Home  Donate  New  Search  Gallery  Reviews  How-To  Books  Links  Workshops  About  Contact

Nikon D3300
24MP DX, 3" LCD, 5 FPS, 1080p

Sample Images   Intro   Specs   Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300 (16.0 oz./455g with battery and SD card) with included new 18-55mm VR II lens ($549 with lens). enlarge. I'd get it at Amazon, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It helps me keep adding to this free website when you get your things through these links — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you buy elsewhere. Nikon doesn't seal its boxes in any way, so if you buy from other than approved sources you'll have no way of knowing if you're getting all your accessories or getting a returned, used or damaged product. My approved sources ship from secure remote warehouses far away from any salespeople or customers. Thanks for your support! Ken.

 

February 2023   More Nikon Reviews   Nikon Lenses   All Reviews

NEWEST: Nikon D3500.

NEW: Nikon D3400 Adds bluetooth and removes some flash power. August 2016

NEW: Sony A7 II w/24-70/2.8 GM vs. Nikon D5600 & D3300 w/18-55 AFP Comparison 16 February 2017

Nikon D3300 Users Guide App

Ken Rockwell's Nikon D3300 Users Guide app.

Nikon D3300 Plain-English User's Guide

Nikon D3300

Top, Nikon D3300 (included 18-55mm VR II not shown). bigger.

 

Nikon D3300

Back, Nikon D3300. enlarge.

 

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300 and included 18-55mm VR II. enlarge.

 

Sample Images (more throughout the review)

Sample Images   Intro   Specifications   

Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

Mercedes AMG GLE 63S

Mercedes AMG GLE 63S, 13 May 2018. Nikon D3300, Tamron 18-400mm at 300mm, f/6.3 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 12,800, Perfectly Clear v3.5. bigger or camera-original file.

 

Nassau, Bahamas

08 August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 48mm, f/9 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display high resolution files properly).

 

Doors to Atlantis, Nassau, Bahamas

10 August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 18mm, f/3.5 hand-held at 1/4 at Auto ISO 900, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution perspective-corrected file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display high resolution files properly).

 

Lobby, Atlantis, Nassau, Bahamas

10 August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 18mm, f/3.5 hand-held at 1/4 at Auto ISO 720, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution file to explore on your computer (mobile devices rarely display high resolution files properly).

 

Ryan and Katie Smiling

Ryan and Katie at breakfast, 09 August 2016. Nikon D3300, built-in flash ON, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 40mm, f/4.8 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 360, Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Lobsters, Atlantis

Lobstermania, 08 August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 31mm, f/4.2 hand-held at 1/13 at Auto ISO 12,800, Perfectly Clear. bigger.

 

Katie at Leucadia Pizzeria

Katie and gumdrop at lunch, 02 August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 55mm, f/5.6 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 800, Perfectly Clear. bigger or full-resolution file (after Perfectly Clear) or camera-original file (before Perfectly Clear) to explore on your computer.

 

Poseidon's Table, Nassau, Bahamas

08 August 2016. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm AF-P at 38mm, f/4.8 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 1,100, Perfectly Clear. bigger.

Sago Palm, 11AM 14 April 2014

Sago Palm, 11 AM, 14 April 2014. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm VR II, f/11 at 1/125 at ISO 100. Camera-Original © LARGE BASIC JPG file. Remember that the bottom of the image is closer to the camera and therefore not in focus.

 

Sago Palm, 11AM 14 April 2014

Flowers, 5 PM, 14 April 2014. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm VR II, f/9 at 1/125 at ISO 100. Camera-Original © LARGE BASIC JPG file. The flower on the right isn't in focus.

 

Sago Palm, 11AM 14 April 2014

Crop from above 24MP image at 100%. If this is 6" (15cm) wide on your monitor, the entire image printed this size would be 40 x 60" (100 x 150 cm). Is this sharp enough for you for huge prints? Camera-Original © LARGE BASIC JPG file.

 

Bridal Veil Falls with rainbow as seen from tunnel view

Bridal Veil Falls with Rainbow as seen from Tunnel View, May, 2018. Nikon D3300, Tamron 18-400mm at 86mm, f/5.6 at 1/500 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear v3.5, split-toned print. bigger or full-resolution.

Please help KenRockwell..com

Introduction    top

Sample Images   Intro   Specifications   

Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

The Nikon D3300 was Nikon's most advanced inexpensive super-compact DSLR. It comes included with an excellent 18-55mm VR II lens as shown.

The Nikon D3300 packs ultra-high image quality into a small and light package that you'll want to carry everywhere.

The D3300 was the lightest Nikon SLR or DSLR in all of history at just 16.2 oz. (460g) with battery and SD card, until the even lighter D3400 came out.

The D3300 weighs about as little as a LEICA screw-mount camera, and makes LEICA's M cameras, especially the newest LEICA M typ 240 at 25 oz./710g with finder, feel like pigs by comparison.

The D3300 is also very quiet and refined, which is a huge bonus compared to Nikon's pro cameras when shooting candidly.

While not as fast or as distracting as Nikon's professional cameras, the D3300 has as much or more resolution than any Nikon professional DSLR ever! The D3300 also has more resolution than any current Nikon professional DSLR; it has 24 MP compared to the $6,500 Nikon D4s' mere 16 MP. (The D800 and D800E have more pixels, but are merely consumer cameras.)

The D3300 has the same 24 MP resolution of the $7,000 LEICA M typ 240 in a much smaller and more flexible package.

The Nikon D3300 is a wonderful camera for anything.

The D3300 has more than enough speed for chasing kids, school sports and theatre, and far more pixels than anyone will ever need.

You need a real DSLR like this to capture still photos of motion, sports, kids and action. Smaller non-DSLR cameras like micro 4/3, cell phones and point-and-shoots just can't focus as fast to follow all the action.

The D3300 is for people who want great pictures. More expensive cameras are for people who want fancier cameras.

While I cover all the more expensive Nikons which are of interest to hard-core photographers, when my normal friends ask what camera to get, it's always this inexpensive D3300. The only reason I often shoot a fancier camera is that I have to go into menus to set the advanced features of the D3300, while my bigger cameras usually have dedicated knobs or buttons to let me make those adjustments more quickly. No worries, most people don't even know what these adjustments do, which is why the D3300 does away with the extra buttons to save us all money — and all the features are still there in the menu system.

The D3300 sees in the dark. Its ISO 12,800 shots look great. I love my 35mm f/1.8 DX lens, but even with the included kit lens there's no problem photographing in very dim light without flash.

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300. enlarge.

 

New         top

The D3300 replaces the D3200 of 2012.

The D3300 is 1.6 oz. (45 grams) lighter than the old D3200.

There's slightly higher finder magnification than the D3200 — but the finder is still smaller than Nikon's larger DSLRs like the D7100.

The D3300 now also comes in gray, as well as red or black.

The frame rate has climbed to 5 FPS from the 4 FPS of the D3200.

The ISO now runs to ISO 12,800 over the ISO 6,400 of the D3200.

There's a new swept Panorama mode. You get to it from Live View.

 

Missing         top

Among the ways Nikon saves costs to keep the price down is to minimize the number of buttons that most D3300 users would never use anyway.

Compared to a professional $6,500 Nikon D4s, the things missing are things most people won't miss:

No one-click playback zoom (pressing (+) only zooms in a little, not all the way).

No depth-of-field preview button.

No voice notes (used by reporters to record spoken notes with the images)

No battery percentage number, just a three-bar battery icon.

No auto LCD brightness control, but I never missed it.

No easy way to set Auto ISO ON/OFF or image size etc. directly; you have to stop and look at the menus or control panels.

The D3300's built-in flash can't work as a commander for wireless flash, but the D4s doesn't even have a flash.

No automatic exposure bracketing (simply use the Exposure Compensation control and make sequential shots yourself).

No HDR or multiple exposure modes, thank goodness.

There is a Recent Settings Menu, but it doesn't have the My Menu option.

No second memory card slot.

For $5,850 less than the D4s, I think I'll live, and the D3300 has a built-in flash and Panorama mode sorely lacking in the D4s. Neither the D4s nor the D3300 has Wi-Fi or GPS, thank goodness.

 

Lens Compatibility         top

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300. enlarge.

With no built-in AF motor or aperture feeler for manual-focus lenses, it only autofocuses with AF-S and older professional AF-I lenses, same as Nikon's other cheap DSLRs.

Older screw-type AF and AF-D (non AF-S) lenses expose and work perfectly otherwise, but you'll have to focus them by hand.

More at Nikon Lens Compatibility.

 

Specifications   top

Sample Images   Intro   Specifications   

Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Sensor

24 MP DX (23.2 x 15.4 mm) CMOS.

6,000 × 4,000 pixels native (LARGE, 24MP).

4,496 x 3,000 (MEDIUM, 13.5MP).

2,992 x 2,000 (SMALL, 6MP).

 

Panorama mode:

Normal (horizontal pan) 4,800 x 1,080.

Normal (vertical pan) 1,632 x 4,800.

Wide (horizontal pan) 9,600 x 1,080.

Wide (vertical pan) 1,632 x 9,600.

 

White Balance modes: Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine-tuning.

Active D-Lighting.

Live View.

Sensor cleaner.

No crop modes.

 

ISO

100 ~ 12,800, expandable to ISO 25,600 (HI+1).

AUTO ISO.

 

AF         top

11 points: Single-point AF, dynamic-area AF, auto-area AF, 3D-tracking (11 points).

AF-S (focus and lock), AF-C (continuous AF) and AF-A (automatic selection depending on if subject moves or not.)

 

Finder         top

Lightweight pentamirror.

95% coverage.

0.85x magnification with 50mm lens (smaller than FX cameras because it's 80% of a smaller area).

18 mm eyepoint.

-1.7 to + 0.5 diopters.

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen.

 

Meter         top

3D Color Matrix Meter II, 420 RGB pixels.

Center-weighted.

Spot on any of the 11 AF points.

i-TTL flash metering for use with SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, SB-400 and SB-300.

 

Built-in Flash         top

GN 39/12 (Feet/meters at ISO 100).

Does not control wireless flash, you'll have to buy the SU-800 to work as commander.

 

Shutter         top

1/4,000 ~ 30 seconds in third-stop steps.

Bulb.

Time exposures with optional ML-L3 remote control.

Front and rear receivers for use with the optional ML-L3 remote control.

Flash Sync: 1/200.

 

Frame Rates         top

5 FPS, in manual focus and at 1/250 second or faster.

Slower shutter speeds or expecting autofocus to focus for each frame will slow it down.

 

Picture Controls         top

Standard Gen 2 Picture Controls (Standard, Neutral,Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape).

You can modify them.

 

Video         top

1080p video with claimed full time AF, but DSLR video AF systems never work well. DSLR video AF can't track motion.

ISO 100 - 12,800.

Fine or Normal compression schemes.

Manual exposure control and mono microphone. (Stereo microphone input jack.)

1,920 x 1,080 at 59.94p, 50p, 29.97p, 25p and 23.976p.

1,280 x 720 at 59.94p and 50p (no 29.97p or 25p).

640 × 424 @ 29.97p or 25p.

H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding.

Linear PCM audio.

.MOV file format.

HDMI (type C) and analog outputs.

 

Audio         top

Built-in mono mic.

3.5mm stereo mic jack.

Manual or auto recording gain control.

Linear PCM only as part of video recording.

 

File Formats         top

JPG, NEF, or NEF+JPG.

NEF (raw) in 12-bit compressed.

JPG in BASIC, NORMAL or FINE.

 

File Sizes         top

20.4 MB NEF.

11.9 MB LARGE JPG FINE.

6.2 MB LARGE JPG NORMAL.

3.0 MB LARGE JPG BASIC.

1.9 MB MEDIUM JPG BASIC.

1.0 MB MEDIUM JPG BASIC.

 

Data Storage         top

One SD, SDHC or SDXC card, 2 GB to at least 64 GB.

 

LCD         top

Exquisite 3," 921,000 dots.

4:3 aspect ratio.

 

Data Communication         top

USB.

HDMI, type-C connector.

 

Power         top

It uses the same battery and charger as the D5500, D5300 and D5200 and is similar to the EN-EL14 of the D5200, D5100, D3100 and P7000.

 

2016

EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery: 7.2V 1,230 mAh, 8.9 Wh.

Rated 700 shots, CIPA, which is 50% with full-power flash. ("23 °C/73.4 °F (±2 °C/3.6 °F) with an AF-S DX NIKKOR 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6G VR II lens under the following test conditions: lens cycled from infinity to minimum range and one photograph taken at default settings once every 30 s; after photograph is taken, monitor is turned on for 4 s; tester waits for standby timer to expire after monitor is turned off; flash fired at full power once every other shot. Live view not used.")

Nikon claims 2,500 shots without flash, no VR, and only some LCD use. ("vibration reduction off, continuous release mode, focus mode set to AF-C, image quality set to JPEG basic, image size set to M (medium), white balance set to v, ISO sensitivity set to ISO 100, shutter speed 1/250 s, focus cycled from infinity to minimum range three times after shutter-release button has been pressed halfway for 3 s; six shots are then taken in succession and monitor turned on for 4 s and then turned off; cycle repeated once standby timer has expired."

— or  —

55 minutes of video recording.

 

2014

EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery: 7.4V 1,030 mAh, 7.7 Wh.

Rated 540 shots, CIPA, which is 50% with flash.

Battery weight: 1.700 oz. (48.1 g.), measured.

Nikon EN-EL14a

EN-EL14a battery.

 

MH 24 Charger

Nikon folding-plug MH-24 charger. enlarge.

The MH-24 charger has a folding unpolarised USA plug, as a charger should. It's much better than the clumsy abortions like the MH-25 we use with the D810 and D610 etc.

 

Size         top

3.9 x 4.9 × 3.0 inches, HWD.

98 × 124 x 75.5 millimeters, HWD.

 

Weight         top

16.005 oz. (453.75g), actual measured with battery and card (2016).

16.045 oz. (454.9g), actual measured with battery and card (2014).

Nikon rates it at 16.2 oz. (460g) with battery and SD card.

Nikon rates it at 14.5 oz. (410g) stripped.

 

Colors         top

Came in Black, Gray or Red:

Nikon D3300 in gray

Gray version version of the Nikon D3300.

 

Nikon D3300 in gray

Red version of the Nikon D3300.

 

Quality         top

Nikon D3300

Bottom, Nikon D3300. enlarge.

Made in Thailand (camera and lens).

Battery cells made in China, and then assembled into batteries in Indonesia.

Charger made in China.

 

Environmental         top

0 - 40ºC (32-104ºF) operating.

< 85% RH, no condensation.

 

Included         top

D3300 body.

18-55mm VR II lens.

EN-EL14a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery

MH-24 Battery Charger

DK-5 Eyepiece Cap

DK-20 Rubber Eyecup

UC-E17 USB Cable

EG-CP14 Audio Video Cable

AN-DC3 Camera Strap

BF-1B Body Cap

BS-1 Accessory Shoe Cover

Nikon ViewNX 2 software CD-ROM

 

Announced         top

07 January 2014.

 

Accessories         top

GP-1A GPS ($280).

 

ML-L3 remote control.

 

Optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter ($52):

Nikon D3300 with WU-1a

Nikon D3300 with WU-1a sticking out the side.

If you get it to go, the WU-1a claims to send images wirelessly to wi-fi doo-dads, and remotely monitor and shoot images for surveillance and unattended hidden operation.

 

Price, USA        top

February 2023: $549 with lens at Amazon ($688 in red), or about $210 used if you know How to Win at eBay.

July 2018: $400 at Amazon with lens. It's discontinued and sold out elsewhere.

August 2017: $447 with AF-S VR II lens. Also available for $380 with the better AF-P VR lens (gray-market).

June 2016: $547 with AF-S VR II lens. Also available for $447 with AF-P VR lens (gray-market).

November 2015: $447 with 18-55mm VR II lens.

May 2014: $597 with 18-55mm VR II lens.

January (introduction) - April 2014: $650 with 18-55mm VR II lens.

Nikon D3300 box

Box, Nikon D3300.

 

Getting a legal USA Version   (applies in USA only)        top

In the USA, be sure your box has a "(U)" after "D3300" above the UPC bar code on the lower right. If it's another letter, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. That's why I never buy anyplace other than from my Approved Sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, like at retail, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get new firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it! Always be sure to check your box while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources, so you'll be able to have your camera serviced as or if needed.

 

Nikon D3300 box end

Box end, USA version Nikon D3300. enlarge.

 

Performance         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specifications   

Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

The D3300 works fantastically. The D3300 can make extraordinary images in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, and has loads of internal processing power to accomplish everything it does very quickly. It's ergonomically very well thought out and handles and operates marvelously, and even its LCD is brilliant.

Technically it's unbeaten, and ergonomically it's as good as a camera with as few real buttons in this price range gets.

Used properly, the images look great at any ISO, and auto white balance is wonderful under almost any light.

 

Finder

The D3300's finder is bright and sharp, specially with the slow kit lenses for which it is optimized. It has a very precisely etched screen showing the location of the AF areas, a nice touch.

Better than the D800 and D800E, the AF zones are indicated with light-up LED spots that don't interfere much with the subject you're trying to see. (The D800 and D800E use ugly, obstructive black LCD squares that turn on and off instead.)

Its matte field won't properly show the restricted depth-of-field with lenses faster than f/4, but that's OK because this is how Nikon got the finder so bright.

The finder certainly isn't as huge as an FX camera or as big as the D7000 because the D3300 uses a hollow, lightweight pentamirror instead of a solid glass pentaprism, which is exactly how I'd want a lightweight camera to work.

Better than the D800 and D800E, the D3300 shows exposure compensation to thirds of a stop on its in-finder bar graph. The D800 and D800E only show half-stops, so they don't show when you've only got ±0.3 stops compensation set, which the D3300 does!

 

Autofocus

Autofocus is fast, silent and accurate. Of course it's limited by your lens; the included 18-55mm VR II isn't as lighting fast as some of Nikon's professional lenses.

Set to its default AF-A and Auto-Area select modes, the D3300 figures out where and how to focus, and just does it.

The selected points are shown with little LED dots. They aren't that bright, but bright enough.

The auto-area select function is smart, but not as smart as in the D800 or D4. The more exotic cameras can find a subject's eye and focus on it directly and instantly almost 100% of the time, while the D3300 usually, but not always, finds the subject in your frame.

If the D3300 isn't finding your subject behind distractions, you'll have to stop and go into menus to reset it to use just one AF area. Once you've selected to select which AF area is used manually, it's easy to use the rear selector to select them.

The rear selector moves incrementally between areas with each click; a click does not slam the selected AF point al the way to one spot or the next.

The D3300 has AF-S (single and lock), AF-C (continuous), and AF-A (automatic selection between the previous two modes) autofocus. This is better than the D5300, D800 and D4, which no longer have the brilliant. AF-A mode.

 

Exposure

Exposure is superb.

It's almost always perfect.

 

Flash

The built-in flash is excellent, but it often takes several seconds too long to recycle, which can result in lost photos. The D3300 locks-up and won't fire while it waits for its built-in flash to recycle.

I'd suggest getting a used Nikon SB-400, which will recycle so fast that you won't miss anything, or just learn to be patient and shoot carefully.

 

Flash Exposure

Flash exposure is also superb. Fill flash always comes out right on the first try.

Ryan at Hot Off The Grill

Ryan at breakfast, 9:15 AM, 11 April 2014. (Nikon D3300 with built-in flash, Nikon 18-55mm VR II at 38mm, f/4.8 at 1/125 at ISO 100.) bigger.

Daytime fill-flash exposures, indoors or out, are always lovely.

Likewise, flash exposure indoors is always right-on.

Fill-flash exposures indoors at night give the usual black backgrounds with little ambient light and overpowering flash, as expected.

 

Image Quality

Technically, image quality is fantastic.

Color rendition is superb; the D3300 uses all the same picture controls, with matching results, to all the other current Nikon cameras.

Auto White Balance continues to get better with every generation of Nikon camera. With the D3300, AWB usually gets exactly the results I want under any light.

 

High ISOs

Ryan at West

Ryan at West, 07 June 2016. (Nikon D3300 with Nikon 18-55mm VR AF-P (gray market) at 24mm, f/4 at 1/40 at Auto ISO 8,000, Perfectly Clear.)

 

Mangia Bene

ISO 12,800: Mangia Bene, 6:33 PM, 11 April 2014. Nikon D3300, Nikon 18-55mm VR II at 45mm, f/5 at 1/60, Athentech Perfectly Clear. bigger.

ISO 12,800 looks great. There is very little noise and no mottling or blotching; the biggest artifact is a softer image from all the noise reduction.

 

Panoramas

New in the D3300, a swept panorama mode lets us hand-hold and swipe the D3300 in any of four directions to make a 180º panorama.

Outdoor D3300Panorama

Outdoor Panorama, 14 April 2014. D3300, 18-55mm VR II at 18mm, f/4 at 1/1,000 at ISO 180. Camera-original © rotated JPG file.

 

Outdoor D3300Panorama

Outdoor Panorama, 14 April 2014. D3300, 18-55mm VR II at 18mm, f/3.5 at 1/250 at ISO 3,200. Camera-original © rotated JPG file.

Of course if had held the camera more square the images would have been straighter. Using a pan head on a tripod would be ideal, and as I've shown, casual hand holding works swell as well.

Look for yourself; I see only a typical amount of stitching artifacts.

The Panorama mode also works fine if the camera is pointed somewhat higher or lower as you sweep to cover a higher or lower view.

These are in the NORMAL Panorama mode with the camera held vertically and panned to the right. A camera defect rotated my panoramas 90º, so I had to rotate these back to what you see here in Media Pro, the software I use for lossless rotations.

The WIDE mode didn't work. It stopped recording after 180º and filled the rest of the longer image with dark grey. I will presume that Nikon will fix these in newer firmware; my brand-new D3300 is still at version C 1.00 and L 2.002.

I only tried at the 18mm end of the included lens' range. I didn't try with other lenses.

How to use the Panorama Mode.

 

Auto ISO

Auto ISO works great. When you use this feature (I always do), the D3300 will shoot at your selected ISO, and when the light starts to get dark, will automatically increase its ISO to maintain the slowest shutter speed you've previously programmed.

The D3300 can select the slowest shutter speed based on zoom setting or lens focal length. One cannot select an offset from the auto-selected slowest shutter speed as one can in the D4 and D800, but just like all other Nikons with this feature, you always can set the slowest Auto ISO speed manually wherever you like.

The auto-selected slowest shutter speed isn't smart enough to set itself differently based on whether or not you have VR on or off.

 

Auto Distortion Correction

Better than my Canon 5D Mark III, my Nikon D3300 can correct lens distortion automatically as I shoot, and even better, we never have to load any lens profiles. So long as you're using an AF-D or G lens, you 're good to go right out of the box.

To get this automatic as-you-shoot correction, just set MENU > SHOOTING MENU (camera icon) > Auto distortion control > On. (default is off.)

 

Ergonomics

Nikon does a great job with its inexpensive DSLRs — better than it does with its professional cameras today!

Press the exposure compensation button and the rear LCD lights magically so you can see to set it before you bring the camera to your eye. The D3300 even highlights the value to make it obvious.

The PLAY button is still on the wrong side, demanding a second hand to hit PLAY.

With MENU and most of the buttons on the right, you'll always need two hands to work the D3300.

If I choose to set my Fn button to set white balance, I can't navigate down to the other info screen settings.

Setting Fn button to select image size and Quality is pointless because you've got only one dial. Therefore with this option, you have to spin past all the options, and usually will get something wrong. On bigger cameras, this option allows you to use two dials, one for size and one for quality, but with only one dial, forget it.

To set the Fn and other controls, these settings are all hiding in the menus under "buttons."

 

Quiet Mode

The quiet mode isn't really. All it does it disconnect the cycle of the camera from charging the shutter until after you've removed your finger from the shutter button.

All this does is split the shutter sound into two parts, presumably so you could hide the camera under a jacket when you take your finger off the button, but in actual use, all it does is make the D3300 work more slowly and make the finder stay black after each photo — and it's not really any quieter than the regular mode.

The good news is that the D3300 is a very quiet camera in its regular mode anyway, much quieter than Nikon's loud professional cameras.

 

Movies

Audio is mono.

Autofocus for movies is slow, as are most DSLRs. It also makes audible clicking as it tries to focus.

Movie AF may be slow, but it doesn't hunt or get lost. It focuses, but slowly.

 

Mechanics

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3300 and included 18-55mm VR II. enlarge.

The D3300 is mostly plastic, with a metal lens mount and tripod socket.

This is perfect: it's light weight, and the durable parts are still metal.

 

Data

When formatted, cards are correctly titled "NIKON D3300."

The first folder is titled "100D3300."

SMALL BASIC JPG files (2,992 x 2,000 pixels), the way I shoot my D3300, have a median file size of 700 kB, and can be printed at any size. Depending on the subject, they'll range from 480kB to 1.1 MB.

LARGE BASIC JPG files (6,000x 4,000 pixels) have a median size of about 2.2 MB, ranging from 1.8 to 3.5 MB.

Panoramas run from 1.0 MB in Normal to 1.8 MB in Wide Panorama.

The clock is reasonably accurate, running a third of a second slow per day.

 

Playback

Playback is fast and clear, as we expect from Nikon.

You can activate and deactivate different playback screen options in the menus.

If you're always in as much of a hurry as I am, I find that the continuous scroll takes a moment too long to start scrolling as you hold the directional control.

The Play and Zoom buttons on wrong side, requiring a second hand to control.

If you zoom-in with the YRGB histogram screen active, the histogram shows the values only for the area to which you've zoomed.

 

LCD

The D3300 has a superb LCD!

The D3300's LCD is big, bright, sharp and color-accurate. You couldn't really put a bigger or better screen on a camera this small.

The LCD is covered with uncoated clear plastic, not heavy anti-reflection coated glass as on some much fancier cameras.

I love the LCD of my D3300!

 

Power and Battery

The USA MH-24 charger has a folding plug for travel.

The light blinks amber while charging, and is steady when done.

Unlike fancier cameras, the battery gauge is only a 3-segment indicator that gives not much warning when the battery gets low.

Like most DSLRs, the battery lasts forever. The biggest worry you should have is being lulled into forgetting to bring your charger on a long trip.

 

Usage         top

Intro   Specs   Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Easy!

There is both my Nikon D3300 Plain-English User's Guide, as well as a D3300 App. (the app only works on old versions of iOS older than about iOS 10).

Nikon D3300 Users Guide App

NEW: Ken Rockwell's Nikon D3300 Users Guide app.

(the app only works on old versions of iOS older than about iOS 10).

 

Nikon's D3300 users manual. covers AF-P lens on page 116. As shown on page 20, with no VR switch on the lens, you set this in the shooting menu.

Nikon D3300 - long manual. Mentions AF-P lens compatibility on page 289, details the lens on page 354 where it says only works on a few newer DX cameras. P. 355 explains how to use the AF-P lens, and explanation of AFP lens continues through page 359.

More Nikon manuals for the D3300.

 

Recommendations         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specifications   

Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

I recommend the Nikon D3300 to everyone who asks what camera to buy for great photos of family, friends, sports, concerts, theater and action.

Got kids and want great action, low-light and long-distance photos? The D3300 is the camera to get. Paying more won't get you much more other than a lot more weight to have to carry around.

The only reason to pay more for a D5300 is to get a flipping rear LCD and better (faster recycling) built-in flash, and the only reason to pay more for a D7100 is if you know what all the buttons do and prefer the extra buttons of the D7100 over having to fool around in menus with the less expensive cameras.

Avoid the awful old D3000 at any price, while the older D3200 and even older D3100 are also almost as good for less money if you can find them left over. For instance, you can get the older D3100 for only $349, with lens, refurbished, which is almost the same camera as the D3300, for half the price.

 

Flash

The built-in flash is excellent. You probably don't need a separate flash unless you're trying to shoot action or kids which demand a fast recycle time.

Only if you need faster recycling time between photos or more range for daylight fill-flash do you need an external flash. If you do want an external flash, Nikon's best is the discontinued SB-400; get a used one at the links in its review. Nikon's newest SB-300 isn't as good as the older SB-400.

 

Lenses         top

The included 18-55mm VR II is probably all you need for everything. If you're new to photography, the strongest advice I can give you from 45 years of experience is that it's far more important to learn how to use what you've got, instead of confusing the issue by buying more lenses, as you're starting out.

If you need a telephoto lens for sports and theater, I use the 55-200mm VR. The 55-300mm VR zooms-in a little closer, but is bigger and more expensive. Either is excellent.

Personally, I usually use the 35mm f/1.8 DX for everything and leave the 18-55mm VR at home. I rarely use a zoom.

The 10-24mm DX is only if you need super wide-angles. (How to use Ultrawide Lenses.)

If you're counting every one of your 24 megapixels, you're most likely a computer hobbyist as opposed to a photographer, but if you are counting, the included 18-55mm lens isn't as sharp as the D3300 can be at 24 MP; you'll want the sharper 35mm f/1.8 DX instead.

See also the DX Dream Team.

 

Memory

I use only SanDisk or Lexar SD cards. Anything else is asking for trouble.

 

Where to get it

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It helps me keep adding to this free website when you get your things through these links — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you buy elsewhere. Nikon doesn't seal its boxes in any way, so if you buy from other than approved sources you'll have no way of knowing if you're getting all your accessories or getting a returned, used or damaged product. My approved sources ship from secure remote warehouses far away from any salespeople or customers.

Thank you!

Ken.

 

More Information         top

Sample Images   Intro   Specifications   

Performance   Usage   Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the D3300 at Amazon in black or in red, or used at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

Nikon's D3300 page.

Nikon's D3300 users manual. covers AF-P lens on page 116. As shown on page 20, with no VR switch on the lens, you set this in the shooting menu.

Nikon D3300 - long manual. Mentions AF-P lens compatibility on page 289, details the lens on page 354 where it says only works on a few newer DX cameras. P. 355 explains how to use the AF-P lens, and explanation of AFP lens continues through page 359.

More Nikon manuals for the D3300.

 

© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

 

Help me help you         top

I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.

The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.

If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.

If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!

If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.

As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Mr. & Mrs. Ken Rockwell, Ryan and Katie.

 

Home  Donate  New  Search  Gallery  Reviews  How-To  Books  Links  Workshops  About  Contact

 

 

 

02 Feb 2023, Feb 2022, 06 July 2018, 02 August 2017, June 2016, April 2014