Nikon D3300 vs D3500

The Nikon D3300 and the Nikon D3500 are two digital cameras that were revealed to the public, respectively, in January 2014 and August 2018. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with an APS-C sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 24 megapixels.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Nikon D3300		Nikon D3500
Digital single lens reflex		Digital single lens reflex
Nikon F mount lenses		Nikon F mount lenses
24 MP, APS-C Sensor		24 MP, APS-C Sensor
1080/60p Video		1080/60p Video
ISO 100-12800 (100-25600)		ISO 100-25600
Optical viewfinder		Optical viewfinder
3.0" LCD, 921k dots		3.0" LCD, 921k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)		Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
5 shutter flaps per second		5 shutter flaps per second
700 shots per battery charge		1550 shots per battery charge
124 x 98 x 76 mm, 430 g		124 x 97 x 70 mm, 365 g

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Nikon D3300 and the Nikon D3500? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Nikon D3300 and the Nikon D3500 is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The D3300 can be obtained in three different colors (black, grey, red), while the D3500 is only available in black.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size, the Nikon D3500 is somewhat smaller (1 percent) than the Nikon D3300. Moreover, the D3500 is markedly lighter (15 percent) than the D3300. In this context, it is worth noting that neither the D3300 nor the D3500 are weather-sealed.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses that both of these cameras require. In this particular case, both cameras feature the same lens mount, so that they can use the same lenses. You can compare the optics available in the Nikon Lens Catalog.

The adjacent table lists the principal physical characteristics of the two cameras alongside a wider set of alternatives. In case you want to display and compare another camera duo, just click on the right or left arrow next to the camera that you would like to inspect. Alternatively, you can also use the CAM-parator to select your camera combination among a larger number of options.

Camera Body Specifications

	Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life (CIPA)	Weather Sealing (yes/no)	Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Nikon D3300»	4.9 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	15.2 oz	700	n	Jan 2014	499	-		Nikon D3300
	Nikon D3500«	4.9 in	3.8 in	2.8 in	12.9 oz	1550	n	Aug 2018	429			Nikon D3500
	Canon M100« »	4.3 in	2.6 in	1.4 in	10.7 oz	295	n	Aug 2017	499			Canon M100
	Fujifilm X-A7« »	4.7 in	2.7 in	1.6 in	11.3 oz	440	n	Sep 2019	499			Fujifilm X-A7
	Fujifilm X-E3« »	4.8 in	2.9 in	1.7 in	11.9 oz	350	n	Sep 2017	899			Fujifilm X-E3
	Nikon D5600« »	4.9 in	3.8 in	2.8 in	16.4 oz	970	n	Nov 2016	699			Nikon D5600
	Nikon D3400« »	4.9 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	15.7 oz	1200	n	Aug 2016	499	-		Nikon D3400
	Nikon D5500« »	4.9 in	3.8 in	2.8 in	14.8 oz	820	n	Jan 2015	899	-		Nikon D5500
	Nikon D7100« »	5.4 in	4.2 in	3.0 in	27.0 oz	950	Y	Feb 2013	1,199	-		Nikon D7100
	Nikon D5300« »	4.9 in	3.9 in	3.0 in	16.9 oz	600	n	Oct 2013	799	-		Nikon D5300
	Nikon D3200« »	4.9 in	3.8 in	3.0 in	17.8 oz	540	n	Apr 2012	599	-		Nikon D3200
	Sony A5000« »	4.3 in	2.5 in	1.4 in	9.5 oz	420	n	Jan 2014	449	-		Sony A5000
	Sony A5100« »	4.3 in	2.5 in	1.4 in	10.0 oz	400	n	Aug 2014	549			Sony A5100
	Sony A6000« »	4.7 in	2.6 in	1.8 in	12.1 oz	360	n	Feb 2014	599	-		Sony A6000
Convert to Metric
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

Any camera decision will naturally be influenced heavily by the price. The retail prices at the time of the camera’s release place the model in the market relative to other models in the producer’s line-up and the competition. The D3500 was launched at a somewhat lower price (by 14 percent) than the D3300, which makes it more attractive for photographers on a tight budget. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down.

Sensor comparison

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature an APS-C sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 24 megapixels. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the D3300 and the D3500 have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the D3500 is much more recent (by 4 years and 7 months) than the D3300, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that neither of the two cameras has an anti-alias filter installed, so they are able to capture all the detail the sensor resolves.

The Nikon D3300 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 12800, which can be extended to ISO 100-25600. The corresponding ISO settings for the Nikon D3500 are ISO 100 to ISO 25600 (no boost).

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The two cameras under consideration both have sensors whose read-out speed is fast enough to capture moving pictures, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/60p).

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The D3300 and the D3500 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder. The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinders of both cameras offer the same field of view (95%), as well as the same magnification (0.57x). The following table reports on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Nikon D3300, the Nikon D3500, and comparable cameras.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the D3300 and the D3500 write their files to SDXC cards. Both cameras can use UHS-I cards, which provide for Ultra High Speed data transfer of up to 104 MB/s.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon D3300 and Nikon D3500 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

It is notable that the D3300 has a microphone port, which is missing on the D3500. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

The D3500 is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Nikon. In contrast, the D3300 has been discontinued (but it can be found pre-owned on eBay). As a replacement in the same line of cameras, the D3300 was succeeded by the Nikon D3400. Further information on the two cameras (e.g. user guides, manuals), as well as related accessories, can be found on the official Nikon website.

Review summary

So what is the bottom line? Is the Nikon D3300 better than the Nikon D3500 or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Reasons to prefer the Nikon D3300:

• Better sound: Can connect to an external microphone for higher quality sound recording.
• More heavily discounted: Has been available for much longer (launched in January 2014).

Arguments in favor of the Nikon D3500:

• Less heavy: Has a lower weight (by 65g or 15 percent) and is thus easier to take along.
• Longer lasting: Gets more shots (1550 versus 700) out of a single battery charge.
• Easier wireless transfer: Supports Bluetooth for image sharing without cables.
• More affordable: Was released into a lower priced segment (14 percent cheaper at launch).
• More modern: Reflects 4 years and 7 months of technical progress since the D3300 launch.

If the number of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a guide, the D3500 emerges as the winner of the match-up (5 : 2 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision. A professional wedding photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a travel photog, and a person interested in cityscapes has distinct needs from a macro shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Nikon D3300 and the Nikon D3500 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance when actually working with the D3300 or the D3500. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Review Scores

	Camera Model						Camera Launch (announced)	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price (USD)	Used Price (USD)	Camera Model
	Nikon D3300»	+	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2014	499	-		Nikon D3300
	Nikon D3500«	-	-	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2018	429			Nikon D3500
	Canon M100« »	+	-	4/5	-	3.5/5	Aug 2017	499			Canon M100
	Fujifilm X-A7« »	-	-	-	-	-	Sep 2019	499			Fujifilm X-A7
	Fujifilm X-E3« »	+	84/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2017	899			Fujifilm X-E3
	Nikon D5600« »	-	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4/5	Nov 2016	699			Nikon D5600
	Nikon D3400« »	+	76/100	4/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2016	499	-		Nikon D3400
	Nikon D5500« »	+	79/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2015	899	-		Nikon D5500
	Nikon D7100« »	+ +	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2013	1,199	-		Nikon D7100
	Nikon D5300« »	+ +	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	799	-		Nikon D5300
	Nikon D3200« »	+ +	73/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2012	599	-		Nikon D3200
	Sony A5000« »	+	-	4.5/5	o	4.5/5	Jan 2014	449	-		Sony A5000
	Sony A5100« »	+	-	4.5/5	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2014	549			Sony A5100
	Sony A6000« »	+	80/100	4.5/5	5/5	5/5	Feb 2014	599	-		Sony A6000
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (-) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities of other camera models, just use the search menu below. As an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

Specifications: Nikon D3300 vs Nikon D3500

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the specs of the two cameras to facilitate a quick review of their differences and common features.

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