Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500: full review

The new Nikon D3500 is a classic DSLR “Entry Level” camera, thought for those who start their adventure in the reflex cameras world.

The Entry Level target is also referred to the budget, since the photographers who choose it are going to spend no more than 5-600€, lens included.

Nikon D3500 is in the high range of these parameters, in terms of both technology and price.

Launched in September 2018, D3500 stands out for lighter weight, easier to handle camera body and longer battery life (almost 1/3 more) than Nikon D3400.

In this review we’ll start right from its construction characteristics.

Construction characteristics of Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500 has a solid single-piece structure that gives you a quite pleasant feeling.

When I had Nikon D3500 in my hands, I felt a decent camera in terms of structure.

Probably, if I had considered only this first approach, I would have valued it more than what it’s really worth.

The ergonomics is excellent, with well-positioned, easy to reach buttons and rings of adequate size.

In particular, the grip is surprisingly deep for the small size of the camera body.

Nikon has invested a lot in the production of light materials and Nikon D3500 does not go beyond such philosophy, born especially to contain the success of mirrorless cameras.

Compared to D3400, the new Nikon D3500 weighs 30 grams less. We’re around 365 grams, battery and memory card excluded.

Also the size of the new Nikon D3500 are slightly less bulky than D3400: 124 x 97 x 69.5 mm (versus 124 x 98 x 76 mm of the previous Nikon model).

It goes without saying, then, that such size suggests immediately when to use this entry level camera, perfect for any kind of travel or street photography.

Beware, though: like every camera in this price range, Nikon D3500 is not tropicalized.

This means that – compared to semi-professional models, like Nikon D7500 – it is not resistant to the most extreme weather conditions, nor to dust or rain.

Nikon D3500: picture quality and shot experience

The 24 megapixels sensor and the excellent Expeed 4 processor are the dynamic duo able to give high-quality images, staying in the range of APS-C cameras.

Image definition is really remarkable, color range is good, low light performance is more than decent thanks to the absence of the low-pass filter on the sensor.

Increasing the ISO, the quality loss is more than acceptable, although the comparison with Full Frame Reflex cameras could not even be contemplated.

As for D3400, the quality of video of Nikon D3500 is not its flagship, being still Full HD, 60 frames per second.

Same goes for the AF system, which has the same limits of the previous model, while remaining very functioning.

It shows some limits, especially in the dynamic scenes: some Canon in the same range can give you more satisfaction in this sense.

In liveview mode, though, I think it’s far better than the previous camera of Nikon 3000 series.

Nikon D3500 is not the best in capturing sports scenes, even if the 5fps burst mode and the buffering do their job perfectly.

So if you take many action photos but you don’t want to spend a fortune, you should head to Nikon D5600.

You’ll spend a couple hundred euros more, but you’ll have a far more performing viewfinder autofocus and a completely adjustable LCD display.

The direct drives, like in all entry level cameras, are few. So if you need to change the setting, you’ll often need to go to the general menu settings.

This will of course slow a little the operating speed of Nikon D3500.

Very useful and smart are the semi-automatic shooting modes and the effects.

The first ones let you learn the correct settings of the camera little by little. The second ones help you nurture the fun side of photography, which is often forgotten.

Nikon D3500: prices and kits

The basic kit of Nikon D3500 is the classic one, with 18-55 VR Nikkor lens. Very affordable, perfect for beginners.

After a while, though, you’ll feel the need to buy lenses with wider focal length, to expand your range of action.

So, you could buy the kit with camera body + 18-105 VR lens right away, spending at least one hundred euros more.

Or, if you can, you could take the most complete combo, including Nikon D3500 + AF-P DX 18–55 VR lens + AF-P DX 70–300 VR lens for a total price of 750 euro approximately. 

My opinion on Nikon D3500

This new Nikon D3500 confirms the excellent quality we’ve seen in every camera of the 3000 series launched by Nikon over the past few years.

I would say that it’s now clear how different, in this market segment, the strategies of Canon and Nikon are.

Canon wants to have the cheapest entry level cameras, keeping the quality acceptable (but quite lower than Nikon’s).

Nikon wants to have the technically better entry level cameras, keeping the price acceptable (but quite higher than Canon’s).

In some way, this makes it easier to make a choice and to express an opinion: if you want the best entry level camera, you’ll have to spend a little more and buy Nikon D3500.

If you want to save money, you should but a Canon entry level camera.