Nikon D3000 Digital SLR Review
By Jeremy Browne, October 2009
A Helping Hand
I’m all for stripping photography back to its basics. Achieving a technically well balanced image that allows you to “tinker” with it afterwards has always been my goal, going right back to a well exposed and processed film that let me create a good, final image in the darkroom. Well, the philosophy is still the same even though the workflow is a bit different these days. With my own photography students, I often compare the analogue and digital systems and get them to try to achieve a good image capture that allows for some post-production of the image. It is not always the case that a photographer will want to vary the image too much and an image is often better for not having excess work done on it.
I know from experience that coming to a new camera, especially some of the newer DSLR’s on the market can be more than a daunting prospect; buttons, dials and gizmo’s on every conceivable surface of the camera body! Some manufacturers address this issue better than others and here with the Nikon D3000 digital SLR the photographer has the ability to be ‘guided’ through the taking of an image that can give very satisfying end results – even allowing for a bit of in-camera post-production along the way.
The Nikon D3000 was introduced to replace the D60 and comes in below the more costly D5000 with ‘extra’ features. The D3000 is aimed at newcomers to the DSLR world and sets out to make the experience as painless as possible. The most obvious and helpful means of the D3000 doing this is by means of a program known as Guide. With this program, the photographer can follow a series of step-by-step instructions that will led them through the necessary procedures to capture an image with a satisfactory end result.
The photographer can read the information via the rear 3″ LCD screen and follow the suggested steps. Not to dumb things down too much, you can chose to use the Guide mode in one of two ways, Easy or Advanced. The latter will allow for that little bit more creativity and you can learn how to take images where, for instance, the motion in the image can be frozen or perhaps the background may be blurred or ’softened’.
Any such control over an image allows the photographer to add their own creative touch or interpretation to their subject matter. I put myself in the position of coming to this camera as a novice and found the Guide mode user friendly and fairly easy to follow; it’s a bit like carrying around a mini ‘How-To’ book of photography. Photography can be unnecessarily intimidating!
Other modes accessible via the on-top camera dial also allow and help the photographer to gain excellent creative photographs. These modes include Portrait, Child, Sports and Night Portrait. With the camera in Child mode, the Nikon D3000 digital SLR will render the clothing in vivid colours but keep the skin tones of the subject natural and soft. In Sports mode, the Nikon D3000 will select fast shutter speeds to help freeze the motion and make your images dynamic and crisp. And in Night Portrait mode the camera will allow you to bring a balance between the main subject and the background where images may be taken in low light conditions. Shooting in any of these modes will allow you to come away with a well-captured and pleasing image.
Given that the photographer using this Nikon D3000 is on a learning curve, it is now safe to talk a little more about some of the other features of this impressively feature-packed camera. First up is the 10.2 million pixel capture using a CCD sensor that gives excellent, crisp results. The file format allows you to capture in RAW, JPEG or RAW and JPEG together. For those of you not too sure what all this means, basically shooting in RAW file format means there will be no compression or ’squashing’ of the image capture information. JPEG will carry out a limited amount of compression allowing more images to be stored on you memory card, and shooting in both file formats will give you the best of both file-format worlds. The images I shot here were taken in JPEG format, as I always think it is a good test of a camera’s abilities to see what images are like when captured in this file type. As you can see the images are clean, crisp and sharp.
The Nikon D3000 digital SLR has a sophisticated 11 point auto focus system; its predecessor, the Nikon D60 making do with what now seems a measly 3 point system. This breadth of focus area ability is more like that which you find in top-level Digital SLR’s. The Nikon D3000 will allow you to chose more specifically how to use this system, as a single point of focus, dynamic area, auto-area and a 3D tracking area. With something like the single point focus, you can really control accurately what it is you want to draw attention to in your image. Of course, this will be a purely creative decision by the photographer and will additionally depend on other camera setting variables – most importantly, your chosen depth of field or aperture setting; how much of your image you want to be in focus and how much light you have to work with. For the fairly standard landscapes I chose to shoot here, I used the auto focus on the Nikon D3000 in 3D tracking mode. You can ‘lock’ your chosen focus point by depressing the shutter release button halfway. This is useful to ensure that your focus point doesn’t jump out when you are perhaps still composing your image. However, with the Nikon D3000 you already have 11 points of focus in auto, so you shouldn’t need to use the focus lock too much anyway.
The Nikon D3000 digital SLR has a 420-pixel RGB sensor TTL (Through-The-Lens) metering system that can be used in a number of ways: Matrix, Spot, and Centre-Weighted. Spot metering can be used in certain ‘critical’ lighting conditions where your main image subject or focus is of paramount importance and the surrounding area or content of your chosen image is less important. Of course, as you grow in knowledge and confidence as a photographer you will be able to employ techniques such as fill-in flash to allow for such photographic situations as strong back lighting. The centre weighted metering system is similar in concept in that it allows for accurate exposure in your image of the subject matter located, obviously, towards the middle of your composed image. The camera exposure control can of course be used in auto mode or in conjunction with its other shooting modes which will dictate what method of exposure control is used, such as landscape, sports, close-up or night photography. If and when you feel you need or want to control your exposure to a critical degree, you can do so using the exposure compensation control where you may alter the exposure in increments of + or – 5. Fiddly, but useful in certain circumstances!
I used the Matrix exposure method, which is best suited to landscape image capture as it gives a general, well-balanced, good average exposure for the image. This is useful when you have a fairly wide exposure range, often found when you are taking a landscape photograph. Also, if the available light itself is changing quickly, say with clouds scudding across a sky on a windy day, then using the Nikon D3000 in this exposure mode will allow you to capture an image that is acceptable in terms of exposure latitude.
The Nikon D3000 also has an active D-lighting capability which can be switched On or Off. When On, it allows you to preserve more highlight and shadow detail which can also be useful in conditions where the light may have large variables, particularly in a situation like a sunny day where you may have ‘heavy’ shade conditions on certain subjects – say when shooting a building or a portrait.
The Nikon D3000 has a shutter release that can operate from 1/4000 sec to 30 seconds. So, if you plan to shoot sports for example, the D3000 will give you more than enough capability to capture sharp photographs of frozen action. Other shutter release options may also be used, including ‘bulb’ or open release where you can keep the shutter released for whatever length of time you wish; particularly helpful if you are shooting night-time images where exposure times may be very long. You can also avail of the self timer option which will allow you to release the shutter at 2, 5, 10 and 20 second durations, always useful for those family portraits situations where the photographer may actually want to be included as a family member!
The Nikon D3000 digital SLR also allows you to carry out a certain amount of on-board picture editing which is a nice little feature. Me, I still refer to my Mac for my image editing and optimum control, but with the Nikon D3000 you can still tweak your image quite happily; convert it to black and white or a toned version of this, sepia etc…; alter what in essence is the overall colour balance of your image, or give it the soft focused look. All of these ‘tweakings’ can be controlled to a greater or lesser extent. I have to say, the more extreme version of the soft focused facility in the D3000’s editing system reminded me of some overly evocative 1970’s Sam Haskins images that I used to try to ape as a student; I thought I’d got this out of my system a long time ago, but I just had to try using it on some of the images I took using the D3000 just for old times sake! A bit corny, but I suppose these have their place and each to their own anyway, creatively speaking.
Using the 18-55mm Vibration Reduction lens, supplied as a kit with the D3000, was perfectly suitable for the purpose of trying this camera out; a decent focal length to cover a good average range of subjects. I’ve always used Nikon lenses and have never been disappointed in the results they give and this lens is no exception. Sharp, responsive and of perfect optical quality. The detail in the photograph here of the weathered wood with a few pebbles is excellent, as too is the aged nut and bolt. They illustrate well the lenses capability to render pin-sharp detail.
Overall I found the Nikon D3000 to be a great camera for its cost. The build quality and functionality seem way above where it is meant to be punching its weight, and creating your images with the Nikon D3000 is not Photography for Dummies at all. Sure, if you want a camera that will take away some of the hassle of getting it all right in order to capture a great image, then the D3000 will allow you to do this; it will give you that helping hand. But, equally so, there is more than enough in this camera to keep even the experienced photographer happy and fiddling about with controls in order to create their perfect image.
D3000 Ratings
Build Quality: 8/10
Image Quality: 8/10
Value for Money: 10/10
Overall 
Note: All the images were taken in and around historic Watchet Harbour in Somerset.
(8 votes, average: 4.38 out of 5)
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I am thinking of going from compact to DSLR and have a set buget of £ 450 for a camera with lens a reasonable card say 4gb and a case if this possable I am looking at the Nikon D3000 or the Canon EOS 1000D I would appreciate your comments about them I like the idea of having in camera help I have a OLYMPUS C740 Digital 10x optical zoom 3.2 megapixel and its about 5 yrs and cant get a new card for it plus it needs cleaning and I have been told it will cost about £ 100 to £ 300 and take about 6 to 8 weeks to sort out and been advised to bye a new camera. I use the camera for taking pics of lorrys as I am a ex driver due to medical probs so thanks for your time and help Brian Hockey
Brian HockeyHi Brian,
The image quality of the Nikon D3000 & Canon 1000D is very similar, but the D3000 has the helpful guide mode, 4 more autofocus points, and a larger screen so it’s probably a better choice for you.
Let us know which camera you pick!
OliverHi Oliver,
Those shots are amazing.
LilyI’m an architecture student and desperately looking for a good non expensive (max £400) camera, I don’t have a big experience, I read your comment about Canon ESO 10000 and Nikon D3000 which is helpful, and wondering whether you can advice me on which could be an other option with good sellers websites, many thanks
Hi Lily,
Yes – Jeremy Browne’s photos for the review are very good. The D3000 & 1000D are available on our website:
The D3000 18-55mm VR kit is within your budget, with £30 cashback, so the final price is £369.
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-nikon-d3000-digital-slr-with-18-55mm-vr-lens/p1032941
Or the Canon EOS 1000D Kit with an 18-55mm lens (but no image stabilisation) is £368
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-eos-1000d-with-18-55mm-dc-non-is-kit/p1030429
Thanks,
Oliverdo you think its worth paying the extra to get the 18-105mm VR
SteveIm seriously going into the world of Glamour photography. Please could you advise me as to which camera you advise me to purchase…I apologise my english is not good as I live in Essen,De/
DamianMany thanks
I am moving up from a panasonic lumix dmc-fz8. I am looking at this and the canon eos 1000d what should I buy?
GeorgeHi George,
The 1000D & D3000 are very similar – but I’d lean towards the D3000 because it has more autofocus points and the kit lens has Vibration Reduction (VR) wheras the Canon kit lens doesn’t have their version, Image Stabilisation (IS). If you’re planning to buy extra lenses remember the 1000D will work with all of Canon’s EF & EF-S lenses, wheras the D3000 will only autofocus with Nikon AF-S lenses (or HSM from Sigma etc). You can use normal AF-D Nikon lenses on the D3000, but it’ll be manual focus only.
OliSo the auto focus will not work for telephoto lens on D3000
JoeHi Joe,
The D3000 will work with telephoto lenses but they need to be ‘AF-S’ if you want use autofocus.
For example these two AF-S telephoto zoom lenses will work the D3000:
OliNikon 55-200mm AF-S VR Lens
Nikon 70-300mm AF-S VR Lens
Hey Oliver!
My name is Olly and Im 14 years old and Im looking to get into the SLR side of photography. I already have a Sony Cyber shot 7.2 megapixel digital point and shoot camera but that is getting rather tedious and hard to use for action shots. Im also really into Skateboarding so Im looking at the SLR’s for the quick shutters and focus etc. I’ve been looking at the Nikon D3000 in a lot of detail and I just wanted to know if it is any good for fast action/sports shots… Like Skateboarding photography.
Also I would be using it for nature stills and school projects.
Thanks
OllyHi Olly,
The D3000 is a good choice for action amongst entry-level DSLRs – it has 11 autofocus points and can capture 100 JPEGs or 6 RAW images at 3 frames per second.
Let us know which camera you pick
OliHi, I bought my wife a Nikon Coolpix P90 as an entry level camera and nothing much to confuse her with.
John SummerfieldThe camera is back with Nikon at present for a couple of issues and she is getting all sulky over not having a camera. I was wondering how the D3000 compares weightwise with her P90, which is compact and lightweight but has a fixed lens.. She has got the bug now over photography and the D3000 seems to me to be a natural successor subject to it not being a heavyweight.
Your observations or alternative suggestions would be much appreciated.
Regards, John.
I’ve had this for a couple of months now and am a bit peed off that I didnt buy the VR lenses. Anything taken above the basic 18-55mm lense really suffers without stabilising.
TerryIn a nut shell great camera. but not without the VR lenses. See my shots on Flickr everything is taken with a tripod otherwise its in the bin.
I purchased this from WE just before christmas 2009 as my first entry into Digital SLR and I’m very happy with it. I’d suggest getting either an 18-105mm lens with it, or purchasing an additional 55-200 lens for the extra zoom capability. Make sure you get the VR lenses though!
I also looked at the Canon 1000d but read a magazine review comparing both and it put the Nikon slightly ahead especially in terms of image quality..and based my choice on that.
Mike WatersI have a D3000 and have just bought a Nikkor AF-D 50mm 1.8 prime lens for it. Whilst I knew that the autofocus wouldn’t work with the D lens, I cannot get the lens to work at all without ‘locking’ to maximum F number – F22. I’ve tried it in P mode and A mode, but still get the same error message on the camera!
AndrewI’m sure its just me not doing something obvious, but any help would be appreciated.
I got a d3000 a few days ago and agree thoroughly with this review – get one and you wont regret it. The kit lens (with VR) is excellent but make sure you get a uv filter with it to protect the business end.
LeoAndrew,
To use any of the D series lenses on the newer SLRs the aperture ring does have to be locked at the minimum. Don’t worry though – this doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck using the minimum aperture all the time! It just allows the camera to control the aperture electronically, rather than by using the aperture ring.
BenI’d just like to address some of the comments made on here if I may.
George – Oli is correct – the Nikon has the slight edge when it comes to capability, but will be restricted to manual focus with older Nikon lenses. This will not be a problem though unless you already own some of those older lenses. If you don’t know what they are, then it ISN’T a problem for you.
John (Summerfield) – This is just about the smallest and lightest SLR body on the market, so let your wife handle it. I think she’ll love it.
Terry – You seem to suggest anything above 55mm focal length needs VR. I think you’re giving people false impressions there. I love my 70-300VR lens, but I’d just like to say that most people can successfully take sharp photos with anything up to 250/300mm lenses hand-held (no tripod). This would also be true of ANY brand, not just Nikon.
Damien – If you’re genuinely serious about a glamour photography career then forget this type of camera. You’ll need the extra flash capabilities of more up-market camera’s regardless of manufacturer.
D. IsgruntledI first came to photography many years ago (I’m now 68), with a Voigtlander Camera, quickly followed by a Mamiya-6X40 Medium Format camera, a Hesselblad Medium-format camera and a Pentax ME-super 35mm camera (which I still have and use today). I used to do my own processing in a darkroom, complete with a Gnome Enlarger, and tried various processes including Ferrotype, Cyanotype and Bromide Printing. So it was a pleasant experience when I saw and bought the Nikon D3000 and found it an absolute dream to use. The original reviewer (here), echoes all that I could say about the camera and it gives back the time I can better utilise in taking Photos in the fields I like to follow such as Macro, Landscape, Portraiture and Wedding Photography, not to mention Wild-life and Sports or Action Photography – of which this camera was more than capable of. I have no hesitation in giving this camera a 10/10 for superb reproduction and an easy camera to use.. Hugo Shepherd
Hugo ShepherdMay I also add to the above review, that the Nikon SB-900 Flashgun which I bought seperately adds the oomph! to anything I might do in a studio setting or when outside at night. This is a serious professional Flash-gun dedicated to the D3000 and D5000 as well as the D3X (if you can afford this type of camera). To my mind, this flash-gun was the right flash-gun for me, but you might find the SB-600 more within your range depending on how you view flash photography – it certainly does away with expensive Strobe lighting and being automatic, you don’t need to have a degree in calculus to work out the correct flashj to use on this flash-gun. Brilliant!
Hugo ShepherdGot this camera using some money I won in a photography competition as my first DSLR and I am not disappointed. Very sharp pictures, good build quality and sensible controls. Good for the beginner but now that I’ve moved away from using it as a point and shoot I find it very rewarding. Would recommend it to anyone wanting a nice cheap DSLR that packs a punch.
CraigI’ve recently bought the D3000. It’s my first DSLR but I am disappointed to find that the photos I take in Auto mode are very dark compared to my old Canon Ixus. I photographed a waterfall on a sunny day with both cameras and the difference is very noticeable. The D3000 pictures are both dark and ‘dull’ . Is there something I am not doing, or doing wrong? Any advice welcomed!
Jane