Nikon D3000

The title of ‘Least Expensive Nikon SLR’ passes from the increasingly antiquated D40 to more full-featured D3000, which in addition to gaining an impressive two decimal places over its predecessor, steps up from 6.1 to 10-megapixel resolution, adds Nikon’s dust cleaning system, and ships with an image-stabilized VR lens. Great steps forward, certainly, but no leaps beyond the basics either. The D3000 doesn’t offer Live View mode. Despite the fact that this is an entry-level camera, they’ve actually removed many of the scene modes provided in the D5000.

The most noteworthy innovation here is Guide mode, a step-by-step on-screen guide to entering appropriate settings. Some of the features are redundant and/or confusing, but particularly when it comes to shooting options, the Guide system makes a handy learning assist.

Bottom line, there isn’t much to applaud here. If you’re hot for access to Nikon lenses and can’t afford a more sophisticated rig, the D3000 will get the job done. Our image quality testing didn’t turn up any major trouble spots, but there was no particular strength either. In fact, the Canon Rebel XS, which carries the same list price, turned in better scores across the board, and offers Live View mode as well.

Performance

In two of our key performance tests, resolution and color accuracy, the D3000 was unimpressive. Resolution was marginally better than the disappointing NIkon D5000, but nowhere near as good as the Pentax K2000, an equally inexpensive camera. As for color accuracy, the D3000 trailed all of our comparison cameras. White balance was decent, and quite good in custom white balance mode, but image noise and dynamic range results were just alright.As for burst mode shooting, the D3000 delivered the promised, if not particularly exciting, 3 shots per second.

Video

The D3000 doesn’t offer video recording — the stop-motion video creation tool is cute, but not a real movie mode. The least expensive Nikon that does provide video shooting is the D5000, which is reviewed here.

Hardware

We’re not enormous fans of Live View shooting for stills, but it is popular, available on other cameras in the price range, and not on the D3000. There’s no movie mode either, understandable in an entry-level model, but on its way for just $50 more in the upcoming Pentax K-x. The LCD is a bit larger than competing models at 3 inches diagonally, but stioll the same 230,000-dot resolution that’s been business as usual for years. We did find the grid line overlay in the viewfinder a useful optional feature, and there is a programmable function button to set up a customizable settings shortcut. There are few dedicated buttons for accessing frequently used settings quickly while shooting, though.

Controls

The photographic controls are mostly business as usual, with an ISO range from 100 to 3200, the usual half dozen Nikon Picture Control settings and an ordinary 3 frame per second burst shooting rate. There are just six Scene Modes, a limited selection for a camera aimed at entry -level users. The most innovative feature of the camera is the new Guide mode, a step-by-step menu system that leads users through a variety of camera settings by offering a series of text-based choices. It’s effective for certain purposes, particularly teaching the relationship between shutter speed and aperture settings, but too time-consuming to use on a regular basis.

Sample Photos

In the following sample images, clicking on the larger image will download the full resolution original. Each photo is accompanied by four actual-size crops.

Landscape Sample
				Focal length: 18mm Aperture: f/3.5 Shutter: 1/500 ISO: 100 This morning photo was taken in program mode, with the Landscape Picture Control, matrix metering and auto white balance. Click the large image to open a full-size version in a separate window.
				There is adequate detail toward the center of the photo, though chromatic aberration and softness are present closer to the edges

Close-up Sample
				Focal length: 38mm Aperture: f/5 Shutter: 1/40 ISO: 200 Like our ancestors, we shot our own food before lunch, in program mode, using a tripod, with Standard Picture Control, auto white balance and center-weighted metering.Click the large image to open a full-size version in a separate window.
				The kit lens allows for frame-filling close-ups.

Low-Light Sample
				Focal length: 36mm Aperture: f/5 Shutter: 1/13 ISO: 1600 This photo was taken using incandescent light and a manual white balance, with center-weighted metering, Noise reduction was set to ‘off’, but the camera applied some processing anyway due to the high ISO and slow shutter speed. Click the large image to open a full-size version in a separate window.
				The image noise doesn't obliterate a good level of detail. The rightmost shot was taken with automatic white balance, causing a significant orange cast.

Signage Sample
				Focal length: 32mm Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter: 1/250 ISO: 100 This local eatery was shot in shutter priority mode using the Vivid Picture Control. Click the large image to open a full-size version in a separate window.
				The Vivid setting produces particularly rich blues and hot reds, with a high level of oversaturation.

Waterfront Sample
				Focal length: 55mm Aperture: f/20 Shutter: 1/250 ISO: 400 We shot in aperture priority mode, turning this setting up as far as possible to maximize depth of field. Spot metering was centered on the seagull. Click the large image to open a full-size version in a separate window.
				The seagull and wooden post have nice detail, which doesn't carry through the entire frame.

Picture Controls Samples
	Focal length: 22mm Aperture: f/20 Shutter: 1/15 ISO: 100 We shot this sign and floral arrangement five ways to explore the effects of the Nikon Picture Control settings, The top image was taken in Standard mode. Changes in color intensity are most readily noticeable in the red flowers and the green sign.
	Neutral Picture Control
	Monochrome Picture Control
	Portrait Picture Control
	Landscape Picture Control

Nikon D3000 Specs
Type	Compact SLR / System
Focal Length Minimum	18.0 mm
Focal Length Maximum	55.0 mm
Still Pixel Count (effective)	12.3 megapixels
Sensor Size	APS-C
Sensor Type - New	CMOS
Aspect Ratios	3:2
Original Price	599.95 $
Height	94.0 mm
Width	126.0 mm
Depth	64.0 mm
Weight	485.0 g
Model Colors	black
Display Type	LCD
Display Size	3.0 in.
Display Resolution	230000 pixels
Viewfinder Type	optical
Viewfinder Magnification	0.8 x
Viewfinder Coverage	95.0 % coverage
Diopter Adjustment - New	-1.7 to +0.5m^1
Media New	SD, SDHC
Connectivity Options	USB, A/V, wired remote, hot accessory shoe
Battery Type	removable lithium-ion
Battery Model Number	EN-EL9
Mirror Technology (Interchangeable Lens)	DSLR
Waterproof	No
Manual Controls	manual focus, aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, full manual exposure, custom white balance, ISO control
ISO Options	100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, Extended ISO
Minimum ISO	100
Maximum ISO	1600

Nikon D3000 Scores
Rating	Score	Weighting
Color Score	11.86	9.0
Color Modes Score	4.0	1.0
Long Exposure Score	10.52	4.0
Noise Score	6.21	9.0
ISO Options Score	5.0	1.5
Sharpness Score	6.8	6.0
Chromatic Aberration Score	8.68	3.0
Picture Options Score	8.15	0.5
Dynamic Range Score	6.55	6.0
Stabilization Score	7.54	5.0
Auto White Balance Score	9.56	4.0
Custom White Balance Score	11.75	2.0
White Balance Features Score	10.0	0.5
Playback Mode Score	9.5	1.5
In-Camera Editing Score	10.0	0.5
Software Score	5.0	0.5
Direct Print Features Score	3.5	0.5
Sensor Score	2.5	1.0
Viewfinder Score	7.75	1.5
LCD Score	4.9	2.5
Flash Score	7.25	1.0
Lens Mount Score	9.5	1.5
Battery Score	7.0	1.0
Memory Score	3.0	1.0
Connectivity Score	2.5	1.0
Other Hardware Score	0.0	0.5
Shooting Modes Scores	11.0	1.0
Live View Score	0.0	2.0
Scene Modes Score	4.0	0.5
Picture Effects Score	4.5	0.5
Focus Score	13.75	1.5
Exposure Score	4.75	1.0
DOF Preview Score	0.0	0.5
Metering Score	7.5	1.0
Shutter Speed Score	10.0	1.0
Self-Timer Score	5.5	1.0
Other Controls Score	0.0	0.5
Handling Score	7.0	2.5
Controls Score	8.5	2.5
Menu Score	6.5	2.0
Manual Score	9.5	1.0
Shot to Shot Score	3.0	3.0
Drive and Burst Modes Score	4.0	1.0
Video Color Score	0.0	1.25
Video Sharpness Score	0.0	1.25
Video Motion Score	0.0	0.63
Video Noise Score	0.0	0.63
Video Controls Score	0.0	1.2
Video Low Light Sensitivity Score	0.0	0.95
Video Low Light Color Score	0.0	0.78
Video Low Light Noise Score	0.0	0.78
Video Compression Score	0.0	0.95
Video Audio Score	0.0	0.3
Video Handling Score	0.0	0.73
Color Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Noise Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Playback Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Resolution Other Features Rating	0.0	0.5
Design & Handling Other Rating	0.0	0.5
Total:	653