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Is Ken Rockwell RIGHT?... Could the D3300 be ALL you need?

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GarysInSoCal

GarysInSoCal

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OK... I own both the D810 and D750 with all Nanocoat Nikon quality optics (16-35 F4/70-200 F4/24-120 F4)... and YES... I'm very happy with the results I'm receiving from both.

For 'shits and giggles' I picked up a like new and very slightly used D3300 body (718 shutter count) at the camera swapmeet (bargaincamerashows.com) for $300 from a really sweet little Asian lady... BEST 'bang for the buck' purchase I ever made... why? This extremely small and lightweight cam has the same amazing (Expeed 4) image processor as the D4... and NO OLPF (optical low pass filter)... resulting in AMAZING JPEGS that are very sharp... and JPEGS are ALL I shoot with all three of these cams.

This D3300 is even smaller and lighter in weight than many of the mirrorless offerings by other manufacturers, with a great new 'deep finger grip', making it very easy to hand hold with the 4 Nikon APS-C lenses I have (10-24/18-140-VR/55-200-VR/55-300-VR).

Slap the flyweight 55-200 ED-VR ($100 at the camera swapmeet) on the featherweight D3300 and you have a stunning image capturing combination that doesn't weight much more than the camera strap. I shot some astounding images last year with this combination on a modeling cruiseboat photoshoot, and considering the cost ( only $400 invested)... I was BLOWN AWAY with the results.

OK... don't get me wrong... the D750 is a 'low light beast' and the D810 is the 'dynamic range elephant in the room'... but if you're working with decent light in bright sun and open shade situations, and NOT shooting over 1600ISO... the D3300 is a killer little cam that DELIVERS! If you're interested in checking out the D3300 images in an online portfolio, drop me a message and I'll hit you with the link... ;)
 
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GarysInSoCal said:
OK... I own both the D810 and D750 with all Nanocoat Nikon quality optics (16-35 F4/70-200 F4/24-120 F4)... and YES... I'm very happy with the results I'm receiving from both.

For 'shits and giggles' I picked up a like new and very slightly used D3300 body (718 shutter count) at the camera swapmeet (bargaincamerashows.com) for $300 from a really sweet little Asian lady... BEST 'bang for the buck' purchase I ever made... why? This extremely small and lightweight cam has the same amazing (Expeed 4) image processor as the D4... and NO OLPF (optical low pass filter)... resulting in AMAZING JPEGS that are very sharp... and JPEGS are ALL I shoot with all three of these cams.

This D3300 is even smaller and lighter in weight than many of the mirrorless offerings by other manufacturers, with a great new 'deep finger grip', making it very easy to hand hold with the 4 Nikon APS-C lenses I have (10-24/18-140-VR/55-200-VR/55-300-VR).

Slap the flyweight 55-200 ED-VR ($100 at the camera swapmeet) on the featherweight D3300 and you have a stunning image capturing combination that doesn't weight much more than the camera strap. I shot some astounding images last year with this combination on a modeling cruiseboat photoshoot, and considering the cost ( only $400 invested)... I was BLOWN AWAY with the results.

OK... don't get me wrong... the D750 is a 'low light beast' and the D810 is the 'dynamic range elephant in the room'... but if you're working with decent light in bright sun and open shade situations, and NOT shooting over 1600ISO... the D3300 is a killer little cam that DELIVERS! If you're interested in checking out the D3300 images in an online portfolio, drop me a message and I'll hit you with the link... ;)
Click to expand...
The fact that you own a D810 and a D750 and never shoot RAW makes me sad - a very selfish emotion for me I realize.

If you are only shooting OOC jpegs then any camera in the entire Nikon product catalog will work fine for you, with "amazing" results.

I may be wrong, but I can live with that.

:)
 
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GarysInSoCal said:
I picked up a like new and very slightly used D3300 body (718 shutter count) . . . for $300 . . . BEST 'bang for the buck' purchase I ever made... why? This extremely small and lightweight cam has the same amazing (Expeed 4) image processor as the D4... and NO OLPF (optical low pass filter)... resulting in AMAZING JPEGS that are very sharp...
Click to expand...
I know. I use FX cameras and also use the "cheap" "entry-level" D3200 just for kicks. I intend to pick up a D3300 when retail price goes down below $400 -- or when I bump into a sweet little lady who asks $300 for her mint D3300.

KR is right if you understand what he says this way: the D3300 (plus the 18-55mm VR II) is all "most people who want to take photos with a DSLR camera" need.
 
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Ken may come out with some outrageous claims, but when he comes to contentious ego busting comments he can really stir it up. He has always backed base range camera models (previously championed the d40), and in this case he is dead right.

Turn the clock back to film days and the camera was irrelevant when it came to image quality. Assuming two cameras were loaded with the same film type, all that mattered were the settings and lens used, not the camera body. Base level cameras had the minimum of functions, all they did was hold a lens, position film and enable a timed exposure. You paid more if you wanted anything beyond that, or you paid more for better build quality, or you paid lots for a combination of features and build - and more still if you wanted the right label.

Digital complicates matters as the sensor characteristics and processing becomes a variable, so there will always be differences. But the differences aren't that great when the camera is working on its optimum settings and closing when comparing less than optimum settings.

Some time ago (certainly pre-digital) I read an article claiming pros were becoming jealous of the spec on amateur cameras. Some of the toys such as auto focus were developed on the prosumer and amateur models. In fact, it wasn't too different to today where there are features appearing on cameraphones which aren't yet or only just becoming available on dslrs.
 
GaryR57 said:


The fact that you own a D810 and a D750 and never shoot RAW makes me sad - a very selfish emotion for me I realize.

If you are only shooting OOC jpegs then any camera in the entire Nikon product catalog will work fine for you, with "amazing" results.

I may be wrong, but I can live with that.

:)
Click to expand...
Oh there's BIG differences in OOC JPEGS between these 3 cameras... especially when low light and high contrast scenes come into play. That's where the D750 and D810 will SHINE!... ;)
 
Ok...mark your calenders. .....here it comes....steady now...



I AGREE.



Now....there are a million reasons to disagree too. I need better DR...or Noise handling...or faster FPS....etc.

All of those reasons would be absolutely correct.

With all that taken into consideration the following truth is inescapable.

The D3300 is probably a more capable camera than more than 90% of the people in these forums.



How can I say such a bold statement?!?

the regulars you see here and are actually participating IN the forums and not just Lookie Lou's....are about 1% of the traffic here on the site.



With that in mind I would say my 10% estimate is actually quite conservative.



But in that context, the statement is extremely accurate.



I even borrowed a friends D3200 while out playing around in the woods, and snapped this shot.









Heck...this was taken with a Nikon CoolPix back in 2002.





So.....while I can't believe the words are coming out of my lips....Ken is right on this one (within the limitations stated above)

Roman

--
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~ Albert Einstein
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I loved mine. It was the D3300 that got me back into dslr and nikon. The one thing it didn't do was the HSS with flash. I'm planning on getting another now I have the D610 for when I want a small but top camera. Cheers Paul uk
 
You could quote Tony Northrup on Youtube. For 2014 the D3300 is the best of the DX cameras made. Put a 35 1.8G, 40 2.8G macro (not for bugs) on it and get stunning results. The 18-55VR2 & new 55-200VR2 will be fine for outdoor sunny day shooting.

For 2015 watch the D5500 & D7200 edge the D3300 a bit.

Best FX camera in his lineup is the D810 because you can shoot below ISO 100.

Maybe in 10 years a DX camera will get down to ISO 50-64.

In the meantime get good glass for the D3300.

--
I Shoot RAW
 
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GarysInSoCal said:
OK... I own both the D810 and D750 with all Nanocoat Nikon quality optics (16-35 F4/70-200 F4/24-120 F4)... and YES... I'm very happy with the results I'm receiving from both.

For 'shits and giggles' I picked up a like new and very slightly used D3300 body (718 shutter count) at the camera swapmeet (bargaincamerashows.com) for $300 from a really sweet little Asian lady... BEST 'bang for the buck' purchase I ever made... why? This extremely small and lightweight cam has the same amazing (Expeed 4) image processor as the D4... and NO OLPF (optical low pass filter)... resulting in AMAZING JPEGS that are very sharp... and JPEGS are ALL I shoot with all three of these cams.

This D3300 is even smaller and lighter in weight than many of the mirrorless offerings by other manufacturers, with a great new 'deep finger grip', making it very easy to hand hold with the 4 Nikon APS-C lenses I have (10-24/18-140-VR/55-200-VR/55-300-VR).

Slap the flyweight 55-200 ED-VR ($100 at the camera swapmeet) on the featherweight D3300 and you have a stunning image capturing combination that doesn't weight much more than the camera strap. I shot some astounding images last year with this combination on a modeling cruiseboat photoshoot, and considering the cost ( only $400 invested)... I was BLOWN AWAY with the results.

OK... don't get me wrong... the D750 is a 'low light beast' and the D810 is the 'dynamic range elephant in the room'... but if you're working with decent light in bright sun and open shade situations, and NOT shooting over 1600ISO... the D3300 is a killer little cam that DELIVERS! If you're interested in checking out the D3300 images in an online portfolio, drop me a message and I'll hit you with the link... ;)
Click to expand...
Guess he's allowed to be right a few times....I agree...Even the d3300 is capable of amazing photos....Focus is slow and there's some limitations with controls, but yeah it has an amazing sensor...Have fun!
 
Good call. I've been thinking about doing something similar. It's not ALL I would need, but it would make a damn fine grab and go, lightweight and small setup that I could just throw in a bag and not think too much about. Pretty tempted.
 
RomanJohnston said:
Ok...mark your calenders. .....here it comes....steady now...

I AGREE.

Now....there are a million reasons to disagree too. I need better DR...or Noise handling...or faster FPS....etc.

All of those reasons would be absolutely correct.
Click to expand...
I think we are in violent agreement here, but I have to just throw my 2 cents:

DR: Less than 1 stop difference in DR compared to D7100 according to DxO

Loading…

www.dxomark.com

Noise handling: D3300 is no slouch based on what I've read

From Thom:

Loading…

www.dslrbodies.com

"Even pixel peeping I’m having a tough time seeing anything different in a D3300 image versus a D7100 image, for example. If anything, boosting shadows by large amounts doesn’t tend to reveal banding nearly as fast as my D5300, and then only faintly."

FPS: 5 fps is same as my D200 which I always felt was ample

To boot, you get 24MP RAWs, no AA filter, and 11 focal points (I typically use just one)?

Drool!



RomanJohnston said:
With all that taken into consideration the following truth is inescapable.

The D3300 is probably a more capable camera than more than 90% of the people in these forums.

How can I say such a bold statement?!?

the regulars you see here and are actually participating IN the forums and not just Lookie Lou's....are about 1% of the traffic here on the site.

With that in mind I would say my 10% estimate is actually quite conservative.

But in that context, the statement is extremely accurate.

I even borrowed a friends D3200 while out playing around in the woods, and snapped this shot.


Heck...this was taken with a Nikon CoolPix back in 2002.



So.....while I can't believe the words are coming out of my lips....Ken is right on this one (within the limitations stated above)

Roman

--
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious; It is the source of all true art and science.
~ Albert Einstein
http://www.romanjohnston.com
http://www.pbase.com/romansphotos
http://www.commercialfineart.com/
Click to expand...
--
David
My gear list: D40 / D70s / D200 / D300
A bunch of lenses and some flash
 
GarysInSoCal said:
OK... don't get me wrong... the D750 is a 'low light beast' and the D810 is the 'dynamic range elephant in the room'... but if you're working with decent light in bright sun and open shade situations, and NOT shooting over 1600ISO... the D3300 is a killer little cam that DELIVERS!
Click to expand...
You're seeing this only from image quality point of view (not to mention, you're referring to "decent light in bright sun and open shade"; even a compact would deliver then).

For me, the sensor is probably secondary if not terziary on my priority list. I also have a D3200 (which is basically the same thing as a D3300), and its image quality is awesome. But it's lacking in so many other areas that I can't use it for much of my serious/professional photography. It's not about the sensor, it's about functionality and ergonomics.

In fact, I've put together a detailed comparison list to make my case.



About the only reason I'm shooting FF is that there isn't a D3200 (heck, or even D7000) sensor in a D300 body (where is the D400 again?), together with the fact that there are few super-wide options for DX
 
My mate Ken is the biz.

A few years ago, when I was ready to move to a DSLR, the powers of Google led me to KR's site. Guess what? The D40 was the flavour of the month for for a person in my situation! The man is a genius. Have since upgraded to 7100, the best thing since sliced bread.
 
GarysInSoCal said:
OK... I own both the D810 and D750 with all Nanocoat Nikon quality optics (16-35 F4/70-200 F4/24-120 F4)... and YES... I'm very happy with the results I'm receiving from both.

For 'shits and giggles' I picked up a like new and very slightly used D3300 body (718 shutter count) at the camera swapmeet (bargaincamerashows.com) for $300 from a really sweet little Asian lady... BEST 'bang for the buck' purchase I ever made... why? This extremely small and lightweight cam has the same amazing (Expeed 4) image processor as the D4... and NO OLPF (optical low pass filter)... resulting in AMAZING JPEGS that are very sharp... and JPEGS are ALL I shoot with all three of these cams.

This D3300 is even smaller and lighter in weight than many of the mirrorless offerings by other manufacturers, with a great new 'deep finger grip', making it very easy to hand hold with the 4 Nikon APS-C lenses I have (10-24/18-140-VR/55-200-VR/55-300-VR).

Slap the flyweight 55-200 ED-VR ($100 at the camera swapmeet) on the featherweight D3300 and you have a stunning image capturing combination that doesn't weight much more than the camera strap. I shot some astounding images last year with this combination on a modeling cruiseboat photoshoot, and considering the cost ( only $400 invested)... I was BLOWN AWAY with the results.

OK... don't get me wrong... the D750 is a 'low light beast' and the D810 is the 'dynamic range elephant in the room'... but if you're working with decent light in bright sun and open shade situations, and NOT shooting over 1600ISO... the D3300 is a killer little cam that DELIVERS! If you're interested in checking out the D3300 images in an online portfolio, drop me a message and I'll hit you with the link... ;)
Click to expand...
Ken is right - Ken is not right.

Because ALL YOU NEED is very individual.

When it comes to image quality - he is right. All Nikon Sensors of today are delievering same image with no noticeable differences in almost every conditions.

But ALL YOU NEED is not image quality and sensor-performance only.

If you need use of the entire Nikon Creative Lightning system - the D3300 does not deliver.

If you need full and quick access to exposure controls with the camera at your eyes - the D3300 does not deliver.

If you need a quick and reliable AF for fast and/or unpredictable movings - the D3300 does not deliver.

If you need use of older AF-lenses - which I do - the D3300 does not deliver.

I could go on for a long time.

But Ken is right if:

All you need is shooting Green Auto -

All you need is AF-areamode auto -

All you need is base jpg OOC

Ken is - anyway he states he is - and based on he's statements in his reviews - the D3300 will be a lot more, than he needs.

Ken does some good reviews - if:

You are a starter and want's to do only some occasional P&S shooting -

You are a occasional P&S shooter - and want's to stay as so.

Nothing wrong about that - 90% of his potential readers are just that.

As I see it - There's nowhere in Ken's reviews or other sites, where he claims he is targetting anybody else, than this Group - he's not claiming, that he is targetting entusiats or pro photographers.

It's really a long time since I stopped reading Ken Rockwells reviews and recommandations.

BirgerH.
 
Its sad that we don't have this kind of shows in Europe, the D3300 is still over EUR400, if it drops below I will buy one.

That said, please....learn how to process RAW. It is so much more rewarding with the other cams that you have.
 
And my VW Beetle gets me to the men's Bible study and breakfast, just as would a Porsche. I got a real deal on that car!

BTW, I had a D3300 with a kit 18-55 VR II and 55-200 VR for a few months. It did some great shooting. It also had a wonky AF in low light and a serious lack of external body controls. Certainly if it would've had your other two cameras as drawer mates, I wouldn't have used it much at all.
 
GarysInSoCal said:
This D3300 is even smaller and lighter in weight than many of the mirrorless offerings by other manufacturers
Click to expand...
This is a significant point, and one that is often overlooked. People look to mirrorless as a smaller carry around DSLR backup, while a D3300 might in fact be just what they're looking for. No need for a whole new system of lenses! And a D3300 with a 35mm on it is pretty small.
 
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