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 D5600 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 D5600. In this case, we can see that Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600 have the exact same height, width and thickness.
Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600.
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon D3500 is significantly lighter (100g ) than the Nikon D5600 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 both Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600 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
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Nikon D3500 nor Nikon D5600 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 D5600's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D3500's 3" screen.
Moreover, Nikon D5600 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. On the other hand, Nikon D3500 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to D5600.
Both Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600 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 D5600 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 D5600 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600 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
Nikon D5600 for Portrait Photography
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
Nikon D5600 for Street Photography
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
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Nikon D3500 for Sports Photography
Nikon D5600 for Sports Photography
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
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
39 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 820 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Nikon D3500 for Daily Photography
Nikon D5600 for Daily Photography
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
465g
Body Thickness 70mm
Read the details
Nikon D3500 for Landscape Photography
Nikon D5600 for Landscape Photography
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
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Nikon D3500 and Nikon D5600 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 D5600 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 |
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 D5600, 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 D5600 scores compare:
Nikon D3500
Ranked
#24 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked
#173 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Nikon D5600
Ranked
#5 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked
#83 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Nikon D5600 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3500 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.
| General |
Nikon D3500 |
Nikon D5600 |
| Brand |
Nikon |
Nikon |
| Announced |
2018-08-29 |
2016-11-10 |
| 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 |
39 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Nikon F |
Nikon F |
| Number of Available Lenses |
304 |
304 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fixed type |
Fully Articulated |
| Size |
3" |
3.2" |
| Resolution |
921k dots |
1,037k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Optical (pentamirror) |
Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
95% |
95% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.56 |
0.55 |
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 |
Built-In |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
365g |
465g |
| Dimensions |
124 x 97 x 70mm |
124 x 97 x 70mm |
| Battery Life |
1550 shots |
820 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
None |
Optional |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
not tested |
84 |
| DxO Color Depth |
not tested |
24.1 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
not tested |
14.0 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
not tested |
1306 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |