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Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400

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Nikon D3500

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

Nikon D3500
$396.95

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
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Nikon D3400

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

Nikon D3400
$496.95

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D3500 and D3400, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras by Nikon. Nikon D3500 was introduced to market in August 2018 and Nikon D3400 was launched in August 2016. As you can see, D3400 is 2 years older than D3500. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Both Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 cameras have 24.0MP APS-C sensors.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D3500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2018-08-29
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 365g. 124 x 97 x 70 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3400 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" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 395g. 124 x 98 x 76 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3300 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D3500 over Nikon D3400
Battery Life 1550 shots vs 1200 shots 350 more frames with a single charge
Weight 365 g vs 395 g 30 g lighter
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-I vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Reasons to choose Nikon D3400 over Nikon D3500
Flash Coverage 12.0m vs 7.0m 5m longer range
Common Strengths of Nikon D3500 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
LCD Screen Resolution 921k dots vs 921k dots Higher resolution screens
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400
Image Stabilization No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Articulating Screen No 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
Optical Viewfinder Type Pentamirror vs Pentamirror not as bright as Pentaprism Viewfinders
Nikon D3500 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 Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400.

Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400 Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400.

Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400 Camera Size Comparison - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400.
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3500 is 30g lighter than the Nikon D3400 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 Nikon D3500 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

D3500
D3400
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3500
D3400
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D3500 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

Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400'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 D3500 vs Nikon D3400: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 have APS-C sized 24.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Nikon D3400 and Nikon D3500 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. 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 D3500 and D3400 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400 Sensor Size Comparison


Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D3500 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.

Nikon D3500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3400 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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
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

Nikon D3500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3400 for Street Photography

GOOD
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
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

Nikon D3500 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D3400 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1550 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
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

Nikon D3500 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3400 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
365g
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

Nikon D3500 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3400 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 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


Nikon D3400 vs Nikon D3500 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400 have the same Nikon F lens mount and currently there are 304 native lenses available for these cameras.

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 101 lenses with Image stabilization for Nikon F mount.

Lens Type # of Nikon D3500 Lenses # of Nikon D3400 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 33
Standard Prime 20 20
Wideangle Zoom 33 33
Wideangle Prime 47 47
Telephoto Zoom 53 53
Telephoto Prime 43 43
SuperZoom 30 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 8
Macro Prime 25 25
Perspective Control Prime 11 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 1
TOTAL 304 304
Nikon D3500 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 Nikon D3500 and Nikon D3400, 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 D3500 and Nikon D3400 scores compare:

Nikon D3500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #24 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #173 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Nikon D3400
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #32 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #213 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Nikon D3500 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3400 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D3500
Nikon D3500
$396.95

Nikon D3400
Nikon D3400
$496.95

Nikon D3400 vs Nikon D3500 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D3500 Nikon D3400
Brand Nikon Nikon
Announced 2018-08-29 2016-08-17
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 366.60mm2 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
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 11 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 304 304
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.56 0.56
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 7.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/200s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
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 No No
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 365g 395g
Dimensions 124 x 97 x 70mm 124 x 98 x 76mm
Battery Life 1550 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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