Best Nikon D3000 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:
Nikon positions the D3000 as the ideal camera to get started with SLR: offered at very aggressive prices, it includes an interactive user guide. The test is conclusive, but to transform it, it would also have been necessary to integrate the Liveview function.
The Nikon D3000 succeeds the D60 , of which it is a slightly improved version: the control screen is larger (3 inches, or 7.6 cm, against 2.5 inches, or 6.3 cm), while the autofocus gains in both precision and possibilities, with the arrival of the 3D tracking function. In terms of handling, the body of this SLR is of approximately equivalent size and weight, with 10 grams more however for the newcomer.
No revolution therefore, and we may regret the lack of certain fashionable functions such as. LiveView (targeted via the LCD screen, as on compacts). To benefit from it, it will be necessary to turn to the recent D5000 , whose screen is more orientable.
Best Nikon D3000 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020
1. Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
2. Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Body Only
3. Nikon D3000 For Dummies
How does Nikon justify the arrival of this new reference in its consumer range? By positioning it as the ideal camera to learn how to use an SLR. It benefits for this from a new mode of shooting explicitly baptized “Guide”. The principle is to guide the user, via a menu that is simplified as much as possible. To the settings suited to the shooting he wishes to take: distant subjects, close-ups, sleepy faces, blurred background, frozen subject, etc.
What is the difference with the eternal “Scene” modes (landscape, portrait, sport, etc.)? Technically none, except this time, everything takes place via the LCD screen. The user does not have a dial to turn, while the explanations are provided directly to him on the device. This will avoid a tedious dive into the voluminous user manual. We also have simplified access to certain common functions: deactivation of Flash, autofocus mode, recording quality, burst mode, etc. And once the settings are complete, simply activate the “Start shooting” option to take the picture with the options selected.
Design
The display of explanations relating to each mode demonstrates an obvious educational desire: the user learns that, to obtain a portrait on a blurred background, it is preferable to use a focal length greater than 80 mm and a large aperture in the diaphragm. . The latter then becomes directly adjustable via the controls on the LCD screen. Without it being necessary to turn the dial usually dedicated to this adjustment. Ditto for freezing a subject where the camera recommends the use of a high shutter speed. Displaying in parallel the ad hoc setting on the screen.
The idea is good, the realization perfectible. The fault comes back to the explanations which are sometimes a bit succinct or obscure: not sure that the notion of “focal length of 80 mm”, for example, speaks to the target audience. And sometimes, there is no explanation at all, as for the choice “close subject”, where the camera is content to say that it has gone into Macro mode: we would have suspected! However, even if it is not yet completely finished, the Guide mode is nonetheless a very interesting initiative for those who are afraid of the range of adjustments offered by a reflex.
Because there is no mistaking it, and despite its entry-level and mainstream positioning. The Nikon D3000 remains a complete SLR that will satisfy more demanding amateurs. One finds in particular a CCD sensor of 10.2 million pixels associated with the traditional image optimization mechanisms dear to Nikon: D-Lightning, management of the Raw / Nef format, and various effects (neutral, vivid, monochrome…). The integrated retouching functions answer the call (red-eye reduction, cropping, etc.) as does the dual sensor cleaning system. We also appreciate the 11-point autofocus, inherited from the more sophisticated models of the Nikon range.
Final
Although the appearance of noise in low light is properly controlled, we regret that the device does not rise above 1600 Iso. A limit already known with the D60. Other absences finally remind us that we are dealing with an entry-level model: a single dial, no superior control screen, no HDMI output, no video recording, absence of autofocus motor … Nothing crucial for the target audience, however. If only for a camera that claims to be an ideal entry point into the world of SLR, the presence of Liveview would have allowed an even smoother transition with that of compacts…
Overall, the Nikon D3000 is therefore a success. We tested it with an 18-55mm zoom (equivalent to a 28-80mm in 35mm format). If the development seemed to us sometimes to lack responsiveness, it will be very difficult to complain about it compared to the announced price of the set: 500 € only at its launch.
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