The 2-year-old Nikon D3400 is lifeless, lengthy reside the D3500. Propping up the foot of Nikon’s DSLR choices, with a worth to match, the D3500 is the mannequin Nikon hopes will tempt newcomers away from the crop of very good mirrorless cameras.
Nikon D3500 overview: What that you must know
If you have already got a D3400, this in all probability received’t be the digicam for you, merely due to the restricted variety of enhancements the D3500 really presents. It’s about 30g lighter, shoots about 300 extra pictures per battery cost (an enchancment of about 25% over the D3400), and the management dial has moved from the again of the D3400 to the highest of the D3500.
However if you happen to’re searching for a small, low-cost DSLR that can maintain your hand whereas you determine the ins and outs of images, the D3500 – like most of Nikon’s earlier entry-level DSLRs – may very well be effectively definitely worth the money.
Nikon D3500 overview: Worth and competitors
There are just a few variants of the D3500, at the least when it comes to what comes within the field. The perfect worth choice is the one which comes with Nikon’s optically stabilised, 18-55mm equipment lens. As costs have tumbled dramatically because the D3500’s launch, this package deal will set you again round £300. It can save you just a few quid by choosing the non-stabilised model, or for the digicam body-only, however neither is considerably cheaper.
There’s loads of competitors at this worth. Canon’s EOS 2000D is value a glance, albeit at the price of about 100g extra weight. Canon’s providing can also’t maintain a candle to the D3500 when it comes to battery life, providing simply 500 photographs; you’ll get a thousand extra from the Nikon.
Nikon D3500 overview: Options and design
We’d scoff on the D3500’s comparatively small weight discount in comparison with the D3400, however in reality its out-of-the-box weight of simply 415g is definitely actually spectacular. It’s solely 124mm large, which suggests in all it’s not that totally different within the hand – or on the shoulder – as many mirrorless cameras. It’s a significant pondering level for individuals who maintain the opinion that mirrorless cameras have sounded a loss of life knell for the DSLR.
The grip in all fairness deep, and even these with shovels for palms may have no downside discovering a cushty grip on the digicam. The rubber cowl on the grip isn’t precisely the final phrase in luxurious however on the very least this isn’t a digicam that can slip out of your palms. Whereas we’re on construct high quality, neither the battery nor reminiscence card doorways really feel significantly bomb-proof: it’s value ensuring they’re securely closed earlier than stuffing the D3500 in a bag.
In comparison with many DSLRs the display – a 3in, 921k-pixel affair that neither tilts nor pivots – is frill-free. It’s not touch-sensitive both, however is shiny, clear and makes simple work of getting your settings found out. Our solely main bugbear is that there’s no sensor to inform the display to close off once you elevate the digicam up – the display turns off once you half press the shutter button however is in any other case on on a regular basis except you flip it off manually. When you haven’t come to count on this from utilizing different cameras you won’t even discover, however for seasoned shooters it’s a particular hallmark of the D3500’s price range place.
The D3500’s battery is a powerful level. Absolutely charged, it can hearth 1,500 exposures; round 300 greater than the D3400 this digicam replaces. Evaluate it to Canon’s similarly-priced 200D and the Nikon shoots over 800 extra pictures per cost. If you’d like a digicam that can final a very long time in locations you don’t have plenty of reliable electrical energy, it’s onerous to call something higher.
Connectivity – aside from the plain – comes courtesy of Bluetooth 4.1. Together with Nikon’s SnapBridge app, you may obtain pictures from the digicam to a sensible system, in addition to performing the arguably extra helpful trick of syncing your telephone’s time with the digicam’s – helpful for travellers who by no means bear in mind to reset their digicam’s clock. The Bluetooth connection additionally supplies geo-tagging for pictures.
Nonetheless, videographers ought to word the dearth of a mic-in socket – at this worth it doesn’t appear so unreasonable to need one.
Nikon D3500 overview: Ease of use
In any other case, the D3500 is a really usable little beast. The buttons are just a little clicky however simple to hit, and the management dial on the rear of the highest of the digicam feels constructive, so that you’ll be capable of use it even if you happen to’re carrying gloves.
The price of a digicam appears to have a direct impression on the variety of buttons on the physique, so we’re upset if not shocked to notice that the Fn button – current on the entrance of different Nikon cameras and usually assigned to altering the ISO – is lacking right here.
That is an annoyance, because it means there’s no direct solution to entry the D3500’s ISO setting, so these seeking to learn to use guide mode will both be caught fiddling (fast menu button, 5 presses of the course pad, OK, then select the ISO you need), or caught with auto ISO mode. When you’re within the ISO menu you may’t even whistle by the choices utilizing the management dial on the highest of the digicam; it’s a must to repeatedly stab the course pad. These with expertise of guide modes may additional word ISO can solely be modified in whole-stop increments. There’s no depth of subject preview button both.
The omission of an ISO shortcut key’s a disgrace, not least as a result of the D3500 is a very good digicam for these seeking to up their sport, or progress from smartphone images to one thing just a little extra superior. The Information setting on the mode dial for instance, is a really helpful means to determine how the visible impact you need – a blurred background – for instance, pertains to which digicam settings. It’s a very helpful, built-in means of telling the digicam roughly what you’re doing – capturing sports activities, for instance– and having it make an informed guess as to what the settings ought to be. We additionally like – and this can be a minor factor – how the icon representing aperture on the again of the digicam modifications dimension as you cease down.
Downloading pictures from the digicam to a smartphone is helpful for individuals who need to have the ability to share DSLR pictures instantly from their sensible system, though we discovered transferring full-size pictures took completely perpetually– making an attempt to repeat a full-size, top-quality JPEG weighing in at 11.7MB examined our dedication and we stopped the timer at three minutes with the switch incomplete. Taking the app’s suggestion to downsize the picture to 2 megapixels earlier than transferring produced a extra manageable switch time of 16 seconds.
Nikon D3500 overview: Photograph high quality
After all, the one purpose to purchase a DSLR forward of a smartphone is picture high quality, so whereas the D3500 may provide just a few compromises right here and there on options and controls, we’ve no qualms relating to picture high quality. Its APS-C sensor weighs in with 24.78 megapixels – just about essentially the most you’ll get on an APS-C digicam of any worth. Nikon has achieved away with the anti-aliasing filter within the title of sharper pictures, though after all this shall be closely dependant on the lens you connect to the entrance of the digicam.
Talking of which, we had the possibility to check each Nikon’s 18-55mm VR and non-VR lenses – you’ll save about £20 by shopping for the non-VR model. Testing each revealed very constant picture high quality, which is to say neither lens is any nice shakes when shot at its most aperture. Issues sharpen up just a little as you cease down, with the VR lens displaying a slight edge when it comes to sharpness. Neither suffered from vignetting besides – if you happen to’re critical about studying your commerce as a photographer, an honest zoom lens is prone to be prime of your record.
Surprisingly, neither lens – nor the physique of the digicam – has a change to flick between computerized and guide focus: once more you’re compelled to flick by the menu to show autofocus on and off. That’s not all – the VR model doesn’t have a change to show off picture stabilisation, which is able to probably annoy some tripod customers.
Maintain the ISO underneath management and the digicam’s picture high quality is simply restricted by the lens you connect. Colors had been all the time correct and, natch, you may all the time choose to shoot RAW recordsdata to gouge the utmost out of your recordsdata in post-production.
ISO efficiency is superb. The vary from ISO 100-800 produced check pictures that had been roughly indistinguishable from one another, and noise at ISO 1600 was fairly properly managed – actually effectively sufficient to count on good high quality prints. Past ISO 1600 issues inevitably acquired muddier, with ISO 6400 in all probability being the usable most. ISOs 12,800 and 25,600 are successfully party-pieces – for emergency solely. It was whereas we had been capturing our check ISO pictures, by the way, that we re-discovered one among Nikon’s extra annoying bugbears: set the self-timer, shoot a picture, and the digicam resets to burst mode after the picture is taken.
One last space the D3500 elevates itself above its competitors is its burst mode – 5fps may be very respectable. It won’t be sufficient to cowl an expert sporting occasion, however for portraits and occasions it’s fairly good. The buffer is proscribed: in JPEG mode we discovered the burst mode was good for 15 pictures, adopted by a reasonably prolonged digestion course of. In RAW mode we may solely shoot eight frames constantly earlier than the digicam paused to course of.
Nikon D3500 overview: Video high quality
In a means it’s disappointing that the D3500 doesn’t include an audio-in jack, as a result of it’s a really competent performer when it comes to video. There’s an excellent vary of choices for mid-range video makers, with the D3500 providing 1080p in 60, 50,30, 25 and 24fps. You don’t get 4K and also you don’t get excessive sufficient frame-rates to shoot slow-motion however for basic running a blog duties the choices, plus the shallow depth of subject produced by the moderately massive sensor, simply suffice.
Usability for inexperienced persons is simple: level the digicam at a topic, doink the crimson button and the digicam does the remaining. If you’d like extra management over your footage – shutter and aperture, for instance – that you must allow the digicam’s “Guide film settings”. This lets you management publicity when capturing motion pictures however, annoyingly, prevents you from altering the aperture setting in reside view mode.
It’s a disgrace, as a result of video high quality is great, and we just like the vary of frame-rate choices, however with out a simple solution to handle exposures or incoming audio, the D3500’s attraction will all the time be restricted regardless of its glorious picture high quality.
Nikon D3500 overview: Verdict
When you already personal the D3500’s predecessor, the D3400, this isn’t a worthwhile improve. There merely aren’t sufficient enhancements to justify the faff. Certainly, it’s onerous to call many DSLRs from which this might be a big improve. Nonetheless, with picture high quality that does Nikon’s model justice, an reasonably priced worth and best-in-class battery life, the D3500 is a merely excellent place to begin.
