This is especially useful when
objects are likely to come between the camera and the subject
Like the D4,
the D4S has a 91,000-pixel RGB sensor that informs the metering and
white balance systems. In addition to 3D Color Matrix metering III,
there are three centre-weighted metering options and a Spot metering
mode. It's also now possible to select to use full-time face recognition
with Matrix metering when shooting stills, movies, and time-lapse
photography.
Nikon tells us that the D4S processes images differently from the D4 as out of focus areas are treated differently from sharp subjects to enhance shallow depth of field.
Another,
rather strange, addition to the D4S's feature list is the ability to
record small (4Mp), uncompressed 12-bit raw files.
It's
hard to imagine this being used very often, but perhaps those who shoot
exclusively for the internet will welcome it. It's worth noting at this
point that dropping to Small Raw files reduces the burst depth when
shooting continuously to 36, presumably because of the interpolation
that's required.
Naturally,
the D4S is capable of recording Full HD video and this can now be shot
at 50p/60p. Photographers can also set specific sensitivity settings,
rather than ranges in Manual exposure modes, and the sensitivity can be
set to up to ISO 409,600.
As with the D4,
the D4S offers three sensor crop formats, FX, DX, and native crop, the
latter of which gives a focal length magnification of approximately
2.7x. There's also a clean, uncompressed full-resolution HDMI output to
external devices.
Some people found that the D4's
green had a slightly green colour cast. Nikon has given the D4S a
monitor colour balance option that allows the LCD's colour to be
adjusted across two axes, blue-amber and green-magenta, with a total of
11 points along each axis.
While
there are GPS and Wi-Fi enabled devices available for the D4S, as well
as a Gigabit 100/1000TX Ethernet port for fast image transfer, it seems
rather odd that Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS technology aren't built-in.
The
D4S once again features dual card slots, but one slot can only be used
with CompactFlash cards, while the other can only be used with the newer
XQD card format. We wish Nikon would've just doubled down on one or the
other, as many photographers have loads of CF cards and readers. There
also doesn't seem to be any performance bottleneck with CF cards in
terms of shot-to-shot speed, though we found our high-speed CF card
yielded a capacity of 45 RAW/TIFF/RAW+JPEG frames or 115 JPEGs, which is
a bit lower than Nikon's claimed 100 RAW/200 JPEG capacity when using
XQD cards. The Nikon D4S includes a remote terminal port, USB out,
headphone/mic jacks, upgraded gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI output on the
side of the camera.The
only other major changes here are the new EN-EL18a battery, an upgraded
Ethernet port (Gigabit up from 100Base-TX), the addition of smaller RAW
files, and compatibility with the hotshoe-mounted GP-1A GPS unit.
Everything else is basically the same, as the D4S has the same mount,
viewfinder, metering sensor, autofocus unit, and LCDs as the D4. The
sensor is also "newly developed," but features resolution and
performance characteristics that are right in line with the D4. The only
drastic internal change is the new processor, which allows for the
minor performance improvements we covered above. The back of the D4S contains all the various selectors, as
well as control dials, a third LCD, and the locking door housing the
XQD/CF card slots.
For video shooters there are some big changes with the D4S that are
worth noting. Nikon has added the aforementioned 1080/60p video mode,
which is excellent, but at the high-quality setting clip length maxes
out at 10 minutes. You can also output clean, uncompressed 1080/60p via
HDMI to an external recorder and simultaneously record compressed
footage to the memory card. There's also some improved audio control,
letting you adjust the microphone's frequency response from "Wide" to
"Vocals" depending on your subject. Audio sensitivity can also be
adjusted while recording now.
Build and Handling
While the change to the shape of the memory card bay door
suggests that Nikon hasn't used the same mould for the D4S as it did for
the D4,
most of the other changes to the design are so subtle as to be almost
invisible. The slight changes to the shape of the shallow grooves where
the thumbs rest in horizontal and portrait format, for example, are very
hard to spot.
That's no bad thing, however, as the
camera remains very comfortable in the hand whether you're using the
horizontal or vertical grip. One
fairly obvious change is made to the two mini-joystick style Selector
controls on the back of the camera. These have a new firmer finish and
it makes them easier to find and use when wearing gloves or in the wet.
They are easier to identify when the camera is held to the eye than the
rubber-topped controls on the D4 and they feel a bit more positive in use.
Just like on the D4,
there are two command dials, an AF-on button and a shutter release
available at the top of both the horizontal and the vertical grip.
Logically, the movie-record button found next to the shutter release
above the horizontal grip isn't replicated above the vertical grip, but
there is a customisable function (Fn) button. Although
the layout of these controls is very similar on both grips, the shutter
release above the vertical grip is a little recessed into the body.
While the button is still easy to reach, it makes the front command dial
less prominent than the horizontal one and it's harder to find with
your finger. It's not a major issue, and it's something that D4 users will be used to already.
Most
of the other controls fall within convenient reach and are as
responsive as you'd expect with a pro-end SLR. The menu is also
logically arranged, but there are a few quirks in the D4S's control
system.
For example, it seems strange that the automatic
sensitivity option can only be activated via the main menu and not by
pressing the ISO button and rotating the main command dial. This feature
is useful given the D4S's 'go-anywhere' credentials and huge
sensitivity range. As
we've said before with other Nikon SLRs, some of the features available
for adjustment via the D4S's information screen, accessed by pressing
the Info button twice, seem a little odd. We think that the options to
change the functions of the preview and Fn buttons, for example, would
be better located in the main menu. This would free-up space in the
information screen for other features that may need to accessed on a
shot-by-shot basis, such as Exposure Delay.
Being an SLR,
the D4S has an optical viewfinder, and it's a great one, showing 100%
of the scene and being large and bright. As usual, when a DX lens is
mounted on the camera, the area outside the automatic cropping is
dimmed, so it's easy to compose images.
When the option
is activated via the menu, pressing the front function button brings up
the virtual horizon in the viewfinder to help with getting the horizon
level. As with Canon SLRs, this uses the AF point display to indicate
the camera's pitch, but unlike Canon's cameras it stays active while the
shutter release is pressed. This makes it much more useful, though you
have to remember which is the active AF point while the virtual horizon
is in use. While
the 3.2-inch 921,000-dot LCD provides a nice clear view and displays
colours accurately, as usual it suffers a little from reflections in
very bright conditions. Nevertheless, we found no reason to adjust the
screen's colour settings from their default position.
It's
clear that Nikon has done little if anything to improve the camera's
autofocusing in live view mode. This is slow and indecisive, although
it's unlikely to be a major issue for the camera's target audience.
Performance
The D4's AF system is no slouch, but the D4S's raises the
game even further. The peripheral AF points seem a little more
responsive and the new Group-area AF mode does an excellent job of
keeping a moving subject sharp.That's helpful as the AF points are still clustered around the middle of the image frame.
Apart
from the number of points involved (5 in Group-area AF) it's a little
unclear how this differs from the 9-, 21- and 51-point dynamic-area AF
modes, so it seems odd that it wasn't called 5-point dynamic-area AF
mode.
On the whole, the Matrix metering system copes
well with 'average' and bright scenes. In fact, it fairs impressively
well with some very bright subjects, delivering a well-exposed image
when lesser cameras would have underexposed.
It also
copes pretty well with dark subjects, but there's a slight tendency
towards overexposure in some situations. This only happens at times
where you might expect it, and it's easily dealt with via the exposure
compensation facility. A
pixel count of 16 million may be comparatively low by modern standards
(especially considering that Nikon favours 24 and 36Mp sensors in the
likes of the D7100 and D800)
but the D4S can resolve an impressive level of detail. Furthermore,
this is maintained a little better throughout the sensitivity range than
by the D4.
Our
images have little sign of chroma noise throughout the native
sensitivity range, ISO 100-25,600. The results at the first upper
expansion setting, ISO 51,200 are also impressive. At 100% on screen,
higher sensitivity JPEGs look a slightly smoothed appearance, but they
look very good at normal viewing sizes.
Of course the
burning question that the D4S raises is: what does an ISO 409,600 image
look like? The answer: pretty terrible. Our resolution chart images,
which are captured in bright conditions with even illumination flatter
it somewhat, but the darker side of our sensitivity series images show a
rather different picture. Even at small viewing sizes there's visible
banding in the JPEGs and at close scrutiny they have a cross-hatched
pattern.
The raw files look a little better, but there's
still some banding. However, it's important to remember that this is
not a sensitivity setting for everyday use. It's designed to be used by
professional photo journalists reporting important events in near
darkness in situations when any image is a bonus. Although
many pros shoot exclusively in raw format, some also need the immediacy
of JPEGs, so it's important that the D4S delivers good colours direct
from the camera.
Our tests reveal that it produces
vibrant images with natural-looking colour. Our lab results reveal that
it isn't quite as accurate as the D4
for colour, but it's very good and the difference probably comes down
to a slight boost in saturation, which makes images more pleasing.
We
found that the D4S's automatic white balance system does a very good
job in a range of lighting conditions. There are two options available,
Auto1 and Auto2, with the latter retaining the warmth of warm lighting.
We found that the Auto1 setting also produces images that retain the
atmosphere of the scene and that aren't over-corrected. Consequently,
images captured in heavily overcast conditions have a slight coolness,
while those taken in brighter conditions look slightly warmer. Switching
to the Direct sunlight setting produces slightly warmer images in very
overcast conditions, which some may prefer even if it's not strictly
accurate.
Importantly, we found that the LCD screen gave
an accurate representation of images during our testing. With some Nikon
cameras, such as the D5300, we've found that the LCD screen makes images taken in overcast or shaded conditions look colder than they actually are.
This
can cause photographers to change the white balance setting when they
don't actually need to and produce images with a colourcast. Thankfully,
the D4S doesn't suffer from this problem and we found that it shows
colours accurately.
In order to verify the D4S maximum
continuous shooting rate and burst depths, we shot several series of
images at the various sizes, compression ratios and bit-depths. We were
able to match the claims made by Nikon (11fps for 200 JPEG Fine quality
files, 176 compressed 12-bit raw files or 60 uncompressed 14-bit raw
files etc) with both a Lexar Professional 1000x UDMA7 CompactFlash card
and a Sony XQD. However,
as the shoot progressed we found that the grip gradually heated up a
little and as this happened, the burst depth dropped off. In some cases,
we were only able to fire off a short burst. Leaving the camera to cool
a little restored the burst depths to their former glory.
Sample Image
Colours
generally look good straight from the camera, with pleasant saturation
and nice skin tones. The auto white balance system has retained the
warmth in this scene well.
This
ISO 400 shot was taken using a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at f/4 to blur the
distracting background. The detail on the bird's beak really leaps out
at you.
This shot has all the vibrancy of the original scene, the colours and contrast are spot-on.
The
D4S's Group-are AF system had no trouble keeping up with this
skateboarder as he came towards the camera. The images was taken at ISO
51,200 – the lowest sensitivity expansion setting and noise is
controlled well.
This
shot reveals the level of noise and banding in images taken at ISO
409,600. You wouldn't use this setting routinely, but it's useful for
pros reporting important events in near darkness.
There's
little sign of noise in this shot taken at ISO1250 and the details of
the main subject are nice and sharp, while the background is blurred
thanks to the f/2.8 aperture.
