| The Good |
|---|
| ISO Speeds up to 3200, 3 FPS Continuous Shooting, 3” LCD, Expeed Image Processor. |
| The Bad |
| 10.2 Megapixel Sensor, Low Quality LCD Picture, Noisy/Loud, Grainy Results Above ISO Speeds of 800. |
| Yay or Nay |
| The general consensus is that while this is still a Nikon and a reasonably good low range camera, it is probably the worst camera that has ever come out of the Nikon factory. There are many cameras available (including ones from Nikon) in the same price range of $500-$600 that are much better. |
Overview
Nikon tried to do too much with this camera. There are too many complicated options, and not enough of the basic elements that make a camera great. For less money, the D40 is a great option for anyone who wants to sacrifice a few megapixels, or there are several models higher in their line that don’t cost much more. The guide mode, which was put in place to help people navigate through their controls, is one of the things that actually makes this camera even more complicated. Nevertheless, the Expeed image processor and new shutter design do provide a very reliable camera that can be used in some situations.
Snapshots
As mentioned above, this camera doesn’t do very well at taking pictures above ISO speeds of 800, and the 3200 max is pretty much useless. It’s a good thing that it’s available, but the camera just isn’t up to match the speed with quality. Even though there is a continuous shooting mode, you probably won’t get very clear results when using it. Also, at three frames per second, continuous shooting isn’t much of an asset because the low ISO speeds don’t ensure quality pictures and will leave photos blurred in many cases.
Video
Another drawback is that the D3000 has no video capabilities whatsoever. However, when you film video with a photographic camera instead of a camcorder, some of the quality is lost because the design is so different and they aren’t really built for video. Incorporating it into digital cameras is expensive, and that is directly reflected in the price of most cameras that have video capabilities. So, the one advantage of this camera not having video is that it’s price is lower than if it was able to shoot video.
Photo Quality and Extras
In a normal camera with ISO speeds up to 3200 and an awesome image processor like the Expeed, the camera would create excellent photographs as long as the operator did their job. However, with the D3000, this is simply not the case. For some reason, the image processor doesn’t work effectively with the way this camera is setup. On a brighter note, ISO speeds up to 800 provide reasonable quality photographs, and the 10.2 megapixel sensor is more than enough for those tasks.
The options on this camera are greatly reduced, even in comparison to some older models like the D5000. For the most part, the only ones that were included were the basic onboard editing and the manual control settings. To top things off, the overall navigation of the settings and extras is extremely hard to follow. The guide that was included to help ease navigation and to enable operators to more quickly find needed feature actually makes things more difficult.
Downside
This particular camera wouldn’t seem so bad if so much wasn’t expected of Nikon. It’s lightweight, offers decent quality and can fulfill the needs of most people. However, because Nikon is considered to produce some of the best cameras, the D3000 falls so terribly short that it just doesn’t make sense to buy it when there are other Nikons that are much better and in some cases, cheaper.
Conclusion
Instead of spending around $600 on this camera, it would be a good idea to go ahead and invest in one of its close relatives. The D5000 offers higher capabilities, more flexibility, higher quality and all for right around the same price as the 3000, and has received great reviews across the board. However, if you do happen to buy one, just remember that it wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t held to Nikon’s high standards.
