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Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000 Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

18 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J4
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Nikon D3000

10 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon D3000
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Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Nikon cameras cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Nikon D3000, which was introduced in December 2009 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, D3000 is 5 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-10
  • 18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 60 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1,200 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Nikon D3000 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-12-11
  • 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 536g. 126 x 97 x 64 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D40 Compare

Nikon D3000 was replaced by Nikon D3100. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D3000
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon 1 J4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Nikon D3000
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Eye-Fi Connected Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
18 MP vs 10 MP 80% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 1.600 700% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
171 vs 11 160 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution
1.037k dots vs 230k dots 350% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting
60.0fps vs 3.0fps 57 fps faster
Weight
232 g vs 536 g 304 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs None Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Nikon D3000 over Nikon 1 J4
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
Battery Life
500 shots vs 300 shots 200 more frames with a single charge
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 5.0m 7m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
37.14µm2 vs 6.36µm2 483% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000: 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 Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Nikon D3000 has external dimensions of 126 x 97 x 64 mm (4.96 x 3.82 x 2.52″) and weighs 536 g (1.18 lb / 18.91 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000. Nikon 1 J4 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 26mm narrower, 37mm shorter and 35mm thinner than Nikon D3000.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (304g ) than the Nikon D3000 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

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 Nikon D3000 has an APS-C sized sensor and Nikon 1 J4 has a smaller 1" sensor, Nikon 1 J4's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Nikon D3000 lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4
D3000
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

1 J4
D3000
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Nikon D3000 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 Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3000 has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed processor.

Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 8MP more than Nikon D3000's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and D3000 sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D3000 has a 3.2x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. 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.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000 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 Nikon D3000 has an advantage over Nikon 1 J4 There are 309 lenses for Nikon D3000's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J4's Nikon 1 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 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount and 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Nikon 1 J4 Lenses # of Nikon D3000 Lenses
Standard Zoom 4 33
Standard Prime 2 21
Wideangle Zoom 1 33
Wideangle Prime 2 48
Telephoto Zoom 2 53
Telephoto Prime n/a 45
SuperZoom 2 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime n/a 8
Macro Prime n/a 26
Perspective Control Prime n/a 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 13 309

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 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.

Nikon 1 J4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon D3000 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3000 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3000 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3000 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
536g
Body Thickness 64mm
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon D3000 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon D3000: 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 Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 Nikon 1 J4 and Nikon D3000 scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Nikon D3000
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #64 out of 78 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #537 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J4 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3000. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that 1 J4 trails behind the D3000: Imaging.
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Nikon D3000. If not, we recommend the Nikon 1 J4.

Nikon 1 J4
Nikon 1 J4
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Nikon D3000
Nikon D3000
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Nikon D3000 vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon 1 J4 Nikon D3000
Brand Nikon Nikon
Announced 2014-04-10 2009-12-11
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CCD
Size 1" APS-C
Dimensions 13.2 x 8.8 mm 23.6 x 15.8 mm
Area 116.16mm2 372.88mm2
Megapixels 18 megapixels 10 megapixels
Max Resolution 5232 x 3488 3872 x 2592
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 1,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 3200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 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 171 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon 1 Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 13 309
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 1,037k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 95%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00 m (ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 60.0 fps 3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 232g 536g
Dimensions 100 x 60 x 29mm 126 x 97 x 64mm
Battery Life 300 shots 500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 62
DxO Color Depth not tested 22.3
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.1
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 563
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