Nikon D3300 vs D5300?

[ALwin]

That's funny

Actually it decreases the dynamic range but it increases the distance between the noise floor and the shadows by a loss of details in highlights.

As I said the limits are fixed.

Well why don't you explain it then if you're a know it all.

Care to explain why using a higher ISO can help with flash photography?

[ALwin]

The D3300 and invest the saved money in lenses.

The D3300 has more than enough focus points for almost everything. This is entirely false, having more AF points have its uses.

 

 

Jeez. Yea my wife pretty much only does some landscape stuff if were driving down the highway or if I fly her down to visit her family. Other than that, she does a lot of like family pictures for friends and family.

 

The only thing that seems to be my deciding factor is that the 5300 has built in wifi which she can hook up to her Samsung Tab S to preview pictures before loading them to the computer and see if she has to retake. (I know she can preview on the camera's screen, but her tablet is a 10.5 inch screen with a 1440p resolution, so she can get a lot better feel for how the picture will ultimately turn out and whether she needs to do a retake or not.)

 

Other than that, I am mildly worried that with more AF points on the 5300, she will be able to line up shots of kids running around and playing easier than with the 3300's less AF points. Kids don't like to stand still very long or do the same thing twice if you missed it with the camera, so that is what I am partially worried about. From my reading, it seems that more AF points makes it easier to focus in shots in motion.

 

If you think having wifi capability helps, Nikon does sell a wifi dongle for the D3300 also.  I have some friends who have them find it's useful, not just for previewing photos on a tablet, but also for remotely controlling the camera (if supported) and transferring files.  I personally prefer wired tethering but also use wifi tethering sometimes.

 

For the type of family portraits your wife does, if everyone is posing, more AF points may not be necessary.  Children don't really run that fast that she can't keep track of them with 9 AF points.  The kind of fast action I am talking about are more in sports and wildlife, especially wildlife where animals can be very quick to move.  Don't let AF points be the only thing making you indecisive.  As I said there are other things to consider.

[ALwin]

OK I'm a bit anal and OCD about making a point.  Here's why I say real world experience trumps whatever is written on paper.

 

This is one area in the building where I work, sometimes.  The photo is taken as a JPEG out of the camera, only resized without any editing or enhancements.

24mm, f/5.6 Aperture priority, ISO 100, the camera gave me a shutter speed of 0.8s or 1/1.3

 

Same scene, same focal length, ISO and aperture and priority mode, but this time with a flash unit.  The camera gave me a shutter speed of 0.6s or 1/1.6.  My flash unit is a Nikon SB-910 using TTL.

 

So whether I used a flash unit or not the shutter speed is too slow for hand held shooting.  So I boosted the ISO to 1000, without the flash.  Even ISO 1000, the camera is still giving me a shutter speed that is too slow. 1/13 is not enough for hand held stabilisation.

 

Now I change from Aperture priority mode to Manual mode.

24mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, manual shutter speed of 1/80 because this combined with image stabilisation lets me capture a stable image hand held

 

Same settings, this time with the SB-910 turned on

 

Now I changed the ISO to 1000, with the SB-910 turned on

 

Beginners are taught often that high ISO is bad.  But real world usage, there are times when high ISO will help.

 

Now I was using TTL metering for my SB-910, however I could've used manual mode for the SB-910 also and might have gotten a good exposure with the right flash power setting.  However I might not be pointing my lens towards the same scene all the time, when I am covering an event (working as a press photographer) the lens will be pointing at different directions with different lighting conditions and subjects/objects.  That's why I keep my flash on TTL for events (unless I am taking a photo of a posed scene) and use manual mode with a high ISO (not too high) for the camera.

[.spider.]

Well why don't you explain it then if you're a know it all.

The explanation is already there you just have to read and understand it.

This is entirely false, having more AF points have its uses.

Only in rare cases.

[.spider.]

Here's why I say real world experience trumps whatever is written on paper.

 

So many flaws do I have to point them out or are they obvious?

 

1.No RAW

2.Jpeg uses non linear gamma

3.Only the dark images are using ETTR

4. The shadows of the dark images should be pulled up, otherwise a comparison isn't possible. 

[ALwin]

The explanation is already there you just have to read and understand it.

 

I'll take that as a NO.

 

Ok I'm just going to quote you for the last time.  From this point on you are 100% ignored.

 

Hello ignore list.

[.spider.]

I'll take that as a NO.

Because you don't understand it?

[ALwin]

So the more i think about this, the more I think i should get the d3300 bundle with the 2 basic lenses and get a good 50mm lens for like portraits and stuff. Does that sound like a better option than the 5300?

 

Was it you who mentioned that your wife was using a Nikon P900, or am I confusing you with someone else on another discussion?  I think it was you, but not sure since I can't find where you mentioned it.

 

However if it is, I would also recommend you give other cameras a chance and not just stick to Nikon.  A P900 is nothing, you haven't really made investments into the Nikon ecosystem.  Give some Sony mirrorless cameras a try, or Fuji, even Canon.  I'm not saying there is anything wrong with Nikon, there isn't and sometimes their products seem to make some better sense than other brands.  But all brands have their pros and cons, every individual user has their personal preferences and tastes.  And you'd be surprised to know that many people find Canon's menu system/UI easier to use than Nikon.

[_SNOWMAN_]

My budget is roughly $1000 for the camera and maybe some accessories, so would I be better off getting the 3300 bundle and another $3-400 lens or something? Or would it be smarter to get the 5300 and get another lens later and roll with the stock one for a couple months?

not sure if your still looking but you can get a D7100 and 1-2 lenses from Digitalrev.com for less than $1000. I recommend the 35mm f1.8G for one of the lenses. 

[Renegade7369]

not sure if your still looking but you can get a D7100 and 1-2 lenses from Digitalrev.com for less than $1000. I recommend the 35mm f1.8G for one of the lenses. 

I actually ended up getting her the D3300 bundle from best buy about a week ago. Came with the D3300, a bag, a 32GB memory card, 2 lenses, and i bought a 50mm f1.8g lens and an extra battery. Got all of that for 750. Would have liked to get the D5300 but I think i might let her roll with the D3300 for now and upgrade her to a different body when a newer generation comes out in a year or so, like the next generation after the D5500. Like if a D7500 comes out in a year or so, I might upgrade her to that and let her re-gift the D3300 to her mom who wants a new camera or something.

 

Thanks for your input though.