Nikon S3500 Review

Main Features

20MP - 1/2.3" CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

26-182 mm F3.4-6.4 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

Unknown continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video

129g. 97 x 58 x 21 mm mm

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Nikon S3500 Overview

First introduced in February 2013 , Nikon Coolpix S3500 is a 20.0MP Small Sensor Compact camera with a 1/2.3" (6.16 x 4.62 mm ) sized CCD sensor.

Nikon S3500 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Nikon S3500 has an Overall Score of 31/100 and ranked #468 out of 629 in Compact cameras (Top 10 Compact), and ranked #1060 out of 1212 in all Cameras (Top 10 Overall).

Nikon S3500 Type Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Nikon S3500 Compared to other Compact Cameras

Now let's get in to more details of our Nikon S3500 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Image Stabilization

20.0MP - High Resolution Sensor

129g Light Body

26mm Wide Angle Lens

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Buy Nikon S3500 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Articulating Screen

No External Flash Shoe

No Full HD Video

No Touch Screen

No Built-in Viewfinder

No RAW Shooting

No Face Detection Focusing

Max Sensitivity only ISO 3.200

Only Unknown Focus Points

Small LCD Screen ( 2.7")

Low Screen Resolution ( 230kdots )

No Manual Focusing

No Manual Exposure

No Environmental Sealing

Slow Lens at Wide: f3.40

Slow Lens at Tele: f6.40

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Nikon S3500 Sensor and Photography Features

Nikon S3500 has a 20.0MP 1/2.3" (6.16 x 4.62 mm ) sized CCD sensor . You can shoot at maximum resolution of 5152 x 3864 pixels. S3500 has a native ISO range of 80 - 3200 but unfortunately, Nikon S3500 doesn't have RAW file support. If you need a Compact camera with a RAW support, consider or in the same price range.

Nikon S3500 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. Kodak Astro Zoom AZ651 with its 21.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Nikon S3500 vs Kodak Astro Zoom AZ651 or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

Let's look at how the size of the Nikon S3500's 1/2.3" sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Nikon S3500 Physical Specs

Nikon S3500 weighs 129 g and has external dimensions of . Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, Nikon S3500 is a remarkably light camera for its class. Even better, with a thickness of only 21mm, it is also quite small, 7mm thinner than the average of its class.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

Nikon S3500

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

Nikon S3500

Min

Average

Max

Here is the front and top view image of Nikon S3500 with the dimensions:

Now lets compare the weight and thickness of Nikon S3500 with its main competitors:

Nikon S3500 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs S3500	Thickness	vs S3500
Nikon S3600 Compare	125g	4g lighter	20mm	1mm thinner
Sony W800 Compare	125g	4g lighter	21mm	equal thickness
Nikon S6300 Compare	160g	31g heavier	26mm	5mm thicker
Canon A2200 Compare	135g	6g heavier	24mm	3mm thicker
Nikon D3400 Compare	395g	266g heavier	76mm	55mm thicker
Leica Q2 Compare	718g	589g heavier	92mm	71mm thicker
Nikon S5300 Compare	138g	9g heavier	21mm	equal thickness
Canon ELPH 140 IS Compare	127g	2g lighter	22mm	1mm thicker

Weather Sealing

Nikon S3500 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Nikon S3500 Lens

Nikon S3500 features a 26-182 mm F3.4-6.4 7× zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 26mm and 182mm reach on tele gives a lot of flexibility and satisfy most of your needs.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

S3500

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

S3500

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

With a max aperture of f3.40 at 26mm, we can not consider this lens fast on wide end, and it is slow at the tele end with its max aperture of f6.40.

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

S3500

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

S3500

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

S3500 is also equipped with Optical image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds.

Nikon S3500 LCD

Nikon S3500 has a Fixed Type 2.7" LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. At only 2.7", the screen is on the smaller side and 230kdot resolution is lower than most of the recent models in this class.

S3500 doesn't have a viewfinder and no option for external viewfinder. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Compact camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 (Compare) or Canon PowerShot SD780 IS (Digital IXUS 100 IS) (Compare).
If the price is not an issue, take a look at our Top Rated Cameras with Viewfinders.

Nikon S3500 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Nikon S3500 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

Nikon S3500 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Nikon S3600 Compare	1280 x 720	230shots	No	No	No
Sony W800 Compare	1280 x 720	shots	No	No	No
Nikon S6300 Compare	1920 x 1080	230shots	No	No	No
Canon A2200 Compare	1280 x 720	280shots	No	No	No
Nikon D3400 Compare	1920 x 1080	1200shots	No	Yes	No
Leica Q2 Compare	3840 x 2160	370shots	Yes	Yes	No
Nikon S5300 Compare	1920 x 1080	180shots	Yes	No	No
Canon ELPH 140 IS Compare	1280 x 720	230shots	No	No	No

Nikon S3500 Video Features

With Nikon S3500, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1280 x 720 and save in and formats. 1280 x 720 is a low video resolution by todays standards. If video quality is important for you, we recommend you to look at cameras with Full HD, even better 4K / Ultra-HD resolution .

S3500 has a built-in Mono microphone and a Mono speaker.
Nikon S3500 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Compact camera with external microphone connectivity, consider or in a similar price range.

Nikon S3500 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Nikon S3500 can shoot continuously at max speed of Unknown and has max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.

Flash

Unfortunately S3500 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.

What type of Photography is Nikon S3500 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Nikon S3500 in 5 different photography areas.

Nikon S3500 for Portrait Photography

Nikon S3500 has a score of 17 for Portrait Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list and consider these alternatives over theS3500.

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.3″ (6.16 x 4.62 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe

No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Nikon S3500 for Portrait Photography

Nikon S3500 for Street Photography

Nikon S3500 has a score of 48 for Street Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Street is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Street Photography list.

Live-view
Image Stabilization
26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small Body

No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No RAW shooting capability
Small 1/2.3″ (6.16 x 4.62 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Nikon S3500 for Street Photography

Nikon S3500 for Sports Photography

Nikon S3500 has a score of 15 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theS3500.

Image Stabilization
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
182 mm Tele Lens
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling

No Manual Exposure Mode
No Manual Focus Mode
No Built-in Viewfinder
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.40
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Nikon S3500 for Sports Photography

Nikon S3500 for Daily Photography

Nikon S3500 has a score of 59 for Daily Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Daily is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Compact Body
129g
Body Thickness 21mm

7.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3″ (6.16 x 4.62 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Nikon S3500 for Daily Photography

Nikon S3500 for Landscape Photography

Nikon S3500 has a score of 22 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theS3500.

26 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Manual Focus Mode

No RAW shooting capability
Small 1/2.3″ (6.16 x 4.62 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Nikon S3500 for Landscape Photography

Nikon S3500 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Nikon S3500 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range. In the Bubble chart below, you can see Overall Score vs Price comparison of S3500 and the top 10 contenders in the same range. Hover your mouse on the bubbles to see the details of the cameras.

Read a more detailed analysis of Nikon S3500 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Nikon S3500

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Nikon S3500 amongst Camera Decision readers.

Nikon S3600

Compare

Sony W800

Compare

Nikon S6300

Compare

Canon A2200

Compare

Nikon D3400

Compare

Leica Q2

Compare

Nikon S5300

Compare

Canon ELPH 140 IS

Compare

Nikon S3500 Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Nikon S3500 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Nikon S3500's price range.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nikon S3500

Does the Nikon S3500 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Nikon S3500 have RAW support?
Does the Nikon S3500 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Nikon S3500 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Nikon S3500?
What is the Sensor Size of Nikon S3500?
is the Nikon S3500 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Nikon S3500 have Touch Screen?
Does the Nikon S3500 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Nikon S3500?

Nikon Coolpix S3500 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Nikon
Model	Nikon Coolpix S3500
Announced	2013-02-21
Body Type	Compact
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	26-182 mm (7×)
Max Aperture	F3.4-6.4
Macro Focus Range	n/a
Screen
Screen Type	Fixed Type
Screen Technology	TFT-LCD
Screen Size	2.7"
Screen Resolution	230k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	4s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/2000s
Continuous Shooting	n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	n/a
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	n/a
Flash Modes	n/a
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested
DxO Color Depth	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested
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Sensor
Sensor Type	CCD
Sensor Size	1/2.3"
Sensor Dimensions	6.16 x 4.62 mm
Sensor Area	28.46mm²
Sensor Resolution	20 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	5152 x 3864
Max Native ISO	3,200
Min Native ISO	80
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	Unknown
Number of Cross Focus Points	0
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1280 x 720
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	129g
Physical Dimensions	97 x 58 x 21 mmmm
Other Features
Self Timer	n/a
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Slots	1