Nikon D3300 and 5 New Coolpix Compacts Announced

In preparation for the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, which starts today in Las Vegas, Nikon has announced the D3300 DSLR, its new entry-level offering which will be replacing the D3200 from last year. A new AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm VRII kit lens was also launched alongside the D3300.

In addition to this new DSLR, Nikon also announced five new Coolpix Compacts: the L30, L830, S5300, S3600, and S6800. We will not be focusing on these compacts in this post.

Launching at $50 less than the D3200 w/lens (and $50 more than the D3200's current selling price), the $649.95 D3300 is very similar to its predecessor, but Nikon has made modernizations in a number of areas:

• New, faster EXPEED 4 processor
• 24.2-megapixel sensor without a low-pass filter
• Full-HD (1080i/1080p) video recording at 60/50/30/25/24 FPS
• Maximum expanded sensitivity of ISO 25,600
• Smaller (when collapsed) and lighter kit lens

We've posted the full specifications of the D3300 in our camera database. The new 18-55mm VRII kit lens, now listed in our lens database, will also be available separately for $249.95.

It's great to see that Nikon is quickly modernizing its entry-level DSLR lineup. On the other hand, the D3300 is just more of the same: apart from bringing a filterless sensor to the entry-level market, it delivers little innovation, and it still lacks bracketing!

Nikon expects the D3300 to start shipping in February.