Help please - Nikon D3300 or D5300

[Arunks]

Hello,

I'm a beginner and still in the very early stage of learning terminologies of photography. After extensive research I've decided to buy the Nikon D5300 over D3300 purely because it has more number of focus points (39 in D5300 vs. 11 in D3300) and would give better quality pictures. However, the price difference between these 2 models is ₹10,000/- (approx. $150) which is quite significant for me. My question is -

1. Whether the better autofocus feature in D5300 worth the additional price tag? I can live without inbuilt WiFi and articulating LCD features.

2. Also I need your advice on buying the kit lens. Should i go for both AF-S DX 18-55mm VR II and AF-S DX 55-200mm VR II kit lenses? Or only 18-55mm lense is sufficient? Or should I avoid kit lense?

Please suggest me on choosing the right option..

Thanks,
Arun

 

[COYQ]

Hello,

I'm a beginner and still in the very early stage of learning terminologies of photography. After extensive research I've decided to buy the Nikon D5300 over D3300 purely because it has more number of focus points (39 in D5300 vs. 11 in D3300) and would give better quality pictures. However, the price difference between these 2 models is ₹10,000/- (approx. $150) which is quite significant for me. My question is -

1. Whether the better autofocus feature in D5300 worth the additional price tag? I can live without inbuilt WiFi and articulating LCD features.

2. Also I need your advice on buying the kit lens. Should i go for both AF-S DX 18-55mm VR II and AF-S DX 55-200mm VR II kit lenses? Or only 18-55mm lense is sufficient? Or should I avoid kit lense?

Please suggest me on choosing the right option..

Thanks,
Arun

I wrote an article on my blog to answer this sort of question

Advice for beginners No1 – What camera?

Many beginners to photography, or those wanting more than a camera phone or ‘Point & Shoot’ camera ask what’s the best camera to buy. I can understand that for a newcomer the choices are bewild…

jamesearleyphotoblog.wordpress.com

Kit lenses are generally fine and some are very good - they're just a bit slower (smaller widest aperture) than more expensive options but the best option for a beginner, until you work out what you really need from a camera/lens and then spend your money on something 'better'.

 

[Rudi Maes]

Hello,

I'm a beginner and still in the very early stage of learning terminologies of photography. After extensive research I've decided to buy the Nikon D5300 over D3300 purely because it has more number of focus points (39 in D5300 vs. 11 in D3300) and would give better quality pictures. However, the price difference between these 2 models is ₹10,000/- (approx. $150) which is quite significant for me. My question is -

1. Whether the better autofocus feature in D5300 worth the additional price tag? I can live without inbuilt WiFi and articulating LCD features.

2. Also I need your advice on buying the kit lens. Should i go for both AF-S DX 18-55mm VR II and AF-S DX 55-200mm VR II kit lenses? Or only 18-55mm lense is sufficient? Or should I avoid kit lense?

Please suggest me on choosing the right option..

Thanks,
Arun

If you can spare the money, go for the D5300. It's the better camera of the two.

If it's to difficult for you, the D3300 is a good starters DSLR.

Rudi

 

[a_c_skinner]

I'd go for the D3200 or 3300. They are both good, same IQ and pretty cheap as these things go.

The two kit lens deal is good, they are both perfectly alright lenses. If you do repent of the D3200 then a D5X00/D7X00 body is easy to buy and after you've used the D3X00 for a while you'll be making a more informed choice and perhaps be another upgrade down Nikon's product line.

 

[TruckTurner]

If you're just thinking of general photography, they're both good cameras. If you have something more specific in mind then that may change the answers you get.

I had the 5300 with the 18-55mm lens and thought it was a very nice lens.

Of the two, the 3300 has a beginner mode in-camera designed to help you learn what settings to use and why. That can be very helpful when you're just starting out.

But seriously, both are great cameras with a good value/price ratio.

 

[tclune]

You give no indication of what you shoot or how you post-process your images. That is important information if you want an intelligent response to your question. For example, if you shoot birds in flight, a better AF with more focal points might be a big deal, while it would be of no interest if you mostly shoot landscapes. Similarly, if you always shoot JPEG, there isn't going to be any discernable difference in IQ between the two cameras, while if you shoot 14-bit raw and post-process to extract the detail and contrast, the D5300's capabilities in that regard will matter to you. So start by explaining what you shoot and how, and you may get an answer that is useful to you. FWIW

 

[DariusII]

Agreed on picking up the D3300. I have it together with the 18-55 and 55-200 vr2, combo with the 35mm. That is enough for my travels and general use. You can use that extra savings for the 35mm, which will cover low light shots.

More focus points means easier to track moving subjects, which also means you need really good glass for very specific needs. That is something you can consider or save up for down the track. Not much use if you focus on stationary subjects and landscapes.

 

[MarkInSF]

Hello,

I'm a beginner and still in the very early stage of learning terminologies of photography. After extensive research I've decided to buy the Nikon D5300 over D3300 purely because it has more number of focus points (39 in D5300 vs. 11 in D3300) and would give better quality pictures. However, the price difference between these 2 models is ₹10,000/- (approx. $150) which is quite significant for me. My question is -

1. Whether the better autofocus feature in D5300 worth the additional price tag? I can live without inbuilt WiFi and articulating LCD features.

2. Also I need your advice on buying the kit lens. Should i go for both AF-S DX 18-55mm VR II and AF-S DX 55-200mm VR II kit lenses? Or only 18-55mm lense is sufficient? Or should I avoid kit lense?

Please suggest me on choosing the right option..

Thanks,
Arun

There is no real difference in image quality between these cameras, so the D5300 won't give better quality pictures. Even the D7200 uses a sensor of essentially the same quality as those in the entry level models. They are slightly different sensors, but all state-of-the-art. The kit lenses are perfectly all right and a super value, so you should definitely buy them if you don't already have similar lenses. The two-lens kit is an even better value, though what I'd go for is the D5500 with the 18-140mm zoom. This is a very useful lens that covers the most used focal lengths without having to do any swapping of lenses. That combination will keep you occupied for years, or at least until your money starts burning a hole in your pocket.

 

[tclune]

There is no real difference in image quality between these cameras, so the D5300 won't give better quality pictures. Even the D7200 uses a sensor of essentially the same quality as those in the entry level models,

This is inaccurate. The sensors are essentially equivalent, but the image quality is not if you shoot raw. The D3300 is compressed 12-bit and the D5300 can be compressed 14-bit. (BTW, the D7200 can be uncompressed 14-bit.) The lower-end cameras may be artificially crippled by Nikon for marketing reasons, but they are crippled nonetheless. As I indicated in my previous post, this will never matter to a JPEG shooter, but it means something real if you post-process raw images. Bill Claff has done some useful exploration of the NEF compressions that you can see here. The differences can be quite important when you PP some images. That difference is especially important if you need to tease out gradations at the bright end or the dark end (which is truncated out of the D3300 data) of the image, but it can be discernable anywhere in the brightness range with the right image. FWIW

 

[SushiCub]

The other gents already spoke about the tech specs. The reasons why I picked 5300 over 3300 were, some probably think silly, are wifi (option on 3300) and the vari angle LCD. I like the idea of being able to transfer only a few images to smartphone / tablet. Also smart phone as a remote to take a photo. You can purchase an optional device on 3300 but the tiny transmitter sticks out of camera. The vari angle is not only good for shooting in different angles but also it is handy when you store in camera bag or carry by itself - flip the screen back and the lcd is protected. I like the vari angle so much that it was one of the main reasons I purchased Olympus EM5Mii later.
Both are good and for photo quality, I don't think there is not much difference but I personally prefer buying an one step up model to very basic model because I know, sooner or later, "I wish I had" will start bothering me

 

[apiron]

I'd miss the AE Bracketing the most on the D3300 I think.

 

[neonlights79]

Hello,

I'm a beginner and still in the very early stage of learning terminologies of photography. After extensive research I've decided to buy the Nikon D5300 over D3300 purely because it has more number of focus points (39 in D5300 vs. 11 in D3300) and would give better quality pictures. However, the price difference between these 2 models is ₹10,000/- (approx. $150) which is quite significant for me. My question is -

1. Whether the better autofocus feature in D5300 worth the additional price tag? I can live without inbuilt WiFi and articulating LCD features.

2. Also I need your advice on buying the kit lens. Should i go for both AF-S DX 18-55mm VR II and AF-S DX 55-200mm VR II kit lenses? Or only 18-55mm lense is sufficient? Or should I avoid kit lense?

Please suggest me on choosing the right option..

Thanks,
Arun

Hi,

I think that number of focus points is not relevant for a beginner, you feel the need of a greater number of points of focus when you've gained a bit of experience. So I suggest you to save your money buying nikon D3300 with 18-105mm lens or 18-140mm lens because if you travel is difficult to carry 55-200 because it's heavy while 18-105mm is a versatile lens and you don't swapping.

 

[neonlights79]

The other gents already spoke about the tech specs. The reasons why I picked 5300 over 3300 were, some probably think silly, are wifi (option on 3300) and the vari angle LCD. I like the idea of being able to transfer only a few images to smartphone / tablet. Also smart phone as a remote to take a photo. You can purchase an optional device on 3300 but the tiny transmitter sticks out of camera. The vari angle is not only good for shooting in different angles but also it is handy when you store in camera bag or carry by itself - flip the screen back and the lcd is protected. I like the vari angle so much that it was one of the main reasons I purchased Olympus EM5Mii later.
Both are good and for photo quality, I don't think there is not much difference but I personally prefer buying an one step up model to very basic model because I know, sooner or later, "I wish I had" will start bothering me

I’m a newbie and I prefer to spend my money (max 700$) to buy nikon D3300 with 18-105mm, because if camera has a lot of features and I don't know how to use I'm discouraged and it's probably that I'll leave my camera at home.

Also I think that I'll use my first DSRL for 4-5 years before buy a new camera with advanced features.-

 

[SushiCub]

This is out of the subject but if you don't have any camera yet or haven't bought either one yet, may I suggest to take a brief look at Sony a6000 also. It's small so doesn't have a wow factor like many dslr might have but it has all both models have. If I knew more about cameras when I bought d5300 as my first interchangeable lense camera, I would have font straight to mirrorless. The lense selections aren't like Nikon or canon but it means easier to select what you need. I found the image quality of my s5100 (which is a less superior brother of a6000) better than d5300. You might enjoy it

 

[aufinger]

I suggest you buy the best camera/lens combo your budget will allow. If you buy the D3300 and your interest in photography takes off, it will be cheaper to buy the D5300 now then to buy the D3300 and then upgrade in a couple of years. If you don't have any interest in upgrading in a couple of years, there's no harm having a little better camera.