The Nikon D3400

Five types of photographer who are going to love the new Nikon D3400

Nikon’s DSLRs have a strong reputation for build quality, performance and image quality that has put them in the hands of many happy photographers across the globe. The new D3400 is the latest entry-level model that replaces the incredibly popular D3300 and it looks set to be a big hit, harnessing the power of Nikon’s latest 24Mp sensor and Expeed 4 processing engine in a compact but ergonomically-shaped body at an attractive price.

We think the D3400 will appeal to lots of photographers – but it’s especially interesting if you:

... are a DSLR beginner

The D3400 has a fantastic Guide Mode that makes it simple to use and actually teaches you about photography. This mode is very easy to find because there’s a dedicated option on the main Mode Dial on the top of the camera. What’s more, it can help with setting up the camera as well as selecting the options that you want to use on a shot-by-shot basis and it uses simple, non-techy/photographic language. Helpfully, it even explains how to select the settings you want outside of the Guide Mode, so as you gain in experience and confidence you can take more control.

...love to share your photos

Nikon introduced its SnapBridge technology with the pro-level D500 and it’s brilliant if you like sharing images on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. What makes it different from other in-camera Wi-Fi systems is that once you’ve connected your camera and smartphone or tablet, SnapBridge can maintain the connection and transfer images even when your camera is turned off. You don’t need to worry about reconnecting: just take the shots with your camera and they are transferred to your phone ready for sharing. Further good news is that the connection is maintained using a low-power Bluetooth link, so the camera’s battery isn’t flattened quickly.

...love fast-paced photography

The D3300 is a great camera, but the D3400 has bit more to offer sport and action photographers. 11-AF points means it’s more than likely a focus point will be just where you need one – great for tracking moving subjects as they shift around the frame. 5 frames per second burst shooting will also assist you in high-speed situations, and there’s Full HD 1080p video capture for making fast-paced movies of your adventures. Battery life has also been improved over the D3300 – Nikon says you can get 1200 shots from a single charge, up from the D3300’s 700 shots – so you can go longer and shoot more between heading home to charge.

...enjoy late night shooting

With a standard sensitivity range that goes all the way up to ISO 25,600 there’s plenty of scope for shooting in the evening without needing to use a tripod. And thanks to the Expeed 4 processing engine, noise is controlled well so you don’t need to worry about excessive coloured speckling in your shots.

...love detail

At the heart of the D3400 is an APS-C format sensor with 24 million pixels and no optical low-pass filter, which means it’s capable of capturing a fantastic level of detail. It also allows you to crop dramatically to improve composition and still make large prints. That’s especially good news when you’re just starting out, and don’t have a long lens to frame a distant subject tightly.