Digital SLR

The D3000 slots into Nikon's DLSR line-up below the D5000, replacing the D60 and D40x at the entry level position. Although not the smallest in its class, the D3000 is nonetheless compact as befits its target market. Offering 10.2 megapixels of effective resolution, it provides lots of features that will appeal to first-time DSLR buyers. However, it doesn't support live view shooting or video recording.

While the D60 remains in Nikon Australia's catalogue - and many of its features carry over - the new D3000 provides some worthwhile improvements for DSLR novices. At the same time, it lacks some of the more attractive features of the D5000. The table below compares the three models.

The camera body can be purchased on its own (RRP $799) or as a single-lens or twin-lens kit). Two options are available for the single-lens kit, the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II (RRP $949) and the stabilised AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (RRP $999). The twin lens kit has an RRP of $1299 and contains the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED lenses.

The review camera was supplied with the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, which was released in November 2007.  Providing a 3x zoom range, it covers focal lengths equivalent to 27-82.5mm in 35mm format and comes with a built-in Silent Wave Motor and VR stabilisation. Photo Review reviewed this lens in April 2009 - click here to view.

Build and Ergonomics
As expected, the D3000 has a mainly plastic body with a stainless steel F-mount that accepts DX Nikkor lenses. Autofocusing is only supported with the AF-S and AF-I lenses, which have built-in AF motors.  (Manual focusing is the only options with other Nikkor lenses.)

Due to the small size of the camera body, the grip is relatively shallow, although not excessively so. It will suit users with small hands or short fingers without inconveniencing anyone with larger hands. There's a small IR receiver in the finger recess for triggering the shutter via a remote control (not supplied).

The front panel also carries an LED lamp that doubles as an AF-assist light, self-timer lamp and red-eye reduction lamp. On the opposite side of the lens mount is the lens release button and, above it, two buttons controlling the flash and Fn/self-timer settings, which face the left side of the body.

Front view of the Nikon D3000 with the 18-55mm kit lens. (Source: Nikon.)

The Fn button can be set to access the self-timer (the default position), release mode, image size/quality, ISO, white balance, Active D-Lighting and framing grid settings. The selected setting is displayed at the top of the monitor display whenever you press this button.

The left side panel of the D3000, showing the location of the flash release and Fn/self-timer buttons and the focus and stabilisation controls on the kit lens. (Source: Nikon.)

The SD memory card slot is the only item on the grip side panel. It has a snug-fitting cover that slides forward and hinges up to provide quick access to the card. Both the interface ports (USB and Video-out) are located beneath a rubber cover on the opposite side of the camera body.

 
The right side panel of the D3000, where the SD card slot is located. (Source: Nikon.)

The rear panel is dominated by the 3-inch LCD monitor, which is non-adjustable and has a resolution of 230,000 dots. This screen is used for menus, replaying images and displaying shooting information as neither live vies shooting nor video recording are supported.

Rear view of the Nikon D3000 showing the first page of the new Guide Menu (see below for details). (Source: Nikon.)

Ranged along the left side of the monitor are four buttons that access the Playback, Menu, Help/Zoom out and Zoom in/Information edit functions. A multi-selector (arrow pad) with a central OK button sits on the opposite side of the LCD with the Delete button below it. At the interface between the rear and top panels are the AE/AF lock button and the single command dial.

The viewfinder has a magnification of 0.8x, which is slightly higher than the D5000's 0.78x, although both cameras have the same field-of-view coverage (95%). A dioptric adjustment slider is located on its right hand side.


Items shown in the D3000's viewfinder. (Source: Nikon.)

The finder display is generous for an entry-level camera, with a framing grid option, AF points (11 in total), a reference circle for centre-weighted metering, battery and card indicators and a shooting settings strip along the lower edge. The AF points glow red to show where focus is positioned.


The D3000's mode dial. (Source: Nikon.)

The most prominent feature on the top panel is the mode dial, which has settings for  the following shooting modes: Auto, Guide, P, S, A,  M, Flash off, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up and Night portrait. The shutter button sits near the front edge of the grip with a rotating switch surrounding it, which turns power on and off.

Top view of the D3000 with the 18-55mm kit lens attached. (Source: Nikon.)

Between the mode dial and shutter button are two small buttons that control the shooting information display and exposure compensation adjustments. The latter button also accesses aperture and flash compensation settings in Manual mode. Left of the mode dial is the pop-up flash, which is raised automatically in the Auto, Guide and most Scene modes but must be popped up in the P, A, S and M shooting modes. Pressing the head gently down returns it to the closed position.

The flash has a guide number of 12 (metres/ISO 100) and supports synch speeds of up to 1/200 second with an external flash. A hot shoe is provided for attaching one and TTL auto flash metering is only possible with Nikon Speedlights. Fitting the SB-800 or SB-900 Speedlights or the SU-800 wireless commander lets users control a group of wireless flash units in a studio set-up. Flash output is adjustable from -3EV to +1EV in 1/3EV steps.

Unlike most entry-level DLSRs, the shutter unit in the D3000 is rated for 100,000 cycles. This is the same as the D5000's shutter and positions this model above the normal entry-level status as far as build quality is concerned.

The shutter unit of the D3000. (Source: Nikon.)

Sensor and Image Processing
The CCD sensor in the D3000 has the same specifications as the D60's sensor. Measuring 23.6 x 15.8 mm it contains 10.75 million photosites and offers an effective resolution of 10.2 megapixels. The DX-format applies a 1.5x crop factor to all lenses, converting the effective focal length range of the 18-55mm kit lens to the equivalent of 27-82.5mm in 35mm format.

The D3000's sensor unit. (Source: Nikon.)

Coupled to this chip is the Nikon EXPEED image processing system, which underpins functions like Scene Recognition and Active D-Lighting. Automatic Scene Recognition is used to improve the accuracy of exposure, white balance and autofocusing by analysing colour and illumination over the entire scene just before the shot is taken. Like the Scene Recognition System, Active D-Lighting utilises the 420-pixel RGB sensor to analyse a scene then adjust exposure to achieve images that encompass the dynamic range of the scene.

The D3000 supports JPEG (Exif 2.21 Baseline compliant) and NEF.RAW (12-bit) capture plus RAW+JPEG (but only with Basic JPEG files). Typical file sizes are shown in the table below.

Continuous shooting is supported at burst speeds of up to three frames/second but not with flash. The buffer memory can store up to 100 JPEGs (any size/quality) or six NEF.RAW files.

Controls
Nikon has made an enormous effort to equip the D3000 with functions that provide genuine, easily-understood assistance for novice users. There's even a dedicated Guide setting on the mode dial that provides quick access to Shoot, View/Delete and Setup sub-menus. These pages have large, easily-read lettering and simple explanations of the selected function. In this mode it is very easy to choose the correct shooting modes and camera settings for different subject types.

The first page of the Guide menu.

Selecting the Shoot icon takes you to a page where you can choose between Easy and Advanced operation and select from a list of Timers and remote control options. The latter includes single-and continuous shooting modes, self-timer settings and remote controls.

 
The first page of the Shoot sub-menu.

Selecting Easy operation displays a menu with nine setting, most of which correspond with the scene pre-sets listed on the mode dial. Users can choose from Auto, No Flash, Distant subjects, Close-ups, Sleeping faces, Moving subjects, Landscapes, Portraits and Night Portrait modes.


The Easy operation sub-menu.

In the Advanced sub-menu users can choose an effect they wish to achieve. Three are listed: Soften backgrounds, Freeze motion (people) and Freeze motion (vehicles). Selecting an option takes the user to an explanation showing which shooting mode to set and suggesting camera and lens settings.

The Advanced sub-menu.

If you select Soften backgrounds, an explanation of the aperture-priority auto mode is displayed. You are then taken to another page that provides instructions for setting the aperture plus a graphic displaying the effect of the settings. These two pages are shown below.

These basic interfaces enable users to explore more advanced photographic techniques without having to master technical terminology. Nikon is to be commended for developing such a user-friendly scheme and making DSLR cameras as easy to use and most digicams.

For photographers who opt not to use the Guide settings, the D3000 provides the graphic interface Nikon introduced with the D40, back in November 2006. Users can choose between a ‘Classic' and a ‘Graphic' info screen (examples are shown below).

The Classic user interface is shown on the left with the Graphic interface on the right.

And the display rotates automatically to present the information right-way-up when the camera is used vertically.

Automatic rotation reorientates the LCD information displays when the camera is used vertically.

It's easy to change camera settings via these interfaces. Simply press the ‘zoom in' button left of the LCD and use the arrow pad to select the function you wish to adjust. A second press on the OK button enables further adjustments to be made.

Nikon provides additional assistance to novice users in the form of illustrations that provide examples of situations when the selected setting is appropriate. This additional guidance will help even the least experienced novice take better pictures. Some examples of the illustrations in the user interface are shown below.

For more experienced photographers, the D3000  provides an above-average range of adjustable controls and most of the necessary functions for capturing sharp, correctly-exposed photographs. A 420-pixel RGB sensor underpins the metering system, which supports the standard Matrix, centre-weighted average and spot metering modes. Exposure compensation ranges from -5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3 EV, although AE bracketing isn't supported.

Focusing is handled by the Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 sensor with single-servo and continuous-servo AF plus auto AF-S/AF-C selection. Predictive 3D focus tracking, using data from all 11 AF points, is activated automatically when moving subjects are detected. Manual AF point selection is also supported in most AF modes (except Auto-area), as is fully manual focusing.

For lenses with maximum aperture faster than f/5.6, the viewfinder can be used as an electronic rangefinder. Users simply position the subject on a selected focus point and rotate lens focusing ring until the in-focus indicator is displayed to confirm focus.

White balance can be fine-tuned on the LCD monitor - but only when the mode is set through the menu system (not via the LCD interface). Six steps of adjustment is available in each of four hues: Blue/Amber and Magenta/Green.

ISO settings range from 100 to 1600 with an additional Hi 1 setting providing the equivalent of ISO 3200. Settings are stepped in 1EV increments. The Active D-Lighting dynamic range expansion function, which was introduced to the Nikon range last year, is also available. However, only two settings are provided: on and off.

Date and time imprinting can be enabled via the Setup menu. Users can choose between the style illustrated below and a time stamp showing the number of days between the date of shooting and a selected date. Imprints only appear of JPEG images and they are permanently locked into the image so they aren't easily removed or altered.

Date imprinting. Note: imprinted date/time information can't be deleted from the image. (55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/40 second at f/5.6.)

The Setup menu also allows users to add Image Comments to pictures as they are taken. Selecting the Image Comment setting opens a sub-menu with three entries: Done (for saving changes and returning to the main menu), Input comment and Attach comment.  Input comment opens an alphanumeric screen, from which characters are selected with the arrow pad and command dial and input by pressing the playback zoom button. Once the comment is composed, selecting Attach comment embeds it in the image metadata, from which it can be viewed with Nikon ViewNX (supplied).

The D3000 also includes Nikon's preset Picture Controls: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape. They're all adjustable for each of the following parameters: Sharpening (nine steps), Contrast (+/- three steps - but not when Active D-Lighting is on), Saturation (+/- three steps) and Hue (+/- three steps). Yellow, orange, red and green filter effects can be applied to monochrome shots, which can also be toned, with colours selectable from B&W, sepia, cyanotype, red, yellow, green, blue green, blue, purple blue and red purple.

Like other current Nikon DSLRs, the D3000 is equipped with Nikon's Integrated Dust Reduction System, which combines vibration of the low-pass filter (located in front of the sensor) with an Airflow Control System that directs dust away from the sensor. Sensor cleaning is initiated by default when the camera is switched on and off. It can also be activated at will.

For dust that isn't removed with these measures, users can acquire reference data showing the position of the dust. This data is used with the Image Dust Off processing in the optional Capture NX raw file conversion software to eliminate blemishes from multiple image files.

Playback and Software
All the standard playback functions are supported, including single-frame (with and without data), index (four or nine thumbnails) and calendar displays. An RGB histogram can be displayed with an image thumbnail and you can zoom in (up to 25x) and out of displayed shots with button controls left of the monitor scroll through shots with the horizontal settings on the arrow pad.

Images can be deleted individually or according to date or folder. They can also be marked for protection and DPOF tagged for automated printing. The slideshow setting in the playback menu displays images in sequence and users can set frame intervals between two and 10 seconds.

The D3000 also provides much the same Retouch menu as the D60, with 14 in-camera adjustment settings, including D-Lighting and red-eye correction, trimming and resizing, monochrome conversion, filter effects and colour balance adjustments. In-camera raw file processing is supported, along with Image Overlay and Stop-motion Movie.

Other retouch functions include saturation and contrast adjustments and a colour outline setting that enables photos to be used as a basis for drawing or painting. The D3000 also allows side-by-side comparison of original and retouched photos. We've covered most of these in our review of the D5000.

A new addition to the Retouch menu is the Miniature effect setting, which creates a copy of the image that resembles a diorama. Photographers can choose the area they wish to appear sharp - both vertically and horizontally - to concentrate viewers' attention. This setting works best with shots taken from a high vantage point.

The software bundle consists of Nikon Transfer and Nikon View NX. The former is used to transfer images to a computer and upload them to Nikon's myPicturetown service. The latter is a very basic raw file converter. We've covered both of these applications in our review of the D60.

Performance
Photographs taken with the review camera showed most of the characteristics of Nikon's DSLRs.  Subject colours in most shots looked natural under varying light levels and saturation was only marginally elevated with the default standard Picture Control setting.

Exposures were positioned to capture shadow detail, resulting in highlight clipping. This was reduced by setting the exposure compensation to -0.3EV when shooting in bright outdoor lighting - but not entirely eliminated. The Active D-Lighting function was able to recover highlight details to some degree for JPEG shots, as shown in the illustration below.

The crop on the left is from an image captured without Active D-Lighting, while the one on the right shows the additional highlight details captured when Active D-Lighting is switched on. (The circled areas are the main areas for comparison.)

Imatest showed resolution to be up to expectations for a 10-megapixel camera - but only for NEF.RAW images (which were converted to TIFF format in Adobe Camera Raw). JPEG image files recorded resolution levels slightly below expectations in our Imatest tests. Best results were obtained with the shorter focal lengths of the kit lens. The graph below plots the results of our Imatest tests.

Colour reproduction was consistently good and the D3000 performed better in our Imatest colour tests than the D5000 we reviewed in April. Lateral chromatic aberration ranged between negligible and moderate in our Imatest tests and we found evidence of coloured fringing in test shots taken with the 18mm and 24mm focal lengths. The graph below shows the results of our tests.

Resolution remained high at ISO 100 and 200 and declined slightly with increasing sensitivity. However, the gap between NEF.RAW and JPEG performance remained consistent. The graph below shows the results of our tests.

Long exposures showed little evidence of noise right up to ISO 800 and shots taken at ISO 1600 were only slight noise-affected. However, shots taken with the Hi 1 ISO setting, which equates to ISO 3200, were grainy looking and slightly blotchy, although printable at snapshot size.

The review camera's auto white balance performance was similar to the D5000's. Shots taken under fluorescent lighting had a faint green colour cast, while subjects photographed under incandescent lighting showed a noticeable orange bias.  Both in-camera pre-sets over-corrected slightly but manual measurement produced natural colour rendition under both types of lighting. In-camera controls made it possible to correct these colour casts before taking shots. 

The built-in flash on the review camera was able to illuminate an average-sized room at all ISO settings. Flash exposures were also consistent throughout the camera's ISO range. Colour noise became apparent at ISO 3200 but overall noise was low right up to ISO 1600.

Autofocusing was fast and accurate but image processing times were relatively slow. We measured a fast average capture lag of 0.15 seconds, which was eliminated by pre-focusing. Shot-to-shot times averaged 0.8 seconds.

Unfortunately, it took 3.6 seconds, on average, to process each Large/Fine JPEG image, 4.9 seconds for each NEF.RAW file and 5.3 seconds for each RAW+JPEG file. This will be much too slow for serious enthusiasts, who might otherwise have considered the D3000 for its affordable price tag.

In the continuous shooting mode, the review camera managed a consistent capture rate of four frames/second, which is faster than the camera's specifications indicate. This rate remained constant for JPEG, NEF.RAW and RAW+JPEG capture. However, we were unable to record more than four shots per burst with any of these settings. It took 12 seconds to process a burst of four Large/Fine JPEGs, 15 seconds for a burst of four NEF.RAW files and 16.2 seconds for four RAW+JPEG files.

Buy this camera if:
- You want an easy-to use DSLR camera that will help you to use and understand common shooting controls.
- You want fast and accurate autofocusing.
- You'd like the option of shooting raw files - and RAW+JPEG (although the latter at high compression).
- You want a wide range of post-capture, in-camera image adjustments.
- You require superior high-ISO performance.
- You want a wide range of accessories to choose from.

Don't buy this camera if:
- You'd like to use the LCD monitor for shot composition.
- You want a camera than can record video clips.
- You have legacy lenses from Nikon film cameras that you'd like to use on a new DSLR body. (Autofocusing won't be possible with some older lenses.)
- You require fast continuous shooting speeds plus a large buffer memory.

IMATEST GRAPHS

JPEG image files

Raw image files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with View NX.

SAMPLE IMAGES

Auto white balance with incandescent lighting.

Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

18mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.

55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.

55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/10

Close-up; 55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/125 second at f/5.6.

Close-up with Vivid Picture Control setting; 55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/5.6.

20mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/8.

100% crop from the above image showing coloured fringing and edge softening.

30-second exposure at ISO 100; 24mm focal length, f/9.

30-second exposure at ISO 400; 24mm focal length, f/9.

30-second exposure at ISO 3200; 24mm focal length, f/25.

Flash exposure; 48mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/60 second at f/5.6.

Flash exposure; 48mm focal length, ISO 3200, 1/60 second at f/7.1.

 
Backlighting; 55mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/11.

Image sensor: 23.6 x 15.8 mm CCD sensor with 10.75 million photosites (10.2 megapixels effective)
A/D processing: 12-bit
Lens mount: Nikon F mount (with AF contacts)
Focal length crop factor: Approx. 1.5 x lens focal length (Nikon DX format)
Image formats: JPEG (Exif 2.21 Baseline compliant), NEF (RAW), RAW+JPEG
Image Sizes: 3,872 x 2,592 [L], 2,896 x 1,944 [M], 1,936 x 1,296 [S]
Image Stabilisation: Lens-based only
Dust removal: Image Sensor Cleaning, Airflow Control System, Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)
Shutter speed range: 30 to 1/4000 second plus Bulb, Time (requires optional Wireless Remote Control ML-L3); x-synch at 1/200 sec.
Exposure Compensation: -5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3 EV
Exposure bracketing: No
Self-timer: Can be selected from 2, 5, 10, and 20 seconds duration
Focus system: Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, 11 selectable focus points (including one cross-type sensor)
Focus modes: Single-servo AF (AF-S); continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status; Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used
Exposure metering: 3D colour matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); colour matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); centre-weighted (75% in 8 mm circle), spot (3.5 mm circle) metering
Shooting modes: Auto, Guide, Flash off, Scene Modes (Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, Night portrait), programmed auto with flexible program (P), S, A,  M
Picture Style/Control settings: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; selected Picture Control can be modified
Colour space options: sRGB, Adobe RGB
Custom functions: None
ISO range: Auto, ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, Hi-1 (ISO 3200 equivalent),
White balance: Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine turning
Flash: GN 12 (m/ISO 100) i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL flash; Modes: Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, auto slow sync, auto slow sync with red-eye correction, and rear curtain with slow sync
Flash exposure adjustment: -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3 EV
Sequence shooting: Up to 3 fps (manual focus, mode M or S, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values) for 100 JPEGs or 6 NEF.RAW files
Storage Media: SD/SDHC memory cards
Viewfinder:  Eye-level pentamirror with 95% frame coverage, 0.8x magnification (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, -1.0 m-1); 18mm eyepoint; dioptric adjustment -1.7 to +0.5 dpt; Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark V screen with focus frame (framing grid can be displayed)
LCD monitor: 3-inch TFT LCD with brightness adjustment; 230,000 dots
Live View modes: n.a.
Video Capture: n.a.
Data LCD: n.a.
Playback functions: Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9 or 72 images or calendar) playback with playback zoom, playback of stop-motion movies created with D3000, slide show, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, and image comment (up to 36 characters)
Interface terminals: Hi-Speed USB, A/V out - NTSC/PAL
Power supply: EN-EL9a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (approx. 510 shots/charge)
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 126 x 97 x 64 mm (body only)
Weight: Approx. 485 grams (body only)