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Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Canon SL3

24 MP | APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Canon SL3
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Nikon D3400

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D3400
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Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing SL3 and D3400, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon. Canon SL3 was introduced to market in April 2019 and Nikon D3400 was launched in August 2016. As you can see, D3400 is 3 years older than SL3. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon SL3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2019-04-10
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 51200)
  • Canon EF/EF-S Mount
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 449g. 122 x 93 x 70 mm
  • Also known as EOS 250D / EOS Kiss X10
  • Replaced Canon EOS Rebel SL2 Compare

Nikon D3400 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-08-17
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 395g. 124 x 98 x 76 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3300 Compare

Nikon D3400 was replaced by Nikon D3500. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400
Nikon D3500 vs Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D / EOS Kiss X10)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Canon EOS Rebel SL3 over Nikon D3400
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Optional Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
CHECK SL3 PRICE


Reasons to choose Nikon D3400 over Canon EOS Rebel SL3
Viewfinder Magnification
0.56x vs 0.54x Larger Viewfinder
Number of Focus Points
11 vs 9 2 more focus points
Battery Life
1200 shots vs 1070 shots 130 more frames with a single charge
Weight
395 g vs 449 g 54 g lighter
Sensor Pixel Area
15.28µm2 vs 13.84µm2 10% larger pixel area
CHECK D3400 PRICE

Common Strengths of Canon EOS Rebel SL3 and Nikon D3400
Bluetooth Connection
Yes vs Yes Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
24 MP vs 24 MP Bigger prints and more details
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs UHS-I Read/Write in High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS Rebel SL3 and Nikon D3400
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Optical Viewfinder Type
Pentamirror vs Pentamirror not as bright as Pentaprism Viewfinders
Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon SL3 has external dimensions of 122 x 93 x 70 mm (4.8 x 3.66 x 2.76″) and weighs 449 g (0.99 lb / 15.84 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3400 has external dimensions of 124 x 98 x 76 mm (4.88 x 3.86 x 2.99″) and weighs 395 g (0.87 lb / 13.93 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400. Canon SL3 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 2mm narrower, 5mm shorter and 6mm thinner than Nikon D3400.

Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400.

Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400.
Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3400 is 54g lighter than the Canon SL3 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

SL3
D3400
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

SL3
D3400
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS Rebel SL3 (EOS 250D / EOS Kiss X10) nor Nikon D3400 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Canon SL3 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. Nikon D3400's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to SL3.
Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400: Sensor Comparison

Both Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 have 24.0 MP resolution sensors but Canon SL3's sensor is APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm ) and Nikon D3400's sensor is APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ).

Since Nikon D3400's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Canon SL3.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D3400's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the SL3 and D3400 sensor size comparison.

Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D3400 has a 1.1x Larger sensor area than Canon SL3. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Canon SL3 has an advantage over Nikon D3400. There are 333 lenses for Canon SL3's Canon EF/EF-S mount, on the other hand there are only 316 lenses for Nikon D3400's Nikon F lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 113 lenses for Canon EF/EF-S mount and 107 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Canon SL3 Lenses # of Nikon D3400 Lenses
Standard Zoom 40 33
Standard Prime 21 22
Wideangle Zoom 37 33
Wideangle Prime 51 50
Telephoto Zoom 59 54
Telephoto Prime 44 46
SuperZoom 28 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 7 8
Macro Prime 28 26
Perspective Control Prime 16 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 333 316


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM Lens Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM
27.2 - 88mm 645gr 1094gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1150gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
80 - 240mm 1350gr 1799gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1745gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM Lens Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM
48mm 435gr 884gr 63mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 200gr 595gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM Lens Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
16 - 32mm 520gr 969gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 855gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM
24 - 136mm 575gr 1024gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 875gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
100 - 400mm 1590gr 2039gr 193mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 1965gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon SL3 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3400 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Canon SL3 for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3400 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Canon SL3 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3400 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
Good Battery Life: 1070 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon SL3 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3400 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Large Body
449g
Body Thickness 70mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
395g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details

Canon SL3 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3400 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (22.3 x 14.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon SL3 vs Nikon D3400: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon SL3 and Nikon D3400 scores compare:

Canon SL3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #3 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #121 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Nikon D3400
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #31 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #255 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Canon SL3 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3400 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Canon SL3
Canon SL3
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Nikon D3400
Nikon D3400
CHECK PRICE

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Nikon D3400 vs Canon SL3 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Canon EOS Rebel SL3 Nikon D3400
Brand Canon Nikon
Announced 2019-04-10 2016-08-17
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 22.3 x 14.9 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 332.27mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 51200 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Canon EF/EF-S Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 333 316
Screen
Type Fully Articulated Fixed type
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.54x 0.56x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range n/a 7.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 449g 395g
Dimensions 122 x 93 x 70mm 124 x 98 x 76mm
Battery Life 1070 shots 1200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 86
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.8
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.9
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1192
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