Nikon D3300 Review

Main Features

24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

No Optical low-pass (anti-aliasing) filter

ISO 100 - 12800( expands to 25600)

3″ Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

430g. 124 x 98 x 76 mm

Replaced Nikon D3200

Replaced by Nikon D3400

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Nikon D3300 Overview

First introduced in April 2014 , Nikon D3300 is a 24.0MP Entry-Level DSLR camera with a APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor. Nikon replaced the older Nikon D3200 with this model and later D3300 was replaced with Nikon D3400. Follow the links to compare these cameras in detail:
Compare Nikon D3300 vs Nikon D3200
Compare Nikon D3300 vs Nikon D3400
or try our multi-camera comparison:
Compare Nikon D3300 vs D3200 vs D3400

Nikon D3300 is a member of Nikon's D3000 series of cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this series and how their main specs have changed with each new version.

Nikon D3000 Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Nikon D3500	2018	24.0MP - APS-C	5.0 fps	124 x 97 x 70mm	365g
Nikon D3400	2016	24.0MP - APS-C	5.0 fps	124 x 98 x 76mm	395g
Nikon D3300	2014	24.0MP - APS-C	5.0 fps	124 x 98 x 76mm	430g
Nikon D3200	2012	24.0MP - APS-C	4.0 fps	125 x 96 x 77mm	505g
Nikon D3100	2010	14.0MP - APS-C	3.0 fps	124 x 96 x 75mm	505g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series:
Nikon D3500 vs D3400 vs D3300 vs D3200 vs D3100

Nikon D3300 has an Overall Score of 68/100 and ranked #78 out of 201 in DSLR cameras (Top 10 DSLR), and ranked #195 out of 1175 in all Cameras (Top 10 Overall).

Nikon D3300 Type Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

Check our Smart Finder Tool to filter, sort and compare all digital cameras

Nikon D3300 Compared to other DSLR Cameras

Now let's get in to more details of our Nikon D3300 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

1920 x 1080 Max Video Resolution

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Face Detection Focusing

24.0MP - High Resolution Sensor

12.800 Max ISO

11 Focus Points

921k dots LCD Resolution

Long Battery Life (700 shots)

430g Light Body

External Microphone Port

Good Low Light ISO - 1385

1 Cross Type Focus Points

Panorama Shooting

Flash Sync Port

Buy Nikon D3300 from or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Image Stabilization

No Articulating Screen

No Touch Screen

No Environmental Sealing

No AF Micro Adjustment

Nikon D3300 Lens Mount and Lenses

Nikon D3300 has a Nikon F lens mount and currently there are 302 native lenses available for this mount. Besides providing one of the largest selection of lenses, Nikon F mount also has backward compatibility which means that you can use F mount lenses even dating from 1960s. It is also well supported by the lenses form third-party manufacturers.

A small disadvantage is that Nikon D3300 doesn't have an internal focus motor so it will not auto focus with old-style screw-drive autofocus (AF) lenses. It still works well with modern Nikon AF-S, AF-I and G lenses but lenses form 1980s may not autofocus on Nikon D3300.

Nikon D3300 doesn't have a sensor based image stabilization system but 88 of these lenses already comes with Optical Image Stabilization. There are also 73 lenses with weather sealing for D3300 but bear in mind that D3300 body doesn't have weather sealings.

Here are some of the most popular Nikon D3300 Lenses on Camera Decision:

Popular Nikon D3300 Lenses

	Focal Length on D3300	Max Aperture	Weight	Focusing
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm F3.5-6.3G ED VR	27-450mm	F3.5 - F6.3	550gr	AF
Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm f4-5.6G	105-450mm	F4.0 - F5.6	425gr	AF
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f1.4G	75mm	F1.4	290gr	AF
Nikon AF Nikkor 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR	120-600mm	F4.5 - F5.6	1340gr	AF
Tamron SP 150-600mm F5-6.3 Di VC USD	225-900mm	F5.0 - F6.3	1951gr	AF

Check our Nikon D3300 Lenses page or use our Smart Lens Finder tool for more detailed lens search.

Nikon D3300 Sensor and Photography Features

Nikon D3300 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 6000 x 4000 pixels with aspect ratios of and 3:2. D3300 has a native ISO range of 100 - 12800 which can be boosted to 25600 and it can save files in RAW format which gives you a wider room for post processing.

Nikon D3300 is not the highest resolution APS-C camera. Sigma Quattro with its 29.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Nikon D3300 vs Sigma Quattro or take a look at Highest resolution DSLR cameras list.

DxOMark Sensor Scores

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. Nikon D3300 sensor has been tested by DxO Mark and got an overall score of 82 for its image quality. You can find the details of their analysis of Nikon D3300 here.

Anti-Aliasing Filter

Another important feature about Nikon D3300's sensor is the lack of anti-alias (Low-pass) filter. Removing anti-aliasing filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but on the other side it also increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Let's look at how the size of the Nikon D3300's APS-C sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Nikon D3300 Physical Specs

Nikon D3300 weighs 430 g (0.95 lb / 15.17 oz) and has external dimensions of 124 x 98 x 76 mm (4.88 x 3.86 x 2.99″). Considering that the average weight of DSLR type cameras is 769g, Nikon D3300 is a remarkably light camera for its class. With a thickness of 76mm, it has an average thickness for its class.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

Nikon D3300

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Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

Nikon D3300

Min

Average

Max

Here is the front and top view image of Nikon D3300 with the dimensions:

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Nikon D3300, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Now lets compare the weight and thickness of Nikon D3300 with its main competitors:

Nikon D3300 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Sensor	Weight	vs D3300	Thickness	vs D3300
Nikon D3400	24.0MP - APS-C	395g	35g lighter	76mm	equal thickness
Nikon D5200	24.0MP - APS-C	555g	125g heavier	78mm	2mm thicker
Nikon D3200	24.0MP - APS-C	505g	75g heavier	77mm	1mm thicker
Nikon D5300	24.0MP - APS-C	480g	50g heavier	76mm	equal thickness
Canon 1200D	18.0MP - APS-C	480g	50g heavier	78mm	2mm thicker
Canon 700D	18.0MP - APS-C	580g	150g heavier	79mm	3mm thicker
Canon T6	18.0MP - APS-C	485g	55g heavier	78mm	2mm thicker
Nikon D5500	24.0MP - APS-C	420g	10g lighter	70mm	6mm thinner

Nikon D3300 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 DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Nikon D3300 Other Features

LCD and Viewfinder

Nikon D3300 has a Fixed Type 3″ LCD screen with a resolution of 921k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

D3300 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. The viewfinder has a coverage of 95% and a magnification ratio of 0.57x. 95% coverage means that what you see in your viewfinder while shooting will slightly be different from the actual image.

Max Shutter speed
Nikon D3300 can shoot continuously at max speed of 5 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec.

Flash
D3300 has a built-in flash, and it also has a flash shoe to mount your external flashes too.

Focusing
Nikon D3300 features both Contrast Detection and Phase Detection autofocus (AF) systems which ensures speed and accuracy of focusing in most situations. The AF system has 11 focus points and 1 of these sensors are of Cross-type. Cross-type sensors locks focus faster and more accurate compared to single type sensors.

Nikon D3300 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

Video Features
With Nikon D3300, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 60p,50p,30p,25p,24p fps and save in MPEG-4 and H.264 formats. Full HD resolution of Nikon D3300 will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.

D3300 has a built-in Mono microphone and a Mono speaker. Nikon D3300 also has a port for an external microphone so you can record high quality sound with the help of an external microphone.

Connectivity and Storage

You can connect D3300 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.

Battery Nikon D3300 is powered by battery which provides a shooting life of 700 according to CIPA standards. Considering that the average battery life of DSLR type cameras is 883 shots, Nikon D3300 has a short battery life for its class so we strongly recommend D3300 owners to buy some extra batteries.

Battery Life Comparison in Entry-Level DSLR Cameras

Nikon D3300

Min

Average

Max

Pentax K-x with its 1900shots is the model with longest battery life among Entry-Level DSLR cameras. Check the comparison of Nikon D3300 vs Pentax K-x or take a look at Longest Battery Life DSLR cameras list.

Nikon D3300 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Nikon D3400 >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	1200shots	No	Yes	No
Nikon D5200 >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	500shots	No	No	No
Nikon D3200 >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	540shots	No	No	No
Nikon D5300 >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	600shots	Yes	No	No
Canon 1200D >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	500shots	No	No	No
Canon 700D >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	440shots	No	No	No
Canon T6 >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	500shots	Yes	No	Yes
Nikon D5500 >>Compare to D3300	1920 x 1080	820shots	Yes	No	No

User Manual
You can download Nikon D3300's User Manual here

What type of Photography is Nikon D3300 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Nikon D3300 in 5 different photography areas. This first spider web graph shows how the D3300 compares with the average DSLR camera.
Hover your mouse over the points to see the score details for each photography type.

Nikon D3300 for Portrait Photography

Nikon D3300 has a score of 69 for Portrait Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Portrait Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Portrait Photography list.

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 of how we scored Nikon D3300 for Portrait Photography

Nikon D3300 for Street Photography

Nikon D3300 has a score of 61 for Street Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Street Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Street Photography list.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing

Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
No Image Stabilization
Large Body

Read the details of how we scored Nikon D3300 for Street Photography

Nikon D3300 for Sports Photography

Nikon D3300 has a score of 81 for Sports Photography which makes it an EXCELLENT candidate for this type of photography.

Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
1 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 700 shots
Good Low Light ISO

Good Ergonomics&Handling
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
Environmental Sealings
No Image Stabilization

Read the details of how we scored Nikon D3300 for Sports Photography

Nikon D3300 for Daily Photography

Nikon D3300 has a score of 63 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Daily Photography list.

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

430g
Body Thickness 76mm

Read the details of how we scored Nikon D3300 for Daily Photography

Nikon D3300 for Landscape Photography

Nikon D3300 has a score of 64 for Landscape Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Landscape Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 DSLR Cameras for Landscape Photography list.

Live-view
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor

Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
No Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Nikon D3300 for Landscape Photography

Nikon D3300 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Nikon D3300 compares with other DSLR cameras within a similar price range. In the Bubble chart below, you can see Overall Score vs Price comparison of D3300 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 D3300 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Nikon D3300

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Nikon D3300 amongst Camera Decision readers.

Nikon D3400

Compare

Nikon D5200

Compare

Nikon D3200

Compare

Nikon D5300

Compare

Canon 1200D

Compare

Canon 700D

Compare

Canon T6

Compare

Nikon D5500

Compare

Nikon D3300 Alternatives in Mirrorless Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Nikon D3300 with Mirrorless Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked Mirrorless cameras in Nikon D3300's price range.

Olympus E-M10 II

Compare

Panasonic GX85

Compare

Canon M50

Compare

Canon M5

Compare

Panasonic G7

Compare

Fujifilm X-T100

Compare

Fujifilm X-T10

Compare

Olympus E-M10 MIII

Compare

Frequently Asked Questions about Nikon D3300

Does the Nikon D3300 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Nikon D3300 have RAW support?
Does the Nikon D3300 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Nikon D3300 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Nikon D3300?
What is the Sensor Size of Nikon D3300?
is the Nikon D3300 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Nikon D3300 have Touch Screen?
Does the Nikon D3300 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Nikon D3300?

Nikon D3300 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Nikon
Model	Nikon D3300
Announced	2014-04-21
Body Type	Compact SLR
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon F
Number of Lenses	302
Focal Length Multiplier	1.5×
Macro Focus Range	n/a
Screen
Screen Type	Fixed Type
Screen Technology	TFT LCD (160 degree viewing angle)
Screen Size	3″
Screen Resolution	921k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	95%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.57
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	30s
Max Shutter Speed	1/4000s
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	Yes
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync	1/200s
Flash Modes	Auto, Auto slow sync, Auto slow sync with red-eye reduction, Auto with red-eye reduction, Fill-flash, Off, Rear-curtain sync, Rear-curtain with slow sync, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction with slow sync, Slow sync
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	82
DxO Color Depth	24.3
DxO Dynamic Range	12.8
DxO Low Light ISO	1385
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CMOS
Sensor Size	APS-C
Sensor Dimensions	23.5 x 15.6 mm
Sensor Area	366.60mm²
Sensor Resolution	24 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	6000 x 4000
Max Native ISO	12,800
Max Boosted ISO	25600
Min Native ISO	100
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
Number of Cross Focus Points	1
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p fps), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps)
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Optional
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	430g
Physical Dimensions	124 x 98 x 76mm
Battery Life	700 shots
Battery Type	Battery Pack
Battery Model	EN-EL14a
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2, 5, 10, 20 secs (1-9 exposures))
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Optional
Storage Type	SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots	1

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