Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

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• 10.2-megapixel DX-format imaging sensor for prints up to 20 x 30 inches
• Includes 3x 18-55mm Zoom-Nikkor VR Image Stabilization lens
• Nikon EXPEED image processing; in-camera image editing and Active D-Lighting
• 3.0-inch color LCD screen; 170-degree wide-angle viewing
• Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Buy Now : Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Brand : Nikon
Category : Electronics,Camera & Photo,Digital Cameras,DSLR Cameras
Rating : 4.5
Price : US $699.95
Review Count : 652

Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

• Nikon D3000 is Nikon beginner / entry level camera. It replaces Nikon D60. There are three major upgrade of D3000 from D60. There are 11 Auto focus system with dynamic tracking and 3D tracking. This AF system is the same as Nikon mid-range/enthusiast camera, D90. Also, the LCD screen has been enlarged to 3 inches from 2.5 inches. However, the screen resolution remains the same at 230,000 dots. Also new is the Guide mode, this new mode is working as your tutor on basic photography. It helps you set up your camera, in the same time, it tells you about basic photography setting and concepts. Other than that, everything looks the same, buttons, placement, viewfinder and image quality/resolution.It is an average size for beginner DSLR camera. But if you are coming from compact camera, you might a bit surprise of the size. On the other hand, if you are coming from advanced DSLR cameras, then you will feel this camera is compact and light.Nikon D3000 has a thumb dial, which you will use most of the time to change shutter speed and aperture. There are mode dial on the top of the camera. Several basic buttons such as playback, delete, menu, magnifiy/zoom, and exposure compensation. There is also a function (Fn) button on the left side, near the flash that you can customize according to your need.Coming from more advance Nikon camera like Nikon D90, what missing are the ISO button, Image Quality button, Release mode button, AF mode button and White Balance button. If you want to change above settings, you need to go to shooting menu (green camera icon). I recommend you to customize the Fn button so you can change you favorite button faster. I change my D3000 Fn button to ISO setting.Build quality and ErgonomicNikon D3000 body is built by rugged plastic. There is texture in the grip area to ensure comfortable grip. The built quality of outer shell is the same or almost the same as Nikon D90. The difference is there are more textured finish in Nikon D90 body. Ergonomically, it is good to hold, but the space between lens mount and the grip is pretty tight. If you mount bigger lens or if you have big hands, then you might not feel it comfortable. Compare to Nikon D60, I noticed that the pistol grip is more curvy instead of pointy. This is a small improvement that you might appreciate.LCD ScreenD3000 has 3 inches LCD screen with 230k resolution. This is considered basic, but the screen is clear, sharp. If you like to check on the details or pixel levels, it is best to check the images on your computer. In the bright light condition, this screen is relatively good. There is minimal glare/reflection.Nikon D3000 has 95% coverage and 0.8x magnification viewfinder. It is considered small for DSLR size, but for people who moves from superzooms or advanced compact, this viewfinder are big and a lot clearer. Manual focusing is more challenging than the other Nikon\'s more advanced DSLRs.Like Nikon D5000, Nikon D3000 does not have top LCD screen like D90 or more advanced camera. Unlike many of competitors entry level DSLR cameras, Nikon D3000 does not have any live view feature.Lens and CompatibilityNikon D3000 comes with Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens. This lens has a plastic mount, but the image quality and the light is recommendable. It never get super sharp like pro grade lens, but pro grade lens might costs more than ten times, so 18-55mm VR is one of the best value lens out in the market.The lens has image stabilization feature which is called Vibration Reduction (VR). It works well and quietly up to 3 stops. If you hold the camera tight and still, you can shoot up to a quarter second without motion blur.Unfortunately, D3000 does not have built in focus motor in the camera, therefore, it can\'t auto focus older lenses such as the venerable Nikon 50mm f/1.8 or the legendary Nikon 85mm f/1.4D. Lenses that compatible with this camera are lenses that has built in motor (usually has AF-S code on it) and for third party lenses, look for HSM (Sigma lens).Image Quality and ISONikon D3000 employs 10 megapixel image sensor. This sensor is a bit inferior than sensors in the D90 and D300. But still this is more adequate for large print.Image quality is excellent up to ISO 800. At 1600, a lot of noises start to creep in especially in shadow area. At 3200 (or Hi setting), the image is unacceptable only for very small print of web.If you turn on Noise Reduction or NR (unfortunately no low-medium-strong option), the camera with smooth out the noises, but the image become softer and lose some details. If you concern about the lost of details, I suggest you to shoot with NR off, and then take care the images with image editing software to treat the noise.Like other Nikon DSLR cameras, D3000 also has Auto ISO limiter. You can effectively limit the ISO and minimum shutter speed. The Auto ISO works very well and accurate most of the time. My favorite way to use this is to set the camera to Auto ISO, and then use Aperture mode and let the camera adjust the rest for me.D3000 does not have 1/3 stops ISO increments, so you only can set ISO to the regular base level or 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 (HI). But to be fair, most of the entry level DSLR cameras does not have that too.Auto Focus and Continuous burstThe new 11 AF points are miles better than old 3 points AF system. It helps a lot in composition and fortunately, it also comes with dynamic tracking and 3D tracking which is great for moving objects and sports. The auto focus is very fast and responsive. However, D3000 has only 3 frame per second, so you might miss some shots when shooting sports or fast moving objects.Guide ModeNikon\'s Guide mode is a tutor for absolute beginner. It does a good job on helping you to set up the camera and also help you to get the best setting for particular kind of photography. For example, when you choose sports mode, it suggest you to set high shutter speed to eliminate motion blur.Guide mode is basically a super duper friendly menu that consists of three major options: Shooting, playback and camera setup. Shooting menu (the most important of all), divided into two, easy operation and advanced operation.Easy operation consists of Auto, no flash, distant subjects, sleeping faces (children), moving subjects, landscapes, portrait, and night portrait.Advanced operation consists of soften background, freeze motion (people) and freeze motion (vehicle). Unlike the usual mode, Guide mode explains to you what kind of setting is important for particular kind of photography, so you can gain insight and knowledge of basic photography concept.However, keep in mind that although his guide menu is very helpful, but it does not replace basic photography course or seminar.Photo RetouchD3000 offers some basic camera processing such as quick retouch (camera automatically enhance or optimize the image). Miniature effect which is fun to play with. Basically you will need to choose a point in the image, and then the rest of the image will be blurred, giving a depth of field illusion.Other basic retouches are also available such as crop/trim, filter effects, color balance, BW, sepia, etc. The downside is the processing time of one image could take up to 10 seconds.ConclusionI applaud Nikon for D3000 because the design is very user friendly through Guide Mode. With the help of this mode, beginners will able to learn basic photography faster. Various photo retouches ignite creativity and fun. I also love the the installment of 11 AF system which is usually reserved for higher end cameras. D3000\'s competitors does not have this sophisticated AF system.On the other hand, Nikon D3000 have two main weaknesses, first it does not have built-in AF motor for older but great lenses. D3000 also does not have live view mode which actually can help tremendously in focusing those old lenses.If you have Nikon D60 you might want to look for more advanced camera such as Nikon D90 or D300. However, if you have Nikon D40 or compact cameras, this camera is a very good upgrade choice.In short, Nikon D3000 is a solid camera for beginner that is simple, fun, and has great image quality. It is definitely worth your money.Subjective Rating - Relative to entry level DSLR camerasImage Quality : 4/5Features : 4/5Performance : 5/5Body and Handling : 4/5Value for Money : 4/5Please check out my website for more reviews.
• This is a great camera for beginners.This is my first DSLR and I\'ve had it for about a month. Since I\'m a beginner myself, I can\'t really speak to the technical aspects of the camera, but will try to cover the basics as much as possible.BUILD QUALITY - This is an entry-level DSLR, so don\'t fool yourself into thinking that you\'re buying a robust, professional level camera. That means that the body and lens (including the lens mount, which is the ring that attaches the lens to the body) are plastic. Although this makes for lighter equipment, it also isn\'t generally as sturdy as some of the higher level cameras. HOWEVER, when I actually went to BestBuy and camera stores, I found that the Nikon cameras (when you actually picked them up in-hand) in this niche felt much sturdier and of much higher quality than the competitors. Does that mean they\'ll last longer? Not necessarily, but for what it\'s worth, the Nikons really did feel better.FEATURES - In this day and age, this is really a bare-bones DSLR. The only camera I cross-shopped with this was the D5000. There are MANY differences between the two, the largest of which is the nicer processor. But don\'t get fooled! That doesn\'t mean that the D3000 can\'t take great pictures... Anyhow, onto the features. It has a 10MP processor which is more than adequate for me, and the average beginner. It has a really large screen, which takes up the whole back of the camera almost. However, as many reviewers have noted, it\'s not that sharp! This was probably the biggest disappointment of the camera. My point and shoots have less-pixelized screens! But overall, it\'s not a big deal. The other minute feature is the Guide Mode. I\'ve found it to be less than helpful and don\'t even use it at all anymore, and I\'ve only had it for a month or so. THE BIGGEST FEATURES that you won\'t find on the D40/D60 cameras is the ADL feature and the 11 autofocus points... ADL stands for Active D-Lighting, and improves color somehow (the best way I can describe it, and I\'m probably technically wrong but, it preserves actual colors better). The only drawback is that it\'s relatively slow on the D3000. The 11 autofocus points is great. The D40/D60 only has three, and they\'re all aligned along the same horizontal line, which is right in the middle of the camera. When composing a shot, ti\'s nice to be able to set an autofocus point not directly in the middle of the shot. Anyhow, this camera was appealing to me because of it\'s bare-bone feature set. I didn\'t want Live View or Video, and I\'d basically be paying for those features if I were to step up to the D5000.PICTURE QUALITY - Ah, probably the most important aspect of the camera... and I don\'t know what to say about it! I\'m a beginner, so I don\'t know what makes a great photo, and DEFINITELY have no idea how this camera shoots vs. another one. What I\'ve read is that the D3000 shoots relatively noisy pictures, but that it doesn\'t necessarily preclude you from shooting great photos (by adjusting things like ISO). I DON\'T KNOW THIS FROM EXPERIENCE, JUST WHAT I\'VE READ! Oh, and noise is basically random color pixels in a photo. It doesn\'t look good. All I can say is that I\'ll update this review as I figure it out!RECOMMENDATIONS - If you\'re a beginner, I\'d recommend picking up a book such as \"Understanding Exposure\" by Bryan Peterson. That book, coupled with the D3000 will help you understand the basics of photography and how to use a digital SLR. Also, get the kit, not just the body! The price difference is currently $100, and from what I\'ve seen, you can sell the lens itself for more. Remember, the kit lens has VR, which the D40 and D60 didn\'t come with. So there are those out there who might want a cheap upgrade (and in DSLR world, $150 for a decent lens is cheap!).Also, the kit lens is great, but in addition to that, I\'d recommend the relatively cheap 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens... you should eventually get a prime lens, and for this camera, this is arguably the best one out there, especially for the price. Also2, get a flash that tilts upward so you can bounce it off the ceiling! I went with the Nikon SB400 and it\'s worked well so far.CONCLUSION - Like I said, this is a great beginners camera. The great things about it are the 11 autofocus points, ADL option, compact size, great ergonomics and size, build quality, and easy-to-use menu. The drawbacks are the older processor, plasticky feel (I don\'t mind it, and furthermore it feels solid), and disappointing screen. Overall, it\'s a great camera to purchase if you\'re thinking about getting into DSLRs... If you find you LOVE photography, it will help you develop as a photographer and understand what you are doing until you\'re ready to upgrade to something more serious. If you find that photography is not a hobby for you but just a means to an end, then you have a camera that you can throw into full-auto mode and take better pics than your standard P&S, and it didn\'t set you back a ton of $$$.

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