Nikon D3200 Review - Is It Worth the Price?

Nikon D3200 Review - Is It Worth the Price? By Andrew Berkmann

The Nikon D3200 follows the successful D3100 barely a year after its introduction. News about its release was well-received and many were excited about its screen composed of 921,000 dots. But the biggest surprise was its 24 megapixel APS-C sensor, which is previously reserved for high end models.

Handling

I was pretty impressed with the D3200 the first time I saw it. While the case is all plastic, the quality isn't too shabby and it's got a rubberized coating on the handle and the rear for easier handling. Not the best in its class but still pleasant to use.

A glance through the viewfinder is a little disappointing though: it is narrow and inconvenient for eyeglass wearers. But this is unfortunately the case for many entry-level SLR in the market today. However, Sony is an exception as it managed to offer the Alpha 37 with an electronic viewfinder that is much broader and covers 100% of the field photographed.

The good news for beginners is that they could learn the basics in photography from the Guide mode, and it lets users configure the device according to the desired shooting outcomes. Surprisingly, the auto ISO feature is hidden somewhere in the menu (you cannot access it directly on the screen without changing the option), although the sensitivity will also vary depending on the focal length used.

The LCD screen is now displayed in VGA (921,000 dots) thus correcting a major shortcoming of the previous model. The display is also fluid and colorimetry rather accurate, so previewing the photos is quite a nice experience.

Speed

The D3200 incorporates autofocus module with 3D tracking, which already exists on previous models. However, the overall performance of the camera is very impressive as it requires only more than a second to shoot successive photos when light conditions are good. Compare that with D3100 and you'll find that the D3200 is four times faster! The burst mode was also consistent at a rate of 4 frames per second.

Image Quality

With a 24 megapixel sensor, the D3200 is expected to shine on image quality and especially on the elimination of electronic noise. I began with my observation through a 100% image on a wide screen. The grain is absent up to ISO 400 and images undergo a slight smoothing at 800 and 1600 ISO. The grain remains very fine and images were perfectly usable even when printed on large sizes.

I printed a 40x60 cm size with ISO 3200 and the result is still quite acceptable. Besides the fine stitches, the 24 million pixels have the advantage of offering a good flexibility in cropping, though it is still necessary that the optics are up to the standards set by the manufaturer. Lenses delivered in kit are generally not exceptional, but the included 18-55 mm f / 3.5-5.6 VR is actually performing very well.

The JPEG images usually come out soft in most DSLR cameras. If you want to get the best of the sensor, it is advisable to use the Nikon RAW format. I bet for this format, however, most buyers of the D3200 are not very interested to use it.

Optical stabilization is also very effective and the auto white balance is traditionally a little "hot" under halogen lighting.

Video

On the video side, improvement is also noticeable with a recording capability in HDTV 1080 at 30p or 24 fps (full frames). In HDTV 720p mode, the rate climbs to 60 or 50 fps, which allows for some quality slow motion. The D3200 has an interesting permanent AF, but still too slow to track a moving subject and this reflex is still far from the performance of a compact interchangeable lens or a Sony model with a fixed mirror. The images are quite beautiful and noise is unnoticeable. On its side, an internal microphone can be found, but it is possible to connect a stereo microphone through a mini-jack in the camera.

5 Good Reasons to Own a Canon Camera!

5 Good Reasons to Own a Canon Camera! By Thou Lee

I'm going to get straight to the point! If you don't know what a Canon Camera is then I will tell you they are a fine piece of technology to own. A Canon digital camera is a camera that can take pictures digitally without the use of film! Canon makes a great deal of cameras ranging from the entry level point and shoot all the way up to the DSLR ones professionals use. You can buy them at just about any big chain retail store, but they are not cheap. Not as cheap as the ones you see next with them in the store, but that leads me to my first reason why you should own a Canon digital camera.

1. You should own a Canon camera because they cost more! That's right, I said they cost more because there is a reason behind that. If you ever looked at something and compared it to the other same items you noticed that there are some more costly than others! They all do the same thing, but yet there is a price difference between some of them. There could be a huge difference in price too! The reason lies behind the fact that the more expensive items in the same category are made better! The manufacture decided they wanted to add some better parts or features to that them in order for to be above the competition.

Well, those extra features and parts rack up the cost a little more, and they know that when it is being compared to, the quality they give will be better than what is offered. The manufacture cannot sell these products for what the competition sells theirs for because they are using way better parts so they increase their the cost of their product a little more, but they know it is absolutely better than what is being offered. You should as a smart buyer take that into consideration and spend a little more on one of Canon's cameras!

2. You should own a Canon because they take quality pictures! Have you ever seen a picture online or somewhere and thought it did not look good? The truth is that picture you saw was from a poorly made camera. In fact, it probably wasn't Canon that took the photo. Canon have very strict standards of quality to follow in order to produce the best images. Whether it is from a low cost Canon camera or from one of their professional grade cameras, they always take high quality pictures which results in the best photos. Additionally canons are known for this in the industry! Take advantage of the excellent photo quality Canon cameras produce!

3. You should own a Canon camera because they are built very well. Well, I take that back. They are built like TANKS! These cameras are no joke. Canon's high standards have yielded a camera that can take abuse. I wouldn't advise you dropping one of these if you own one, but they can take a beating. These cameras are so well built I have heard them surviving months and months of constant neglect from their owners. An example would be a friend of mine who had recently purchased a Canon camera. He decided it was just another camera and didn't care much about it. I have seen him drop it numerous times, shake it because he thought it froze on him, and left it in subzero temperatures only to find out he forgot it was there for days. After picking it up in those conditions and turning it on, the camera immediately functioned the way it was designed to. Snap shot and abuse after snap shot they can take a beating!

4. You should own a Canon because the lenses Canon uses are of the best in the industry. Even if you buy a point and shoot Canon if you look closely the lens is made of some of the highest materials! You can see VERY clearly through them, even for a person who has less than ideal vision. Anyone will notice an absolute clarity inside. The lenses Canon produces are very resistant to scratches and swirl marks. If you see something that may consist of a scratch or swirl mark try wiping it away with a soft cloth. That false scratch or swirl will go away instantly! On to the DSLR side of Canon their lenses are made of quality standards so high you cannot ruin them easily or get a bad picture! Unless you had the focus completely off and decided to use a different approach to your photography. Other than those few briefly mentioned quality standards, Canon lenses are amazing!

5. You should own a Canon because they have the best post processing software available to you! Canon's camera packages not only come with manuals, pages of additional information clearly written, but they include some of the best, if not BEST software package given free of charge for you to utilize after you have taken your pictures! You will have so much fun editing or fine tuning your photos to the way you exactly intended by using their top notch software. It also makes organizing your photos a piece of cake. If you want to fix sharpness issues, you can do that in their software. What about color tone? It's simple using just a few mouse clicks and your set. Got a problem with brightness? That's easy, just slide in your preference their awesome brightness tool and you're set. It doesn't get much better and easier with Canon's great software package all included with their high quality cameras!

Well, those are some strong solid 5 reasons I just gave you to own a Canon camera, and that is just scratching the surface. I haven't even talked about iso performance, flash capabilities, longer battery life, Canon DSLR being the way to go, megapixel quality, digic processors, and much more. If you'd like to learn more about these fine electronic items feel free to check out below!