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Nikon D3300 delivers solid pictures (photo samples)

Better than that of its predecessor, the Nikon D3300's photo quality is quite good for its class.

Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Lori Grunin
Nikon D3300 Low ISO JPEG
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Low ISO JPEG

The D3300 preserves detail in JPEGs pretty well up through ISO 1600, though you can start to see some degradation in shadow areas at ISO 800.

Nikon D3300 High ISO JPEG
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High ISO JPEG

ISO 3200 still looks OK in bright areas, but by ISO 6400 there are quite a few visible artifacts. I wouldn't recommend shooting ISO 12800 or higher JPEGs unless you're planning to keep it scaled down.

Nikon D3300 ISO 100 JPEG
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ISO 100 JPEG

Low ISO JPEGs look pretty sharp.

Nikon D3300 ISO 200 JPEG
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ISO 200 JPEG

The image stabilization in the new lens doesn't seem to be as effective as I'm used to.

Nikon D3300 ISO JPEG
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ISO 800 JPEG

In reasonable light, the D3300 fares OK at ISO 800.

Nikon D3300 ISO 800 raw vs JPEG
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ISO 800 raw vs. JPEG

The default settings tend to push the contrast and clip shadows for JPEGs.

Nikon D3300 ISO 1600 JPEG
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ISO 1600 JPEG

This is pretty good for an inexpensive dSLR.

Nikon D3300 ISO 3200 JPEG
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ISO 3200 JPEG

This is still quite acceptable at ISO 3200.

Nikon D3300 ISO 6400 JPEG
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ISO 6400 JPEG

The detail resolution at ISO 6400 is quite good.

Nikon D3300 ISO 12800 JPEG
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ISO 12800 JPEG

As long as you're scaling down, the camera handles high ISO sensitivity/low-light situations relatively well. There's some unavoidable hue shift as the blue noise becomes prominent, though.

Nikon D3300 Color
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Color

The camera renders colors relatively accurately.

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