This is a review of the Nikon D3200. I have been wanting to get a new camera for many years and finally decided on the Nikon D 3200.
Since my trusty old Nikon D50 camera is still taking great pictures, I wasn’t about to spend the hundred’s of dollars on a new body.
Well, all that changed this week when my D50 stopped working.
After a bit of research on the Internet, I came to the conclusion it was the image sensor and it was not worth the $300+ repair cost.
So I decided it was time to buy a replacement.
Technology changes drastically every year and I have been using the Nikon D50 for over 11. Over that time I have collected a ton of gear and thousands of pictures of family memories.
Nikon does a really good job of making sure their cameras are backwards compatible with their older products but in order to move forward, sometimes you need to let go of the past.
Let me share what I learned in my 2 days of research.
Nikon D3200 specification highlights
PRO’s
- Full HD 1080p30 video (with 25p and 24p options)
- 1920 x 1080 Max Video Resolution
- ISO 100-6400 (plus ISO 12,800-equivalent Hi1 setting)
- Optical Built-in Viewfinder
- Face Detection Focusing
- 24.0MP – High Resolution Sensor
- Microphone socket
- 11 Focus Points
- 921k dots LCD Resolution
- UHS-I Memory Card Support Long Battery Life (540 shots)
- 505g Light Body
- External Microphone Port
- 4 frame-per-second continuous shooting
- 1 Cross Type Focus Points
- 3.0″, 920k dot screen
- Flash Sync Port
CON’s
- Lack of Wireless Connection
- No Image Stabilization
- No Articulating Screen
- Lack of Touch Screen
- No Environmental Sealing
- No AF Micro Adjustment
Nikon D 3200 Review
First thing I learned is the most of the newer Nikon cameras do not support the auto focus feature for older lens.
The problem is with the older lens, they use the built-in motor on the camera body to focus the lens.
Newer models put the motor in the lens which makes the lens faster and quieter. The lens is an extremely expensive part of your camera kit and losing auto focus was a let down.
Nikon does provide this motor in the D7xxx series body which usually retails for 3 times the cost of the refurbished D3200.
Another new feature added to the newer Nikon models is the i-TTL flash feature (Through The Lens).
This feature will control the power of the flash with the right amount of light depending on the setting of the camera and lens.
When taking family pictures, having the automatic focus and flash is great for quickly capturing the event without the need to start adjusting camera settings and manually focusing.
I learned that Nikon has different classes for their cameras.
- The D3xxx series is their entry line.
- The D5xxx series is an upgraded line with slightly better features.
- The pro models start with the D7000.
The top of the line tend use a different numbering scheme altogether usually with lower numbering.
The models tend to have a lot of common features and all will produce really great photos in the hands of someone who knows how to use it.
Conclusion
Why did I select the D3200 over all the others? Price! I was able to order the Nikon D 3200 refurbished for around $300.
The technical differences between the entry model line and the upgraded models were just not important enough to me.
The amount of money that I saved could be better used to get an upgraded flash or maybe a nice 35mm f1.8 portrait lens.
I have learned that great pictures can be taken with almost any camera and the key to taking great photos is to always practice and continue to learn about photography.
In the end, you will be faced with a similar choice, which is how to spend your limited dollars improving your family pictures.
I choose to save the extra money for a higher end camera and maybe apply it to our family vacation this year.
Recording family memories through pictures is not possible if you are not making family memories.
