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Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500 Comparison

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Nikon D3400

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

Nikon D3400
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Nikon B500

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon B500
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Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Nikon cameras cameras with different body types: Nikon D3400, which was introduced in August 2016 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Nikon B500, which was introduced in February 2016 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3" sensor. There is only 6 months difference between D3400 and B500 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of the Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

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 B500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-02-23
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 23-900 mm F3.0-6.5 Zoom Lens
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 7.4fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 541g. 114 x 78 x 95 mm

Nikon D3400 was replaced by Nikon D3500. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon Coolpix B500

Let's read on in the following sections in order to better understand in detail how the Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Nikon D3400 over Nikon Coolpix B500
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 16 MP 50% more pixels
Max ISO
25.600 vs 3.200 700% higher Max ISO
Battery Life
1200 shots vs 600 shots 600 more frames with a single charge
Weight
395 g vs 541 g 146 g lighter
Flash Coverage
7.0m vs 6.9m 0.1m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
15.28µm2 vs 1.76µm2 768% larger pixel area
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
CHECK D3400 PRICE


Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix B500 over Nikon D3400
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Optional Better connectivity
In-built Image Stabilization
Optical vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Internal Storage
20MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Continuous Shooting
7.4fps vs 5.0fps 2.4 fps faster
CHECK B500 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon D3400 and Nikon Coolpix B500
Bluetooth Connection
Yes vs Yes Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 921k dots High resolution screens
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D3400 and Nikon Coolpix B500
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500: Physical Specs and Body Features Comparison

Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, we are going to illustrate the Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. 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). Nikon B500 has external dimensions of 114 x 78 x 95 mm (4.49 x 3.07 x 3.74″) and weighs 541 g (1.19 lb / 19.08 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Nikon D3400 and the Nikon B500. Nikon B500 is 10mm narrower and 20mm shorter than Nikon D3400 but it is also 19mm thicker. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon B500 has a built-in lens but Nikon D3400 doesn't. Once you put a lens on D3400, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of the Nikon D3400 and the Nikon B500 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of the Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500.

Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of the Nikon D3400 and the Nikon B500 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500.
Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of the Nikon D3400 and the the Nikon B500 Size

Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3400 is significantly lighter (146g ) than the Nikon B500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on D3400, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither the Nikon D3400 nor Nikon Coolpix B500 provides any type of weather sealing in their bodies, 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
Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500's LCD screens have the same diagonal size of 3.00 inches.

On the other hand, Nikon B500 features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels whereas the Nikon D3400 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to B500.


Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D3400 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Nikon B500 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .

Nikon D3400's sensor provides 8MP more than Nikon B500'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.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D3400's sensor lacks 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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the D3400 and B500 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon D3400 has a 13.1x Larger sensor area than Nikon B500. 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.

What types of Photography are Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 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 D3400 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon B500 for Portrait Photography

POOR
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
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon B500 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
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
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon B500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
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
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.4fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Good Battery Life: 600 shots
Wireless Connection
900 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.50
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon B500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
395g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details
39.1X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
541g
Body Thickness 95mm
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon B500 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D3400 vs Nikon B500: 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 D3400 and Nikon B500, 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 Nikon D3400 and Nikon B500 scores compare:

Nikon D3400
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #31 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #267 out of 1259 in all Cameras
Nikon B500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #81 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #722 out of 1259 in all Cameras

Nikon D3400 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon B500 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Nikon D3400
Nikon D3400
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Nikon B500
Nikon B500
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Nikon B500 vs Nikon D3400 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D3400 Nikon Coolpix B500
Brand Nikon Nikon
Announced 2016-08-17 2016-02-23
Body Type Compact SLR SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size APS-C 1/2.3"
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area 366.60mm2 28.07mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 80 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 11 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 23-900 mm (40x)
Max Aperture no lens F3.0-6.5
Macro Focus Range no lens 1cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Tilting
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder Coverage 95% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.56x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 7.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 7.4 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 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Optional Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 395g 541g
Dimensions 124 x 98 x 76mm 114 x 78 x 95mm
Battery Life 1200 shots 600 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 86 not tested
DxO Color Depth 24.8 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 13.9 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 1192 not tested
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