NOVEMBER 2017 79
PRICE
`36,950
(BODY ONLY)Nikon D3400
The Nikon D3400 is the entrant in the beginner DSLR
category and was displayed at Photokina 2016. Nikon D3400
is the direct contender to its Canon counterpart. Not everyone
will be able to tell the differences between both the cameras at a
glance, but its whats beneath the hood that counts. The D3400
houses a 24 megapixel sensor without an optical low pass fi lter
which claims better image quality. 100-26500 ISO range and 5
fps shooting along with Nikon’s Snapbrigde to ensure seamless
connection with any tablet or smarphone using low powered
bluetooth system. Full HD videos at 60/50/30/24 fps is just more
than the needs of a beginner.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Nikon D3400 delivers a mix of
all things good. Thanks to the 24 MP sensor without the optical
low pass fi lter, the image quality delivered is noteworthy. The
Full HD videos also were of decent quality. The sound from
the onboard microphone is acceptable. We tested the camera
attached to a Nikon 18-105mm lens which is also a kit lens for
Nikon cameras. The focussing system had 11 AF points with 3D
tracking allowing to track moving objects while shooting. The
camera has a decent autofocus which is expected to be better
in case a pro quality Nikon lens is used. The D3400 allows users
to connect the camera to their smartphones and tablets using
the Snapbrigde application which uses Bluetooth technology to
minimise power consumption.
ISO test and performance
Both the cameras were tested for their respective ISO
performances. The settings were same for both the cameras
including focal length and exposure settings. Both the Canon
200D and the Nikon D3400 have an ISO range of 100 to upto
25600.
Canon EOS 200D
The Canon EOS 200D had smooth and crisp out of the
camera JPEGs owing to its 24 MP sensor. However things start
getting noisy after ISO 800 and upwards and loss of colour and
quality is noticeable. Image quality is not at all bad but only
when you respect its ISO limitations.
Nikon D3400
The Nikon D3400 has a 24 MP sensor without an optical
low pass fi lter and it produces images of very good quality. ISO
performance is acceptable till 800 and 1600 just might be the
saviour in some situations, however anything above ISO 1600
has noise in it. The sensor here plays the major role in producing
good images as it does not have an optical low pass fi lter which
eliminates heavy processing of images in the camera.in hand thanks to the grip that has a deep recess to allow one’s
hands to fi t in properly. The 200D is very light which is great
especially if you are a fi rst time DSLR user. The button layout
is different to the perdecessor model with changes in button
layout, form and ergonomics making it more sleek looking
and easy to handle. The on-off switch and the mode dial have
a newer design which makes it fl ush on the top plate and not
protruding. The addition of Wifi and bluetooth enables users to
connect their smarphones with the camera to make transfering
and sharing images easy. The 200D shoots continuous frames
at 5 fps speeds and 3.5 fps with continuous AF. If you are using
a high speed card you could easily get the action frozen without
much pushing. Focussing is also a noteworthy point as the
camera handles well. Full HD videos are the lowest resolution
consumers seek as it’s already raining 4K for many cameras. The
built in microphone records decent quality sound, nothing to be
picky about though.