Buyer’s guide

Compare the options to find the best Nikon camera and lenses for you

Nikon 1 J5

A CSC that DSLR users will love, the J5 has the highest resolution of any Nikon 1 camera to date (20.8Mp) and a decent sensitivity range. The top dial also gives access to semi-automatic and manual exposure modes, plus you can shoot in Raw, which is real bonus.

Nikon 1 S2

Small in size but big on qual ity, the svelte Nikon 1 S2 is responsive and speedy. With a 14.2Mp image sensor, and the omission of built-in Wi-Fi or a touchscreen, it’s more basic than the J5, but still a highly capable camera that you can slip into your bag as a lightweight backup.

Nikon 1 AW1

Very much the ac tion ad venturer, the Nikon 1 AW1 is shockproof, waterproof to a depth of 15 metres, and even freeze-proof down to -10°C. To keep pace with a truly active lifestyle, it also has a built-in compass, altimeter, depth gauge and GPS.

Nikon 1 V3

The flagship Nikon 1 ca mera adds a vari-angle touchscreen to the comfortable ergonomics of the preceding V2, along with key upgrades to the image sensor, processor and autofocus system. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi. An electronic viewfinder is optional.

Nikon D3200

An instant favourite with beginners when launched back in 2012, the D3200 eases you into creative photography with a built-in Guide mode that serves up interactive tutorials. This is backed up by impressive image quality, thanks to its 24.2Mp image sensor and EXPEED 3 processor.

Nikon D3300

THE D3300 BOASTS A Beginner-friendly Guide Mode too, but boosts performance with a current-generation EXPEED 4 processor, faster continuous shooting and greater low-light potential than the D3200. There’s also a user-friendly Effects shooting mode and handy ‘easy panorama’ mode.

Nikon D3400

The D3400 makes room for new features by downgrading others , offering a relatively minor upgrade to the D3300 that includes wireless connectivity. While it’s perfectly capable, the great price of the D3300 means that one is still our preferred entry-level Nikon DSLR.

Nikon D5300

An affordable intermediate-level ca mera , this body features a new generation processor, plus built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, all wrapped up in a tough carbon-fibre-reinforced shell. Plus the optical low-pass filter is omitted to maximize the potential to capture image sharpness.

Nikon D5500

The same pixel count and process or as the preceding D5300, built into the same style of monocoque (one-piece) body shell. The most notable upgrade in the newer D5500 is that its vari-angle LCD is a touchscreen. However, it loses the D5300’s built-in GPS.

Nikon D5600

Nikon’s Latest DX-format ca mera adds Snap Bridge image-transfer tech to the same sensor and processor as the D5500. It features a built-in sensor-cleaning system and powerful pop-up flash, plus a neat Time Lapse Movie mode previously only found in more advanced DSLRs.

Nikon D7100

The D7100 gets a notable hike in pixel count compared with the preceding D7000, along with the removal of the optical low-pass filter to maximize sharpness. Its autofocus system gets a boost too, and a 1.3x crop facility increases the maximum drive rate to 7fps.

Nikon D7200

Build ing on the D7100’s specifications, the D7200 boasts better low-light autofocus, a bigger memory buffer, an updated processor, built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, plus trick modes for doing light-trail photography and making time-lapse movies in-camera.

Nikon D610

Full-frame photography starts here, with the most affordable of Nikon’s FX cameras. It’s no slouch, with a 6fps maximum drive rate and a quiet (but slower) continuous drive option. It also features a weather-sealed body and, compared with the D 600, a revised shutter unit.

Nikon D750

The D 750 is easily manageable for a semi-pro full-frame body. A reasonably priced addition to the lineup, it includes a tilting LCD screen and built-in Wi-Fi. The pixel count strikes a happy balance between the 16.2Mp Df/D4s and the 36.3Mp D810.

Nikon D500

NIKON ’S SEMI -PRO DX-FO RMAT DSLR is in many respects a dream camera. It boasts a blazingly fast, effective AF system and 10fps continuous shooting with a huge 200-shot Raw buffer, plus first-rate metering and white balance. For the money, it might just be Nikon’s best DX DSLR yet.

Nikon Df

Iconic design meets high-tech excellence in this retro beauty. The Df is amazingly compact for a full-frame body, but direct-access dials and buttons ensure that shooting controls are always within easy reach. The lack of a video shooting capability is a surprise omission, though.

Nikon D800e

A special edition of the original D800, this one has a modified optical low-pass filter that omits an anti-aliasing feature. It’s therefore better able to capture extraordinary levels of fine detail, maximising the potential of its ultra-highresolution image sensor.

Nikon D810

The king of the resolution stakes, the D810 boasts 36.3 million pixels and, unlike the older D800e, has no optical low-pass filter. It has a later-generation processor and an extended sensitivity range. A special astrophotography edition, D810a, is also available (£2700/$3800).

Nikon D4s

The D4s DELIVERS 11 fps shooting, and image quality is immaculate, even at ultra-high ISO settings, making it popular with professional sport and wildlife photographers for years. But it has been superseded by Nikon’s newer, higher-specced flagship DSLR, the D5.

Nikon D5

CAPABLE OF SHOTING 12 frames per second, and with a buffer capacity of 200 Raw files, Nikon’s flagship DSLR also boasts 153 AF points – three times more than the D4s. The pixel count has also gone up, to 20.8Mp, as has the maximum ISO, to a staggering 3.3 million.