Nikon D3500

24MP DX, 5 FPS, HD Video

World's Lightest DSLR (2018-2023)

Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

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Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500 and included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P (body weighs 14.6 oz/415g with battery and card, $647 with lens or about $450 used with lens if you know How to Win at eBay). bigger. I'd also get it used at Amazon.

Often it came with a second non-stabilized (non-VR) 70-300mm DX AFP lens. For only about $100 extra you can't go wrong, but it's hard to get sharp photos with an unstabilized telephoto like that. Instead, I'd strongly sugest getting the VR-version 70-300mm DX AFP lens separately.

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. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

 

January 2023   Nikon   Mirrorless   Mirrorless Lenses   All Nikon Lenses   Nikon Flash   All Reviews

Older D3400.

Even older D3300.

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500. bigger or fit screen.

 

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500. bigger or fit screen.

BRAVO! All the buttons are now on the right side where you can hit them with your shooting-hand thumb. The older D3400, D3300 & etc. all have most of their buttons on the left where you have to stop and use a second left hand to press them, even for playback!

Please help KenRockwell.com

Sample Images

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All these are shot with the included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P kit lens:

Palm Paradise, Sevilla, Andalucía​, España

Palm Paradise, Sevilla, Andalucia, España, Monday, 29 July 2019. Nikon D3500, Nikon 18-55mm VR AFP at 22mm at f/5.6 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Palm Cathedral, Sevilla, Andalucía​, España

Palm Cathedral, Sevilla, Andalucia, España, Monday, 29 July 2019. Nikon D3500, Nikon 18-55mm VR AFP at 18mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Palm Cathedral, Sevilla, Andalucía​, España

Fine home, Sevilla, Andalucia, España, Monday, 29 July 2019. Nikon D3500, Nikon 18-55mm VR AFP at 18mm at f/7.1 for 30 seconds at ISO 100, Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

The wind is blowing, so of course the tops of the palm trees and other plants aren't sharp in this half-minute time-exposure.

 

Lincoln Continental Mark V, El Paseo, Palm Desert, California

1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V, El Paseo, Palm Desert, California, Tuesday, 30 July 2019. Nikon D3500, Nikon 18-55mm VR AFP at 55mm at f/8 at 1/250 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Yellow Parking Pole, Rancho Mirage, California

Yellow Parking Pole, Rancho Mirage, California, Thursday, 01 August 2019. Nikon D3500, Nikon 18-55mm VR AFP at 55mm at f/9 at 1/320 at Auto ISO 100, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

 

Introduction

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

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New   Good   Bad   Missing

Adorama Pays Top Dollar for Used Gear

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

Crutchfield

I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below.

Dollar for dollar, the Nikon D3500 is the best camera you can buy.

The Nikon D3500 is Nikon's newest, lightest and least expensive DSLR. It comes complete with a fantastic 18-55mm AF-P VR lens. As you can see at the Sample Images, this lens is all you really need: it's super sharp and does just about everything well.

This new D3500 is the same as the D3400 from two years earlier, with most of the buttons now moved to the right, which is where they belong so we can control everything with one hand. It also weighs a little less and has a little more battery life, and otherwise has the same resolution, ISO, frame rates, mono microphone, video resolutions, rear LCD, AF system, light meter, battery and everything else the same as the two-year-older D3400 it replaces — all for the same low price!

Today it's a great DSLR used for even less if you know How to Win at eBay.

I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

 

New since the D3400

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Most rear buttons moved to right side for one-handed operation.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com More battery life: now rated 1,550 shots per charge, up from 1,200 in D3400 (both CIPA, 50% with flash).

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com 30g (1 oz.) lighter than D3400.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Slightly smaller in some dimensions, and grip has been made slightly larger.

blue ball icon © KenRockwell.com Nikon mentions many new little things like guide menus to help beginners; I never use these so I can't speak to them.

 

Good

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Superb technical and artistic image quality for loads of great pictures.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Ultra, ultra light. Feels like it weighs less than my kids' toy cameras, but with pro-level picture quality.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Built-in flash.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Live View.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com No shutter delay and no wake-up or other delays. Everything responds instantly and it's always ready to shoot with zero waiting, much better than any mirrorless camera.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com No need ever to turn the camera off unless you're putting it in a tight bag where the shutter button might be pressed accidentally. You can leave the power switch on for months with no battery drain and it wakes the instant you tap the shutter button.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Long battery life, much better than any mirrorless camera.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Simple menu system makes it easy to find what you need and set it; it's not bloated like other cameras. It has everything you need and skips all the fluff.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com One basic rear control dial feels great; much more comfortable than on Sony cameras.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Setting Exposure Compensation automatically lights the rear screen to display your setting, so it can be set at arm's length.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Great lens included free.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Automatic lens distortion and vignette correction.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Quiet shutter mode (it's quieter, but not silent).

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com All rear buttons (except for the flash pop-up) are on the right side for easy one-handed operation.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com "Recent Items" menu magically puts your most used settings all in one place.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Bluetooth.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Flicker reduction (synchronizes the shutter release to shoot during the bright periods of flickering light sources).

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Color histograms, and can display localized histograms for small sections of the image if you zoom-in on playback.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com Fast zoomed-in playback scrolling; it's easy to zip around a zoomed image to check for sharpness.

green ball icon © KenRockwell.com 720 @ 59.94 or 50p and 1,080 @ 23.976, 25, 29.97, 50 or 59.94p HD video.

 

Bad

red ball icon © KenRockwell.com For this low price, including lens, there's absolutely nothing bad. This is a great camera at a bargain price that has more resolution than any professional Nikon digital camera ever (D5, D4, D3, etc.).

 

Missing

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No programmable preset U1, U2 or U3 scene modes.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com There's an AUTO setting for the minimum shutter speed in Auto ISO, but no ability to shift this AUTO setting; it's fixed at about 1/focal length.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No sensor cleaner.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No flippy rear screen.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No automatic brightness control for the rear LCD (very few cameras have this, but they all need it).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No touch screen.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No USB charging, use the included compact charger.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No electronic level.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No HDR (multi-shot "high dynamic range" mode).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No Kelvin White Balance settings (use other settings and then use the color trim adjustments in the menus).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No exposure mode indicator in the finder (look at the rear LCD or the top mode dial to see P, S, A or M).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No depth-of-field preview (use Live View or playback instead).

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No GPS.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No as-shot crop modes.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com Mono, not stereo, microphone for video.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No mic-in jack.

gray ball icon © KenRockwell.com No high price, no shutter lag, no wake-up or other delays, no problems and even includes a great lens, free!

 

Video Version of this Review

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

Recommendations   More

I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

Subscribe for more video reviews.

 

Lens Compatibility

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

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I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

Nikon D3500 lens mount

Nikon D3500 lens mount. bigger or fit screen. Unlike a mirrorless camera, you're seeing the reflection of the optical finder screen through the flipping reflex mirror.

Autofocus works great with modern AF-P and AF-S lenses, but only if they have no aperture ring (are "G" type).

The D3500 does not work well with manual focus lenses (no metering), and will not autofocus with any AF lens with an aperture ring and will not autofocus with any traditional AF or AF-D lens with screw-type autofocus.

If a lens has an aperture ring or a screw-type AF coupling, the D3500 will not be able to autofocus (turn the focus ring manually and look for the green OK dot on the lower left of the finder), and it will not be able to meter or set exposure (use Manual exposure and pray).

It works great with all kinds of lens diaphragms, both traditional and the new E-diaphragms.

More at Nikon Lens Compatibility.

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500. bigger or fit screen.

 

Specifications

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

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I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

 

Image Sensor

24 MP.

15.6 × 23.5 mm DX.

1.5:1 aspect ratio.

1.52× crop factor.

No sensor cleaner.

 

White Balance

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

No Kelvin setting, use the color trims in the menus from other settings.

 

Image Sizes

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

4,496 × 3,000 (MEDIUM, 13.5MP).

2,992 × 2,000 (SMALL, 6MP).

No crop modes.

 

ISO

ISO 100 ~ 25,600 and Auto ISO.

No push or pull Hi+ or Lo- modes, just plain and simple ISO 100 ~ 25,600.

 

Active D-Lighting

 

Still Formats

JPG and/or compressed 12-bit NEF (RAW)

sRGB and Adobe RGB.

 

Video

Frame Sizes and Rates (all progressive scan)

1,920 × 1,080 at 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25 or 23.976 FPS.

1,280 × 720 at 59.94 or 50 FPS.

 

Movie File Format & Coding

.MOV containing H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding video and linear PCM audio.

 

Longest Take Duration

29:59 at normal quality, 20 minutes at High quality.

 

Audio

Recorded only along with video.

Mono microphone built in.

No mic-in socket.

 

Autofocus

11 Points.

Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection.

Rated to work from LV -1 to +19.

AF-Assist light rated to help from 1.5~12 feet (0.5 to 3 m).

 

Finder

Lightweight pentamirror.

95% coverage.

0.48x magnification with 28mm standard (for DX) lens.

18 mm eyepoint.

-1.7 to + 0.5 diopters.

Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen.

 

Shutter

Vertical metal focal-plane.

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

Bulb.

Flash Sync: 1/200.

Self timer: 2, 5, 10, 20 seconds with 1 to 9 exposures

 

Frame Rates

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.

 

Flash

1/200 sync speed.

i-TTL and CLS compatible.

 

Built-in Flash

Yes, pops up.

GN 22'/7m (26'/8m in manual mode) at ISO 100.

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

 

External Flash

Dedicated ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock.

No Prontor-Compur (PC) terminal; use the built-in flash to trigger your slaves or use an AS-15 hot-shoe adapter for corded sync.

 

Light Meter

3D Color Matrix Meter II, 420 RGB pixels.

8mm center-weighted.

3.5mm spot on any of the 11 AF points.

i-TTL flash metering for use with SB-5000, SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, SB-500, SB-400 and SB-300.

Meter Range: LV 0~20 (spot meter: LV 2~20).

 

Live View

Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F) and Manual focus (MF)

Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF and Subject-tracking AF.

Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame; the D3500 selects the focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected.

 

LCD Monitor

3" (76 mm) diagonal.

921,000 dots VGA.

170º viewing angle.

Does not swivel.

 

Connectors

Type C mini-pin HDMI.

Micro USB.

 

Bluetooth

v 4.1.

Rated 32 ft/10m range, line of sight.

 

Storage

One SD, SDHC or SDXC card.

 

Power & Battery

Rated 1,550 shots, no Bluetooth, CIPA (every other shot made with full-power flash).

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

This is the same battery and charger as the D3400, D3300, D5500, D5300 and D5200 and is similar to the EN-EL14 of the older D5200, D5100, D3100 and P7000.

 

Nikon EN-EL14a

EN-EL14a battery. bigger.

 

MH 24 Charger

Nikon folding-plug MH-24 charger. enlarge.

The MH-24 charger has a folding unpolarized 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.

Optional EH-5b AC Adapter, which also needs an EP-5A Power Connector.

 

Size

3.82 ×  4.88 × 2.74 inches HWD

97  × 124  ×  69.5 millimeters HWD.

 

Weight

14.6 oz. (415 g) with battery and card.

12.9 oz. (365 g) stripped.

 

Environment

Operating

0 ~ 40º C (32 ~ 104º F).

Up to 85 % RH.

 

Included

D3500 with BF-1B Body Cap.

EN-EL14a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery with terminal cover.

MH-24 Battery Charger.

DK-25 Rubber Eyecup.

AN-DC3 Camera Strap.

 

Announced

Thursday, 30 August 2016, 9:20 AM NYC time.

 

Promised for

September 2018.

 

Quality

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500. bigger or fit screen.

Made in Thailand.

 

Price, U. S. A.       specifications       top

January 2023

$647 with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at B&H.

About $450 used with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P if you know How to Win at eBay, or about $400 used, body-only.

You also can get it used at Amazon.

 

November 2021

$597 with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at Adorama, at Amazon and at Crutchfield.

$697 as a kit with a second non-stabilized (non-VR) 70-300mm DX AFP as well as the the 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $400 used with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

July 2021

$597 with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $350 used with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P if you know How to Win at eBay.

 

April 2020

$397 with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

About $300 used if you know How to Win at eBay; about $350 used with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P.

 

December 2019

$397 with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

DEAL: $397 with with 18-55 VR & non-VR 70-300mm!

 

August 2019

$447 with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P at Adorama, at Amazon, at B&H and at Crutchfield.

$497 with 18-55 VR & non-VR 70-300mm.

About $325 used if you know How to Win at eBay, with included 18-55mm VR DX AF-P.

 

January 2019

$397 with 18-55 VR lens.

$497 with 18-55 VR & non-VR 70-300mm.

 

August 2018

$497 with lens.

 

Unboxing

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

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I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

Nikon D3500 box

Nikon D3500 kit box. bigger or fit screen.

The box and lens are completely unsealed. There is no way to know if anyone else has been fiddling with your camera or lens, swapping parts and accessories, or even if it's a dropped, returned, damaged or used camera.

This is why it's critical to buy only from an approved online source, since they ship from automated warehouses where no shifty salesmen or customers ever get to touch your new camera before it ships. While new $5 CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and bottles of milk and drinking water are sealed and quite obvious if anyone's opened them, paradoxically Nikon doesn't bother sealing anything, so your only insurance is to buy only from a trusted online dealer.

Open the unsealed microcorrugated cardboard box, and you'll see two USA warranty cards, one for the lens and one for the D3500 body, along with printed manuals and other paperwork:

Nikon D3500 box contents

Nikon D3500 kit box. bigger or fit screen.

Lift up the inner cardboard flap that holds the paperwork and you'll see the capped and bubble-wrapped body on the left, the bubble-wrapped lens on the back left, and battery, charger, strap and other items on the near right:

 

Nikon D3500 box contents

Nikon D3500 box. bigger or fit screen.

The camera has a standard body cap and the lens has a standard front cap. The lens has only a flimsy translucent rear transit cap, not a full-sized rear cap. No worries, you'll never need the body cap and rear lens cap once you put the lens on the camera.

 

Getting a Legal USA Version

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I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

This section applies in the USA only.

In the USA, be sure your box says "US" after "D3500 18-55 P VR KIT BK" above the large bar code:

Nikon D3500 USA box

Nikon D3500 USA box. bigger or fit screen.

"US" means the model for the USA.

Open the box and look closely at the two warranty cards, one for the D3500 body and one for the lens:

Nikon D3500 box contents

Nikon D3500 warranty cards. bigger or fit screen.

Check that each of your warranty cards say USA or Nikon USA on them. Check that the serial number on each card matches the one on each product.

If you don't have these cards, or if they don't say "USA", or if each card's serial number doesn't match the one on your body or lens exactly, you got ripped off with a gray market version from another country. (The serial numbers on the box don't have to match, but if they don't it means you bought from a shady dealer who took lenses out of boxes and then resold the used products as new.) This is why I never buy anyplace other than from my personally approved sources. You just can't take the chance of buying elsewhere, especially at any retail store, because non-USA versions have no warranty in the USA, and you won't even be able to get firmware or service for it — even if you're willing to pay out-of-pocket for it when you need it!

Nikon USA enforces its trademarks strictly. It's unlikely, but possible that US customs won't let your camera back in the country if you bought a gray-market version in the USA, carried it overseas, and try to bring it back in. (If you take the chance of buying one overseas, be sure you have a receipt to prove you bought it overseas and be prepared to pay duty on it.)

If a gray market version saves you $200 it may be worth it, but for $100 or less I wouldn't risk having no warranty or support.

Always be sure to check your box while you can still return it, or just don't buy from unapproved sources or at retail so you'll be able to have your camera serviced and get free updated firmware as needed.

Get yours from the same places I do and you won't have a problem, but if you take the risk of getting yours elsewhere, be sure to check everything while you still can return it.

 

Performance

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

Recommendations   More

 

Overall   Autofocus   Auto ISO   Auto White Balance

Color Rendition   Ergonomics   Exposure   Finder

Flash   High ISOs   Mechanics   Quiet Mode

Video   Rear LCD   Playback   Data   Power & Battery

 

I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

 

Overall

Performance          top

The D3500 takes great pictures, it's small, light and practically free. You can't do better than the D3500 for a small DSLR.

 

Autofocus

Performance          top

Autofocus is fast. With a professional lens like the 200mm f/2 VR II it autofocuses just as fast as a D850:

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Low light autofocus also has no problems.

The difference in autofocus between the D3500 and a larger camera is that it has fewer AF points, but that's about it. It lacks face recognition and other features that no one ever figures out, and no worries, it autofocuses just great.

 

Auto ISO

Performance          top

Auto ISO is pretty good. It's fully programmable for minimum and maximum ISOs and minimum shutter speeds.

There's an AUTO setting for minimum shutter speed, but no ability to shift this AUTO setting;it's fixed at about 1/focal length.

 

Auto White Balance

Performance          top

Auto White Balance works very well; I only have to set it manually under odd conditions where my artistic intent varies from the way the camera is seeing things.

 

Color Rendition

Performance          top

Color rendition, which is how colors look rather than a measure of clinical accuracy, is excellent. It's the same as other Nikon cameras, which I greatly prefer over the color rendition of any Sony camera.

The D3500 gets me the vivid colors I demand at MENU > SHOOTING > PICTURE CONTROL > VIVID > SATURATION > +3, while Sony and Fuji can't unless I process their images in my computer — and then they still don't look as good as what I get right out of my D3500 as JPGs as shown at Sample Images. (I photograph people with STANDARD color settings, not vivid.)

Tastes vary, and for vivid photos of things, Nikon has ruled since 2007.

 

Ergonomics

Performance          top

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500. bigger or fit screen.

 

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500. bigger or fit screen.

Ergonomics are hugely improved over earlier cameras because all the rear buttons (except for the flash button) have been moved to the right side, where they all are easily used while holding and shooting the camera with just one hand.

Much better than mirrorless cameras, everything just responds instantly to button presses. There is no shutter lag; it just takes the picture when you want it to.

It's a tiny camera that feels like a toy, which is great compared to a "real" camera like my Hasselblad because I make better pictures when I'm more relaxed and having fun. The tiny grip feels fine even in my big American hands.

As a tiny, basic camera it doesn't have room for as many controls as larger cameras, so many of the more advanced settings are in menus rather than having their own dedicated buttons. I expect this; the normal consumer who buys a little camera like this usually has no idea how to use all the pro settings anyway, and they are here if you go into the menus.

There's no need to turn it off and there is never any wake-up delay; it's always ready to shoot — much better than any mirrorless camera.

This is a camera I can carry with me everywhere every day while running errands and walking the dogs, and not even notice it's around my neck.

Bravo!

 

Exposure

Performance          top

Exposure accuracy is excellent in just about every lighting condition. Just as with almost all my other Nikons, I rarely have to use exposure compensation to get the images I want right out of my D3500.

 

Viewfinder

Performance          top

The viewfinder is small. This is because instead of using a big, heavy glass pentaprisim in the finder optics, instead the D3500 uses an ultralight pentamirror, which results in a smaller image to keep size and weight down.

The finder image is sharp, and the green digital display at the bottom is always very legible.

The finder shows apertures and shutter speeds and exposure compensation and more, but it doesn't show exposure mode. You'll have to look at the rear LCD or top mode dial to see this.

There is an indicator to show if you've shifted the exposure program in Program mode.

The AF areas are expertly shown as tiny red LED points, which I prefer to big black LCD rectangles as used on most higher-end consumer cameras like the D850. These little LED dots don't get in the way of seeing my subjects; they are more similar to the LED indicators on the professional D5, for instance.

 

Flash

Performance          top

The tiny pop-up flash works well for daylight fill-flash, but lacks the power to work well at longer distances in daylight.

 

High ISO Performance

Performance          top

High ISO performance is excellent, as all cameras are today.

Red Lobster, Rancho Mirage

Gentlemen, Rancho Mirage, California, Thursday, 01 August 2019. Nikon D3500, Nikon 18-55mm VR AFP at 32mm at f/4.5 hand-held at 1/15 at Auto ISO 1,600, Perfectly Clear. bigger, full-resolution or camera-original © file.

The included lens' Image stabilization (VR) makes it easy to hand-hold long exposures in the dark.

While it only goes up to ISO 25,600, it still looks pretty good at ISO 25,600. It doesn't have any of the "push" modes.

Other cameras that allow higher "pushed" or "expanded" settings look progressively worse and worse, so at the same ISO 25,600, most cameras today look pretty much the same.

 

High ISO Image Sample Files

Complete Images

As you'll see below, at normal picture sizes all the ISOs look the same, with ISO 25,600 being just a little rougher than the others. If you need ISO 25,600 to get a sharp, unblurred photo that you can't get at ISO 12,800, use it.

Click any for the camera-original © files to explore on your computer:

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

 

600 × 450 Pixel Crops from above

These are 600 × 450 pixel crops that vary in size to fit your browser window.

These are extreme enlargements. If these are about 3" (7.5cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 20 × 30" (50 × 75 cm) at this same high magnification.

If these are about 6" (15cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 40 × 60" (1 × 1.5 meters) at this same extreme magnification.

If these are about 12" (30cm) wide on your screen, the complete images would print at 80 × 120" (2 × 3 meters) at this same insanely high magnification.

At these extreme enlargements we can see that the higher ISOs become softer and lose fine details, as with all cameras. If you don't need high ISOs because you're on a tripod (as I am here) or if your subjects hold still, then always use the lowest ISO you can on every camera. If long hand-held shutter speeds or subject motion demand a shorter shutter speed, then and only then go to a higher ISO. I always use Auto ISO, which does all this for me.

Click any for the camera-original © files to explore on your computer:

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

Nikon D3500 high ISO sample image file

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Lens Corrections

Performance          top

The D3500 corrects for distortion and falloff, either of which you may turn ON or OFF.

The D3500 always corrects for lateral color fringes (chromatic aberration), this is part of Nikon's secret sauce and never appears in any menu.

 

Mechanical Quality

Performance          top

This is a very well made, mostly plastic camera.

The lens mount and what needs to be metal is metal, and otherwise everything else is plastic. That's why it weighs close to nothing.

 

Quiet Mode

Performance          top

The Quiet Mode slows the camera's mirror flipping a bit, and also holds the mirror up after your exposure until you take your finger off the shutter. This way you can take your picture, and hold the D3500 under your arm or jacket to muffle when you take your finger off the shutter button and the camera completes its mechanical exposure cycle.

The D3500 is a quiet camera to begin with for a DSLR, but the quiet mode isn't that much quieter. If you want complete silence, you'll want a mirrorless camera.

 

Video

Performance          top

Nikon D3500 sample video file

Camera-Original Sample Video File at 1080/24p, NORMAL quality. (43MB file!)

My iPhone Xs Max makes much better video. The D3500 has only a mono microphone and no other audio input (my iPhone Xs Max has an excellent stereo mic built-in, and its lightning connector lets us connect anything else we want), and the D3500 has no video stabilization other than what the lens may provide. The iPhone has superior stabilization, and also shoots up to 4K/60 while the D3500 is limited to 1,080/60.

While I get great results hand-held on my iPhone, you really need a fluid head and video tripod to get smooth video with a D3500.

Your selected Picture Controls effect D3500 video. Here I have mine set to VIVID and +3 Saturation; which looks great for landscapes but people will look much better at STANDARD.

 

Rear LCD Monitor

Performance          top

The fixed rear LCD is super. It's accurate, sharp and bright. No surprises here.

Like most cameras it has no auto brightness control, so outdoors you'll have to set its brightness manually to +5 at MENU > SETUP > MONITOR BRIGHTNESS > +5, and return it back to 0 when you go back indoors.

 

Playback   

Performance          top

Playback is the usual from Nikon.

It's easy to move around zoomed images fast, and you can see all the data you want if you turn it on at MENU > PLAYBACK > PLAYBACK DISPLAY OPTIONS.

 

Data

Performance          top

Cards are properly formatted as "NIKON D3500," far superior to Sony and Fuji who leave them as "Untitled."

 

Power & Battery

Performance          top

The tiny battery seems to last forever. I've never been able to run it down!

This isn't a mirrorless camera with their short battery life, you should be able to get well over a thousand shots on a charge on your D3500.

 

Compared

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

Recommendations   More

I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

This D3500 is the same as the discontinued D3400, just with all the rear buttons moved to one side where we, for the first time, can reach them all easily with one hand. See more differences at New since D3400.

The D3400 is the same camera as the even older D3300, just adding bluetooth. See the few differences above at D3400 changes since the D3300.

The D5000 series (D5600, D5500, etc.) are also mostly the same, with the D5000 series adding a flipping touch screen and a stereo (versus mono) microphone for video.

The D7500, D7200 , D7100 and D7000 are quite different, being much more solid and advanced cameras that can autofocus with old AF lenses from the 1980s and usually meter with ancient manual focus lenses, and have more buttons, dials and controls for advanced users who change advanced settings often. This D3500 has most of the same settings, just that you more often have to find them in a menu instead of just having a button for them in the D7500.

Full-frame FX cameras like the D610 and D750 are almost identical to the D7500, but with a larger image sensor that requires the use of larger and heavier FX lenses. The advantage of FX cameras is that they have bigger viewfinders, and if you like soft backgrounds, tend to have shallower depth of field in similar situations compared to the other cameras.

The Canon Rebel T6 has about the same performance at the same price, just from a different brand. If one looks or feels better to you, get it. Each offers the same high performance in an inexpensive, small and lightweight package. See also Canon versus Nikon.

 

User's Guide

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

Recommendations   More

I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

For now, see my explicit Nikon D3400 User's Guide, which is 95% the same thing, and also see Nikon's own D3500 owner's manual.

Here are some more tips:

 

Power and Charging

There is no USB charging.

Pull out the battery from the grip and charge it in the included wall charger.

There's no need to turn off the D3500 except to prevent accidental shutter release. Leave it turned on all day and as you go about your business and it's always ready to shoot, much better than any mirrorless camera.

The only bad thing about such great battery life is that you just might forget to bring the charger on a long vacation, since it so rarely requires recharging. You could go a week and not have a problem; just be sure to charge it before you go and know how much you shoot and how many shots you usually get on a charge — or remember to bring the little charger.

 

Metering

Be sure to leave the D3500 in its default MATRIX metering mode; the only time people have problems is when they listen to photography teachers or old people who insist they shoot in Manual, Spot or Averaging modes.

 

Localized Histograms

If you're showing the histogram and then zoom-in on playback, the histogram shows the histogram just for the zoomed-in section.

 

Recommendations

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

Recommendations   More

 

I'd get the D3500 at B&H, or used at eBay (How to Win at eBay), or possibly used at Amazon.

 

Overall

Often it came with a second non-stabilized (non-VR) 70-300mm DX AFP lens. For only about $100 extra you can't go wrong, but it's hard to get sharp photos with an unstabilized telephoto like that. Instead, I'd strongly sugest getting the stabilized VR-version 70-300mm DX AFP lens separately.

The D3500 is an incredible bargain for an incredible camera. It takes exactly the same pictures as more expensive Nikon cameras — the world's best pictures —  and it weighs and costs much less.

It's so light that you'll take it everywhere every day and bring back more and better pictures than if you bought a D7500, D750, D850 or D5 and left it at home, or back at the hotel when you go to dinner on vacation.

If you want a take-everywhere lightweight camera, the D3500 is fantastic.

More expensive cameras add more unnecessary features like HDR and other fluff, but those have little or nothing to do with actually taking normal pictures.

If you can't list exactly why you need a more expensive camera, then the D3500 is all you need.

Let me repeat: no other camera takes better pictures than a D3500. You can argue specifications and minutia, but the pictures look at least as good.

I prefer the D3500 to anything from Sony or Fuji at any price because I prefer my Nikons' color rendition over those other brands. If you want bold, vivid color as I show in my Sample Images, you can't get those right out of the camera from Sony or Fuji as I do with my Nikons.

 

Lenses

It comes with a great 18-55mm lens that's all I need to travel the world and bring back great photos of everything.

If you need a longer lens, the very best is the new 70-300mm VR AF-P.

Most people prefer to get the 18-300mm VR which replaces both the 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR AF-P. The advantage of the 18-300mm VR is that you don't have to fiddle with carrying two lenses and changing them from shot to shot, while the advantage of the 18-55mm and 70-300mm VR AF-P combination is that its much less expensive.

Ultrawide lenses are difficult to use well (see How to Use Ultrawide Lenses), and if you want one, the Nikon 10-20mm is excellent and also very light and inexpensive.

 

Lens Protection

I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap. I only use a cap when I throw this in my bag, otherwise I leave a clear protective filter on my lens at all times so I'm ready to shoot instantly.

The very best protective filter for the included 18-55mm is the Hoya multicoated HD3 55mm UV which uses hardened glass and repels dirt and fingerprints.

For less money, the B+W 55mm 010 is an excellent filter, as are the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters, but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best.

Filters last a lifetime, so you may as well get the best. The Hoya HD3 stays cleaner than the others since it repels oil and dirt.

 

This 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. Nikon does not seal its boxes in any way, so never buy at retail or any other source not on my personally approved list since you'll have no way of knowing if you're missing accessories, getting a defective, damaged, returned, non-USA, store demo or used camera. I use the stores I do because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new camera before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken Rockwell

 

More Information

Top   Sample Images   Intro   Lens Compatibility  

Specifications   Unboxing   USA Version  

Performance   Compared   User's Guide  

Recommendations   More

 

Nikon's own D3500 owner's manual.

 

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20 Jan 2023, 17 Nov 2021, 13 July 2021, 09 April 2020, 01, 04, 08, 30 August 2019, 14 January 2019, 30 August 2018