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Nikon Red D3400 Hands-On and Opinion

Nikon D3400 (Red): An entry level APS-C camera for everyday photography at an entry level price.

Features of note:

  • A lower cost traditional DSLR with an APS-C sensor.
  • The red color is pretty neat. It has a nice reflective sheen.
  • It should be consistent and reliable. This line of camera has been offered a long time. I’ve used them in the past without issues.
  • Ergonomics are solid considering the level of this camera. They have spent a long time revising this series of camera.
  • Battery life is solid.

Features I’d like to see improved on:

  • One control dial. You have to rely on the camera’s back screen a lot more than more expensive cameras in Nikon’s lineup. This is a standard omission in the D3000 series.
  • No aperture control while recording video.
  • No auto-focus motor for older D-type lenses.
  • No high speed sync.
  • Pentamirror viewfinder instead of Pentaprism.
  • No MIC port. A downgrade over the D3300.
  • Wireless is only bluetooth, so it will be slow and they limit uploads to 2mp in size.

Final thoughts?
Consider refurbished or used over this model. You could save a lot more money and not lose much feature wise at that low level. The outgoing model, D3300, isn’t much different. The Nikon D5000 series of cameras are a lot better feature wise. Get your hands on the camera and see if it feels like a good fit. This is really the most important aspect of a photographic tool. The camera is certainly good enough for most situations.


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