Nikon D3000

Color (11.86)

The D3000 scored very poorly in our color accuracy testing, due in part to the apparent decision to oversaturate every color mode in this entry-level consumer camera. The most accurate color mode is Neutral, yet even here colors are oversaturated to 108%, and in the Standard mode most users will probably be inclined to use, the oversaturation climbs to nearly 120%. As for reproducing hues, the camera did well with purple, orange yellow and green, but purplish blue, red and cyan were way off. Even flesh tones, which are handled well by most cameras we test, were noticeably wrong.

We test for color accuracy by shooting an X-Rite Color Checker chart under controlled 3000 lux studio illumination. We shoot in all available color modes, analyze the test photos using Imatest software, and score based on the best color mode results. More on how we test color.

Camera Color Comparisons					Expand
	Ideal	Nikon D3000	Nikon D5000	Canon EOS Rebel XS	Olympus E-620	Pentax K2000
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Nikon D3000	Nikon D5000	Canon EOS Rebel XS	Olympus E-620	Pentax K2000
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Nikon D3000	Nikon D5000	Canon EOS Rebel XS	Olympus E-620	Pentax K2000
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

The Nikon D3000 delivered the least accurate color in our comparison group. We chalk this up in part to a conscious decision by someone at Nikon to oversaturate colors in an effort to please the presumably unsophisticated entry-level SLR buyer.

Color Modes (4.00)

The Nikon D3000 supports the company’s standard Picture Control system, with settings that adjust saturation and hue along with sharpening, contrast and brightness. The six presets provided are Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape. These Picture Controls and their customization options are discussed in the Picture Effects section.

The following table shows actual-size samples from photos of the X-Rite ColorChecker chart taken with the D3000 using each color Picture Control setting, except for Monochrome. The left column shows the original chart colors; the color names are the ones used by X-Rite.

Color Mode Comparisons						Expand
	Ideal	Standard	Neutral	Vivid	Portrait	Landscape
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Standard	Neutral	Vivid	Portrait	Landscape
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Standard	Neutral	Vivid	Portrait	Landscape
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

White Balance (10.66)

The D3000 compensates well for the color differences between varied sources of illumination, with good results using the automatic system and exceptional accuracy when using a custom setting. We test white balance using the X-Rite Judge II light box, which produces illumination with consistent, repeatable color temperatures. We shoot the X-Rite ColorChecker chart under three types of lighting: incandescent (similar to traditional household bulbs), compact white fluorescent and daylight, first with the white balance set to Auto, then after taking a manual reading. More on how we test color.

Automatic White Balance (9.56)

Incandescent lighting is the greatest challenge to auto white balance systems, and like most cameras we’ve tested, the D3000 produced images that were noticeably warm, with a distinct orange tint under these conditions. Shooting in daylight, though, the white balance adjustment was effective, and compact white fluorescent results were nearly as good.

Custom White Balance (11.75)

Taking a custom white balance reading banished the incandescent orange hue from our test images, and improved on the already good results we’d seen using the auto WB setting under fluorescent lighting. Of course, we expect to get good results from an SLR using manual white balance, so our scoring standards here are quite high. That said, the D3000 outperformed all of the other cameras in our comparison group on this part of the test.

The Pentax K2000 and Canon Rebel XS auto white balance systems handled daylight illumination exceptionally well, while the D3000 performance is respectable.

None of these cameras compensated for the color of incandescent lighting very well, but the Nikon D3000 is actually the best of the bunch.

With fluorescent lighting the Olympus E-620 and Canon Rebel XS again demonstrate their superior accuracy, though the Nikon D3000 does improve on the results for the Nikon D5000.

The poor performance of the automatic white balance system under incandescent lighting dragged down the D3000’s overall score, but investing a few moments in taking a custom reading produced excellent results.

White Balance Options (10.00)

Nikon didn’t hobble the D3000 when it comes to white balance presets, which include a wide variety of fluorescent light sources.

White balance settings can be precisely fine-tuned along the green-magenta and blue-amber axes, with thirteen available settings for each. What’s missing here, compared to more sophisticated models, is the ability to enter a white balance setting in directly in degrees Kelvin, not much of a consideration given the target audience for the D3000.

Taking a custom white balance reading is a simple procedure. Only a single reading can be stored at a time, but it is possible to apply the same white balance setting used in a photo already stored on your memory card.

Long Exposure (10.52)

The D30000 performed reasonably well in our long exposure testing, which combines marks for color accuracy and image noise when shooting in low light, for exposures between 1 second and 30 seconds. Color accuracy still wasn’t great, and even under low light colors were oversaturated, but noise was quite low, with and without noise reduction processing.

The color error is substantial; by way of comparison, the Nikon D5000 color error measured roughly 25% lower. However, there isn’t much variation in color reproduction as the shutter speed increases, which is a desirable result.

At an illumination level of just 20 lux, the D3000 noise performance is solid at under 0.8% across the board. Noise reduction didn’t have much effect one way or the other (on some cameras, the digital processing actually makes the situation worse). More on how we test long exposure.

The Nikon D3000 trails the Canon Rebel XS and Nikon D5000 in our long exposure testing, but not by a wide margin, and entirely due to mediocre color accuracy. By contrast, the Olympus E-620 received the lowest score despite decent color accuracy due to very high image noise.