Product Comparison: Nikon D3400 vs Nikon D5500

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Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

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Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

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General Specifications

Brand

Nikon

Model

D3400

D5500

Origin

Thailand

About the Product

Before the D3400, you chose your smartphone camera for convenience. Zooming was clumsy. Shooting in low light was nearly impossible. Capturing fast action was a game of luck. But after the D3400, you'll see that you were compromising image quality. That some of the greatest photos happen when the light is low. That fast action can be frozen in perfect clarity. And that a camera and a smartphone can work together in harmony to make the photos you share absolutely amazing.

Sometimes, inspiration comes from the tools we use to create. Take the D5500 for example, a compact DSLR capable of inspiring a new level of creativity. From the moment you flip the touchscreen Vari-angle display and capture an ultra-sharp 24.2-megapixel photo, you'll begin to see your photography in a new light. At the flick of a switch, the D5500 transforms into a versatile Full HD video camera. Record 1080 video at a high speed frame rate of 60p—perfect for capturing fast-moving subjects or creating ultra-smooth slow motion effects.

Key Specs

Sensor Resolution

24.2 MP

Viewfinder

Optical (pentamirror)

Sensor Type

CMOS

Lens

AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

AF-P DX 18-55 G VR

Sensor Resolution

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

ISO management is great, you can still get semi usable photos all the way out to 25600. 24.3 mp Sensor is crazy sharp.
Any lenses you buy for this will work with any other crop sensor nikon when I upgrade.
The sensor is much improved. Shots taken at ISO 12,000 are very usable. Makes shots in darker scenes possible which is a big improvement over the D-3200.
The 18-55mm lens is what you would expect from a kit lens and has VR (vibration reduction, the Nikon version of image stabilization).
This is the only Nikon SLR without a sensor cleaner inside. This missing feature vibrates the sensor cover to shake off dust so spots do not show up in the photos.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Night time photography is great despite the smaller sensor and aperture w/ the 18-55mm lens.
Light camera and good sensor. Fully articulated screen. Good ergonomics despite the small form factor.
The increased sensor resolution (16 MP to 24 MP) and number of focus points are the biggest benefits for me.
The 24MP filterless sensor and the Nikons latest imaging engine are amazing. You cannot expect better quality across a wide ISO range, from any DX camera. But...This camera needs a very good lens. The Sigma 17 50 2.8 OS is great bargain.

Size & Weight

Height

3.9 in.

Width

4.9 in.

Depth

3 in.

2.8 in.

Weight

14 oz.

14.9 oz.

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

What customers say about "Size & Weight"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

Great camera. Pictures look wonderful, easy to use and light weight.
I really like this camera. Great functionality for an enter level DSLR and light weight.
Pretty all black matte finish, light weight, and quiet camera!
Lighter weight than my last Nikon, but still provides excellent pix.
I like the size and weight, not as heavy as my Nikon D200.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Lightweight... Especially compared to the D4S
The size and weight is now comparable to the D3300.
Due to its size and weight, it's particularly great for anyone who does a lot of outdoor work and/or has to lug their gear around a lot.
Smaller body means controls are somewhat cramped.
The grip is not very comfortable

Imaging

ISO Settings

100-25600

Burst Mode

Yes

Low Light/High Sensitivity

Yes

Face Detection

Yes

Image File Format(s)

JPEG, RAW

Face Detection

What customers say about "Imaging"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

It is WAY better than my phone or point and shoot camera. The d3400 allowed me to be able to be in full control of my exposure settings. I love that.
The image quality with the 18-55mm VR lens is spectacular, and you can go from no experience with photography to taking some pretty epic shots in no time.
This camera is able to take high quality photos with minimal effort. I still only know the basics of this camera and we love what we are able to do so far.
The photos are very sharp and then quality is awesome.
It doesn't have the easy panorama mode that the D3300 has. As a beginner, I do not own lightroom or photoshop and it would be nice to be able to make a panorama without post processing software.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Solid detail at high ISOs. 5fps continuous shooting. 39-point AF system. Quick startup. 1080p60 video.
Great ISO performance... Low noise at ISO3200
A truly fantastic camera! Amazing picture quality with Nikkor lenses. Great for astrophotography as well as vacation/landscape photos.
Truly brilliant little camera, image quality as good as my Sony a6000 (now sold), and with an articulated touch screen.
The picture quality was outstanding, even for pictures taken without flash. The museum pictures might be copyright protected, but here's a sample hand-held picture taken after dark with only street lighting.
When shooting video the IS of the lens makes a lot of noise and if you try focusing forget it, you will have very noisy videos.

Display

Display Type

LCD

Touch Screen

Screen Size

3 in.

3.2 in.

Screen Resolution

921000 dots

1037000 dots

Viewfinder Coverage

95%

Vari-angle Display

Yes

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

What customers say about "Display"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

I’ve actually been very impressed with the screen on the back of the Nikon D3400. For a beginner level DSLR It’s got very good brightness and detail.
The lack of a touch screen doesn't bug me as much as I thought it might and the features included are all very solid.
No, this camera doesn't have creature comforts like touch screen and a tilting LCD, but its lightweight and Very good for all kinds of shooting.
The screen does not move.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Touch Screen with Adjustable touchscreen (Amazing for vlogging)
The LCD screen is noticeably larger, easier to see, and display of higher quality visually. The touch screen works well and makes quick operation easier.
The touch screen is responsive and the tilt comes in handy when either shooting low down and especially when on a monopod shooting high up.
The touch screen allows for quick adjustments to settings as well as scrolling and zooming in review mode.
The only added feature I have spotted is the new touch screen. I am not personally a touch screen fan so this is not that big a deal for me. Obviously for those that do prefer a touch screen interface, this would be an important feature.

Features

Water Resistant

Shock Resistant

Panorama Mode

Shooting Modes

Auto, Child, Close-up, Landscape, Night Portrait, Portrait, Sports, Special effects

Autumn Colors, Beach / Snow, Blossom, Candlelight, Child, Close-up, Dusk / Dawn, Food, Landscape, Night Portrait, Pet Portrait, Sports, Special effects, Sunset

White Balance Modes

Auto, Cloudy, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Fluorescent (7 types), Incandescent, Preset Manual, Shade

Shutter Speeds

30 - 1/4000

Water Resistant
Panorama Mode

What customers say about "Features"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

I love the "bridge" feature which was easy to set up after checking the instructions.
It comes with enough "auto" features to help you gradually get familiar with photography and how the basic camera functions.
I liked the wireless transfer feature, which is actually very nice .
I'll ever need. RAW output means I can use the best capabilities of my editing program.
I love this camera, so many features and Bluetooth straight to my phone say what!!!! I love it 100%.
They removed the external mic jack for snapbridge a completely useless feature. When GoPro did something similar they made an adapter so you could still use an external microphone. Nikon has yet to make such an adapter.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Great camera! Beautiful quality and lots of great settings. If I'm too lazy or pressed for time to configure the settings myself I can just switch it to Auto and the pics turn out great!
Autofocus is decent and doesn't hunt too much.
You can take great pictures right out of the box and learn your way through the various modes and settings.
The controls were all very intuitive and it only took a day or so to pick up the basics of utilizing the manual modes.
My only problem with it is that there is no designated ISO button or switch, you have to go into the menu to change ISO.

Connectivity

PictBridge Enabled

Yes

NFC Enabled

Yes

Integrated GPS

Yes

Output(s)

HDMI C (Mini), Mini-USB

HDMI C (Mini), Micro-USB

Number Of Memory Card Slots

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

What customers say about "Connectivity"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

However...the bluetooth on it sucks! Will not connect to snapbridge. Tried everything....zip, nada, nothing. Very frustrating. **EDIT** won’t work with my iPad Pro but works great with my Samsung S8. So I am pleased!
You will want extra sd cards and Battery most likely if you do go on a long shoot.
The SnapBridge feature is great and relatively bug-free, with few exceptions.
The camera does not have WiFi and an external mic.
It doesn't have port to connect a cable release. It does have an IR remote shutter release, but I found that it did not work well at all. I found myself wanting a cable release and not being able to have one.
It doesn't have an external mic port. Not a huge deal but the mic in camera is poor. It would be nice to have the option of using a different microphone when recording video.
The Bluetooth connectivity didn't work well and I found that I didn't really use it.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Wifi feature that connects to your phone sounds interesting
The thing I liked the best is the wireless feature. I often travel to places with no data plan and sketching wifi, so having that feature will allow me to upload and share pictures with family and friends easily.
Wifi feature is so nice too!
Only one SD card slot.
Wi-fi is pretty much irrelevant in usage.

Power

AC Adapter Compatible

Yes

Battery Life

1200 shots

820 shots

Battery Model

EN-EL14a Rechargeable Li-ion Battery

AC Adapter Compatible
Battery Life

Nikon D3400

Nikon D5500

What customers say about "Power"

Nikon D3400 w/AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Red)

The battery lasts long, convenient wireless transmission.
Controls are easy to learn, battery life is good.
The battery life is even long and the bluetooth transfer makes uploading photos a million times easier.
Battery life is very good - almost a full day of use per battery charge.

Nikon D5500 DX-format Digital SLR w/18-55mm VR II Kit (Red)

Battery efficiency is excellent even in near freezing weather.
It came with a battery and charger for car, extra I did not think it had.
The camera battery is rated for over 800 pictures (a large percentage with flash.) I took 555 mostly without flash, and the battery indicator is still at 100%. I brought along the charger but never used it.
The battery life is also excellent as I took about 600 photos on it before the battery died.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

1 year(s)

Certifications

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

Manual

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