Nikon D5300 Review

November 19, 2013 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Nikon D5300 is a new 24.2 megapixel DSLR camera with no optical low-pass filter that can record Full HD movies at 1080/50/60p with stereo sound and comes equipped with built-in Wi-Fi and GPS. A high-resolution 3.2-inch vari-angle LCD monitor makes it easier to compose your shots from difficult angles, while the extensive ISO range of 100-25600 should cope with virtually all lighting conditions. A 5fps burst shooting mode, EXPEED 4 image processor, 39-point autofocus system with nine cross-type sensors, 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor, High Dynamic Range mode, Active D-Lighting, and nine different special effects for stills and movies complete the Nikon D5300's headline specs. Available in three colours, black, grey and red, the Nikon D5300 costs £729.99 / $799.95 / €899 body only, or £829.99 / €1029 with the 18-55mm VR kit lens, and $1,399.95 with the AF-S NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens.

Ease of Use

The Nikon D5300 replaces the year-old D5200 as the new mid-range model in Nikon's extensive DSLR line-up, slotting in between the existing D3200 and D7000 models, not only in terms of feature set and functionality, but also in terms of size and weight. It isn't quite as compact and lightweight as the D3200, but neither is it as bulky and heavy as the D7000. In comparison to its predecessor, the D5300 is slightly smaller and lighter than the D5200. The right-hand grip is deep and therefore quite comfortable for photographers with large hands and/or longish fingers, and there's also a handy rubberised thumb rest on the back of the body.

The D5100's 24.1 megapixel CMOS sensor has been superseded by a 24.2 megapixel sensor with no optical low-pass filter, which promises to deliver slightly finer details. The sensor can clean itself by way of high-frequency vibrations that will, at least in theory, shake off any non-adhesive dust particles that may have settled on the low-pass filter during a lens change. You can specify, via an option in the Setup menu, whether you want sensor cleaning to take place at shutdown, startup, both or neither, with the default being 'both'. The cleaning process pleasingly has no practical impact on startup times, which were near instant. The new image sensor is complemented by the more powerful EXPEED 4 processing engine and a larger buffer as well.

The D5300 is the first Nikon DSLR to offer both built-in wi-fi and GPS connectivity, instead of relying on optional accessories like all previous models. The wi-fi function essentially pairs the D5300 with an iOS or Android smartphone or other smart device, and allows you to eidt and share images directly to social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. It also makes it possible to control the D5300 remotely via a smart device using the free Wireless Mobile Utility app, and set the focus point using the smart device's touchscreen. The built-in GPS/A-GPS receiver logs location information such as latitude, longitude, and altitude in the image’s EXIF data, even when the camera is turned off, allowing you to retrace your steps even when you're not taking photos.

The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR kit lens that Nikon supplied feels fairly well-balanced on the Nikon D5300 and it fits into place with a reassuring mechanical click. It also adds the very important advantage of Vibration Reduction. Nikon bodies don't offer any form of in-camera image stabilisation, unlike similar models from Sony, Pentax and Olympus, so the affordable 18-55mm VR lens is a good starting point if you don't already have any Nikon lenses.

The shutter release action on the Nikon D5300 is surprisingly quiet, with a dampened mirror slap that makes this DSLR actually quieter than some rangefinder cameras. Furthermore, there is a Quiet Shutter Release mode, in which the mirror is raised fairly slowly to further reduce the sound it makes. This does, however, introduce some shutter lag, which usually isn't worth the few decibels of difference versus what is already an impressively quiet shutter.

Nikon D5300 Nikon D5300
Front Rear

The Nikon D5300 follows conventional DSLR design in having a shooting mode dial on the top of the camera, which allows you to select either one of the advanced modes like Manual, Aperture- or Shutter-priority, or a number of scene modes. The Exposure Compensation button is thoughtfully positioned next to the shutter release. Hold down this button with your right forefinger and spin the control wheel on the top-rear of the camera with your thumb to adjust its settings - simple and intuitive.

The Effects shooting mode, first introduced on the D5100, now provides 9 different filters that can be applied to both still images and movies. The Night Vision effect is particularly worth of mention, pushing the camera's sensitivity to a whopping ISO 102,400, although a monochrome rather than colour image is recorded. For stills, you can enter Live View mode to preview the effect or simply use the optical viewfinder. For movies, the recording is slowed down (dependent upon the chosen effect) as the camera uses a lot of processing power to apply the effect, leading to footage that can have a rather staccato feel. Note also that the camera sets virtually everything in the Effects mode - exposure, shutter speed, white balance, ISO, file type and quality - so its only creative in terms of the arty effect that's applied. Several of the same effects can be applied to an image or movie that you've taken, though, so you can have the best of both worlds (albeit without the luxury of a preview).

The second button sitting next to the shutter release is labeled 'info'. This button is arguably at the heart of the Nikon D5300's ease-of-use, as like its predecessor the camera lacks the monochromatic status LCD of the older D90, so Nikon had to provide a different way to check vital shooting information without having to look into the viewfinder. Enter the info button - pressing it displays virtually all of the camera's main settings on the large rear screen. Pressing the "i" button on the rear of the D5300 then allows you to interact with and set the onscreen options, with 14 available in total.

The rear articulated LCD screen is hinged at the side rather than the bottom. This fully articulated design is a much more flexible solution, allowing the screen to be folded out from the left side of the camera and folded inwards to protect it when not in use. The screen is slightly bigger than the D5200 at 3.2 inches and higher resolution too, with 1,037k dots, so there's nothing to complain about in this department. The screen also has an anti-glare coating, so that it's usable most of the time outdoors in strong daylight, although it still struggled a little with reflections.

Nikon D5300 Nikon D5300
Pop-up Flash

Top

The D5300's Live View is accessed in a different and arguably less intuitive way than on the D3200/D7100. Instead of a combined switch / button on the D3200/D7000, the D5300 has a fore-finger operated spring-loaded switch on top of the body that is pushed downwards and toggles between turning Live View on and off. Positioned next to the Shooting Mode dial, it allows you to enable Live View whilst holding the camera at arms length with one hand, or to turn it off as you hold the camera up to your eye. We'd prefer it to be on the rear of the camera and also to incorporate the Movie record button, in keeping with the D3200/D7100 models.

Press the Lv switch and the mirror flips up, the shutter opens and the rear screen displays the scene as seen through the lens. There is a red rectangle in the middle, which you can move practically anywhere in the frame. When in manual focus (MF) mode, you can magnify into this rectangle in a number of steps by repeatedly pressing the button marked with a loupe icon, but this magnification seems to be at least partially interpolated. This means that you cannot see detail down to the pixel level, unlike some competing cameras.

Fortunately, MF is not the only focusing option in Live View, at least as long as you are taking stills. Single-servo AF (AF-S) and Full-time-servo AF (AF-F) modes are also available and, while slow, they tend to be accurate. Both modes can also be used in connection with face detection. 'Face-priority AF' had no problem finding and keeping track of human faces as long as they were facing the camera, but acquiring focus was another story - very, very slow.

Live View must also be entered to shoot movies. After pressing the Lv button and optionally presetting the aperture and focus, you can start recording video by pressing the dedicated Movie Record button on top of the camera next to the shutter release. The camera records full high-definition, wide-screen video in 1920x1080 pixel resolution, at a frame rate of 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p, in AVI format using the motion JPEG codec. As with Live View, contrast-detect AF is possible whilst shooting movies, although as with still images there's an audible whine as the camera refocuses and it's still too slow to focus on any fast-moving subject, so much so that we suspect most serious users will use manual focusing instead. Although the D5300 can automatically focus during video recording, it's just not fast enough to warrant regular use.

Nikon D5300 Nikon D5300
Tilting LCD Screen

Side

You can set both the aperture and the shutter speed during movie recording, although the slowest shutter speed is limited to 1/30th second, plus exposure compensation and AE-Lock can also be set. Out of the box the D5300 can record stereo sound via its built-in microphone with three different levels of sensitivity on offer, and improved sound can also be recorded using an optional external microphone. The maximum size of a single video clip is 2 gigabytes which, given that movies occupy about 100 megabytes of storage space per minute, would theoretically translate into about 20 minutes of continuous recording.

The D5300 has a proper through-the-lens optical viewfinder with a slightly improved magnification of 0.82x, on par with most of its rivals. The Nikon D5300's 39 auto-focus points are permanently marked on the focusing screen, whereas the compositional grid lines can be called up via a menu option. Two warning signs - telling you that the battery is running low or you have forgotten to insert a memory card - may also appear in the form of overlaid icons when appropriate. Below the finder is a traditional monochromatic status bar showing practically all relevant shooting information (including the ISO sensitivity, if so specified in the menu).

As stated above, the Nikon D5300 has 39 auto-focus sensors, out of which 9 are cross type. The other thirty are of the line variety, consequently being only sensitive to either vertical or horizontal detail, but not both. In practice, this did not turn out to be a real problem, with the camera typically locking focus on the subject quickly and easily, no matter which AF point was selected. In the viewfinder, the active AF point appears in red, which is easy to see. Selecting the active AF point is done by way of the four-way pad - except if you choose Auto Area AF - again a simple and intuitive solution. In low light, the AF sensors are helped by an AF assist lamp located on the front plate of the camera.

The 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor used by the D5300 is again identical to the system used by the more expensive D7100 model. This provides precise data to the camera’s Scene Recognition System, which optimises exposure, autofocus and white balance immediately before the shutter is released.

Nikon D5300 Nikon D5300
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

The Nikon D5300 only has one control wheel and there are no dedicated buttons for controlling ISO sensitivity, white balance, metering or AF mode. The Fn button can be reprogrammed to perform ISO selection or white balance adjustment (or one of a few other functions such as file quality specification), but the others still have to be set through the main info screen, called up by pressing the [ i ] button top-right of the rear display. With practice, performing adjustments via this screen becomes fairly quick and easy, but it's not as efficient as the older D90's dedicated controls.

Most of the camera's rear controls are scattered, seemingly almost randomly, to the right of the D5300's large folding screen. While we can understand the need to locate them to accomodate the 3 inch LCD, the positioning of the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons in particular isn't very intuitive, being operated with your right-hand thumb, and right next to the Delete button. As the D5300 isn't a very complex camera in terms of the number of external controls, it thankfully doesn't get too confusing, but is something to consider from an ergonomic point of view.

For the images that you've already already captured, the Nikon D5300 offers a broad range of retouching tools, including post-capture D-lighting (useful if you forgot to turn on Active D-lighting before capture), red-eye correction, trimming, monochrome conversion, different filter effects, colour adjustments, image resizing, image overlay, in-camera raw processing, quick auto retouching, straightening of crooked pictures, lens distortion correction, fisheye, colour outline, colour sketch, selective colour, miniature effect, and perspective control. Many of these functions make it unnecessary to buy specialised computer programs or plug-ins and spend hours in front of a computer to achieve a desired/popular effect.

The Nikon D5300 is powered by a proprietary EN-EL14a Lithium-ion battery, good for 600 shots, and records videos and image files on SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. As we noted in our D5200 review, we would really have liked to see Nikon add a second card slot for Compact Flash cards, so that owners of higher-specified Nikon DSLRs who buy a D5300 as a second body can use their existing memory cards. It also lacks the dual-SD slots of the D7100. As far as connectivity goes, there are USB/VideoOut and Mini HDMI ports as well as an accessory terminal for the connection of a wired remote or a GPS unit, all sheltered behind a door on the left side of the camera, when viewed from the back.

That concludes our look at the D5300's interface and feature-set. Now let's take a look at the D5300's image quality...

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 24 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 8Mb.

The Nikon D5300 produced images of excellent quality during the review period. The D5300 produces noise-free JPEG images at ISO 100-1600, with ISO 3200 also looking pretty good. ISO 6400 only shows a little noise, while the fastest settings of ISO 12800 and 25600 are quite a lot noisier and suffer from softening of fine detail and a loss of saturation, but the images are still perfectly usable for small prints and resizing for web use.

The images were a little soft straight out of the D5300 at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting for JPEG files. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and bulb mode allowing you to capture plenty of light. Red-eye was not a common occurrence with the built-in flash, and when we did encounter it, it was very moderate and easily cured by setting the flash to red-eye reduction mode.

Active D-lighting managed to squeeze most of the dynamic range captured by the sensor into the JPEGs the camera produced, while the HDR mode greatly expands the dynamic range by combining two shots taken at different exposures. The Picture Styles and creative Effects help to get more out of your JPEG images.

Noise

There are 9 ISO settings available on the Nikon D5300 and the ISO speed can be adjusted in 1/3 EV increments. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and RAW on the right.

The Nikon D5300 also has ISO Sensitivity Auto Control, activated from the shooting menu. If set to On, the camera will automatically adjust the sensitivity if proper exposure cannot be achieved at the value chosen by the photographer. The user can put a limit on the maximum sensitivity selectable by the camera.

JPEG

RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg

File Quality

The file quality settings available on the D5300 include Basic, Normal and Fine for JPEGs, plus you can also store your photos in Nikon's proprietary raw format (NEF).  Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

Fine (10.2Mb) (100% Crop)

Normal (6.84Mb) (100% Crop)

quality_fine.jpg quality_normal.jpg
   

Basic (2.35Mb) (100% Crop)

RAW (24.1Mb) (100% Crop)

quality_basic.jpg quality_raw.jpg

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes by changing the Picture Styles.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

Flash

The pop-up flash on the D5300 has several settings including Auto, Fill-in flash, Red-eye Reduction, SlowSync, Red-eye Reduction with Slow Sync, Rear-curtain Sync and Off. These snaps of a white wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Telephoto (82.5mm)

Flash On - Telephoto (82.5mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are a couple of portrait shots. The built-in speedlight caused no red-eye effect in this test.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Red-eye Reduction

Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Nikon D5300 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used. Do note that this works by way of dark frame subtraction, which effectively doubles the exposure time. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 30 seconds, aperture of f/8 at the ISO 100 sensitivity setting.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

D-lighting

D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Low, Medium, High, Extra High and Auto. The following examples demonstrate the differences between the various settings.

D-lighting - Off

D-lighting - Low

dlighting_01.jpg dlighting_02.jpg
   

D-lighting - Normal

D-lighting - High

dlighting_03.jpg dlighting_04.jpg
   

D-lighting - Extra High

 
dlighting_05.jpg  

HDR

The Nikon D5300 has a HDR mode with four levels of manual exposure and an Auto setting. The camera only combines two shots, one under and one over exposed, to produce the final image, and it's only available when shooting JPEGs.

HDR - Off

HDR - Low

hdr_01.jpg hdr_02.jpg
   

HDR - Normal

HDR - High

hdr_03.jpg hdr_04.jpg
   

HDR - Extra High

 
hdr_05.jpg  

Picture Controls

Nikon's Picture Controls are akin to Canon's Picture Styles in being preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. The available choices are Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape. The following examples demonstrate the differences across these options.

Standard

Neutral

picture_controls_01.jpg picture_controls_02.jpg
   

Vivid

Monochrome

picture_controls_03.jpg picture_controls_04.jpg
   

Portrait

Landscape

picture_controls_05.jpg picture_controls_06.jpg

Effects

The Effects shooting mode provides 9 different creative filters that can be applied to both still images and movies.

Night Vision

Color Sketch

effects_01.jpg effects_02.jpg
   

Toy Camera

Miniature

effects_03.jpg effects_04.jpg
   

Selective Color

Silhouette

effects_05.jpg effects_06.jpg
   

High Key

Low Key

effects_07.jpg effects_08.jpg
   

HDR Painting

 
effects_09.jpg  

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D5300 camera, which were all taken using the 24.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Nikon D5300 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

The Nikon D5300 can record Full HD video in the MOV format. This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 50 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 53.2Mb in size.

Product Images

Nikon D5300

Front of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Front of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Front of the Nikon D5300 / Pop-up Flash

 
Nikon D5300

Side of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Side of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Side of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Side of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300

 

Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Image Displayed

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Info Displayed

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Main Menu

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Info Screen

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Info Screen

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Live View

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D5300

Rear of the Nikon D5300 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D5300

Top of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Bottom of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Side of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Side of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Front of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Front of the Nikon D5300

 
Nikon D5300

Memory Card Slot

 
Nikon D5300

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

The new Nikon D5300 is a rather modest upgrade of the previous D5200 model, with new wi-fi and GPS functions, enhanced video recording, a larger LCD screen, a smaller body and the removal of the optical low-pass filter. D5200 owners probably won't find enough to tempt them to upgrade, but just like its predecessor the D5300 offers a compelling mix of excellent image quality, straight-forward handling and quick performance, all in a light and compact body.

The built-in wi-fi and GPS are the pick of the D5300's new features, adding more value to what is already a keenly-priced camera - on all other current Nikon DSLRs you have to purchase optional accessories to add this functionality. You are limited to essentially pairing the D5300 with a smartphone, and the Nikon app is a little basic, but being able to share your images, remotely control the camera and log the GPS data is very compelling.

It's difficult to assess how much improvement the removal of the optical low-pass filter has made to the D5300's image quality when using the kit lens - you really need to use some quality primes to see the benefits. Full 1080p HD footage at a range of frame rates, in conjunction with the the larger free-angle LCD screen, is a great feature on what is a relatively cheap DSLR, although full-time auto-focusing in Live View mode continues to be a painfully slow experience and not well-suited to fast-moving subjects.

The D5300 still has a few minor handling issues, most notably the positioning of the Live View switch and the secondary controls on the rear, and it could also be seen as being neither simple enough for complete beginners or feature-rich enough for more experienced users. The continued lack of a dedicated ISO button will definitely irk some users though, only being accessible via the customisable Fn button, something that both the previous D5000, D5100 and D5200 models all suffered from, and which should really have been fixed by now.

So while the Nikon D5300 doesn't add that many new features to the year-old D5200, what it does add makes it a unique product at the mid-range price-point, offering something genuinely different to the likes of the Canon EOS 650D, Pentax K-5 II and the Sony A65. The combination of a free-angle screen, great video mode, high-quality stills and new connectivity options mean that the Nikon D5300 is a worthy winner of our Highly Recommended award.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Nikon D5300.

Canon EOS 700D

The Canon EOS 700D (called the Canon EOS Rebel T5i in North America) is a new DSLR camera that boasts 18 megapixels, full 1080p high-definition videos with continuous auto-focusing, and a touch-screen interface. Other key features of the 700D / T5i include burst shooting at 5fps, a vari-angle 3-inch LCD screen with 1,040k dot resolution, ISO range of 100-25,600, 14-bit image processing and Canon's Digic 5 processor. Is the Canon EOS 700D / T5i the best mid-range digital SLR camera on the market? Read our expert review to find out...

Fujifilm X-M1

The Fujifilm X-M1 is a new compact system camera that's designed to expand the appeal of the X-system. The retro-styled X-M1 offers the same image sensor and lens mount as the more expensive X-Pro1 and X-E1 cameras in a smaller, lighter body. The X-M1 has a built-in flash, new 16-50mm kit lens, wi-fi connectivity, tilting LCD screen and of course a more affordable price tag. Read our Fujifilm X-M1 review to find out if it succeeds in bringing Fujifilm's mirrorless range to the masses...

Olympus E-PL5

The Olympus E-PL5 is a new compact system camera that offers a lot more than first meets the eye. Also known as the PEN Lite, the EPL5 has exactly the same image sensor and processing engine as the flagship OM-D E-M5. It also boasts the World's fastest autofocus system, a 3 inch tilting LCD display, full 1080p HD movies, and an extensive range of creative filters. Read our in-depth Olympus E-PL5 review to find out if it's a true bargain or not...

Panasonic Lumix G6

The Panasonic Lumix G6 is a new compact system camera that offers a lot of bang for your buck. Standout features of the Panasonic G6 include a 16 megapixel Live MOS sensor, capacitive touchscreen control system, OLED viewfinder, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, fast auto-focus system, 1080p AVCHD movies with stereo sound, 7fps burst shooting and an extensive range of creative effects. Read our in-depth Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 review now to find out if it can take on its DSLR and CSC rivals...

Pentax K-5 II

The Pentax K-5 II is a new DSLR camera that features a faster auto-focus system, better LCD screen and a much lower price-tag than the original K-5 model. Read our Pentax K-5 II review to discover if this new DSLR can compete with the competition from Nikon, Canon and Sony.

Pentax K-5 IIs

The Pentax K-5 IIs DSLR camera features a faster auto-focus system, better LCD screen and a lower price-tag than the original K-5 model, and dispenses with the anti-aliasing filter of the slightly cheaper K-5 II model that was introduced at the same time. Read our Pentax K-5 IIs review to discover if this new DSLR can compete with the competition from Nikon, Canon and Sony.

Samsung NX300

The Samsung NX300 is a new mid-range compact system camera featuring a 20.3 megapixel APS-C sensor, hybrid AF system, 3.3-inch tilting AMOLED touchscreen, 8.6fps continuous shooting, Wi-fi and NFC connectivity, full 1080p video, and an ISO range 100-25,600. Read our in-depth Samsung NX300 review now...

Sony A65

The Sony A65 is the second generation of Sony's SLT camera range, which replaces the optical viewfinder and moving mirror of a DSLR with an electronic viewfinder and a fixed semi-translucent mirror. The A65 ups the ante considerably with a 24.3 megapixel sensor, 10fps burst shooting, 1080p Full HD movies, high-resolution OLED viewfinder, 3-inch free-angle LCD, built-in GPS and an ISO range of 100-16000, all for just £800 / $900. Read our detailed Sony A65 review to find out if Nikon and Canon should be quaking in their boots...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon D5300 from around the web.

ephotozine.com »

The Nikon D5300 Digital SLR is an update to the Nikon D5200, with a 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, with no OLPF (Optical Low Pass Filter) designed to give the sharpest image quality possible.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Type Single-lens reflex digital camera
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF contacts)
Effective angle of view Nikon DX format; focal length equivalent to approx. 1.5x that of lenses with FX format angle of view
Effective pixels 24.2 million
Image sensor 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor
Total pixels 24.78 million
Dust-reduction System Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)
Image size (pixels) 6000 x 4000 (Large). 4496 x 3000 (Medium). 2992 x 2000 (Small)
Storage - File format NEF (RAW): 12- or 14 bit, compressed. JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression. NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Picture Control System Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls
Media SD (Secure Digital) and UHS-I compliant SDHC and SDXC memory cards
File system DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras) 2.3, PictBridge
Frame coverage Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical
Magnification Approx. 0.82 x (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, -1.0 m-1)
Eyepoint 18 mm (-1.0 m-1; from center surface of viewfinder eyepiece lens)
Diopter adjustment -1.7 - +1.0 m-1
Focusing screen Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen
Reflex mirror Quick return
Lens aperture Instant return, electronically controlled
Compatible lenses Autofocus is available with AF-S and AF-I lenses. Autofocus is not available with other type G and D lenses, AF lenses (IX NIKKOR and lenses for the F3AF are not supported), and AI-P lenses. Non-CPU lenses can be used in mode M, but the camera exposure meter will not function. The electronic rangefinder can be used with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster.
Shutter type Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Shutter speed 1/4000 - 30 s in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV; Bulb; Time
Flash sync speed X=1/200 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slower
Release mode Single frame, continuous L, continuous H, quiet shutter release, self-timer, delayed remote; ML-L3, quick-response remote; ML-L3; interval timer photography supported
Frame advance rate Continuous L : Up to 3 fps. Continuous H : Up to 5 fps (JPEG and 12-bit NEF/RAW) or 4 fps (14-bit NEF/RAW). Note: Frame rates assume continuous-servo AF, manual or shutterpriority auto exposure, a shutter speed of 1/250 s or faster, Release selected for Custom Setting a1 (AF-C priority selection), and other settings at default values.
Self-timer 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1-9 exposures
Metering mode TTL exposure metering using 2016-pixel RGB sensor
Metering method Matrix metering: 3D color matrix metering II (type G, E, and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses). Center-weighted metering: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame. Spot metering: Meters 3.5-mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point
Range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F) Matrix or center-weighted metering: 0-20 EV. Spot metering: 2-20 EV
Exposure meter coupling CPU
Mode Auto modes (auto; auto (flash off)); programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M); scene modes (portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait; night landscape; party/indoor; beach/snow; sunset; dusk/dawn; pet portrait; candlelight; blossom; autumn colors; food); special effects modes (night vision; color sketch; toy camera effect; miniature effect; selective color; silhouette; high key; low key; HDR painting)
Exposure compensation Can be adjusted by -5 - +5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV in P, S, A, and M modes
Bracketing Exposure bracketing: 3 shots in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV. White balance bracketing: 3 shots in steps of 1. Active D-Lighting bracketing: 2 shots
Exposure lock Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) ISO 100-12800 in steps of 1/3 EV. Can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 25600 equivalent) above ISO 12800; auto ISO sensitivity control available
Active D-Lighting Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, Off
Autofocus Nikon Multi-CAM 4800DX autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, 39 focus points (including 9 cross-type sensor), and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5-3 m/1 ft 8 in.-9 ft 10 in.)
Detection range -1 - +19 EV (ISO 100, 20 °/68 °F)
Lens servo Autofocus (AF): 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
Focus point Can be selected from 39 or 11 focus points
AF-area mode Single-point AF, 9-, 21-, or 39- point dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking, auto-area AF
Focus lock Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
Built-in flash Auto, portrait, child, close up, night portrait, party/indoor, pet portrait, color sketch, toy camera effect: Auto flash with auto pop-up. P, S, A, M, food: Manual pop-up with button release
Guide Number Approx. 12/39, 13/43 with manual flash (m/ft, ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F)
Flash control TTL: i-TTL flash control using 2016-pixel RGB sensor is available with built-in flash and SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, SB-700, SB-600, SB-400, or SB-300; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix and center-weighted metering, standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR with spot metering
Flash mode Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, auto slow sync, auto slow sync with red-eye reduction, fill-flash, red-eye reduction, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, rear-curtain with slow sync, rear-curtain sync, off
Flash compensation -3 - +1 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV
Flash-ready indicator Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit is fully charged; flashes after flash is fired at full output
Accessory shoe ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with SB-910, SB-900, SB-800, or SB-700 as a master flash or SU-800 as commander; Flash Color Information Communication supported with all CLS-compatible flash units
Sync terminal AS-15 sync terminal adapter (available separately)
White balance Auto, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine-tuning.
Live View Lens Servo Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F). Manual focus (MF)
Live view AF-area mode Face-priority AF, wide-area AF, normal-area AF, subject-tracking AF
Live view Autofocus Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)
Live View - Automatic scene selection Available in auto and auto (flash off) modes
Movie metering TTL exposure metering using main image sensor
Metering method Matrix
Movie - Frame size (pixels) and frame rate 1920 x 1080, 60p (progressive)/50p/30p/25p/24p, high/normal. 1280 x 720, 60p/50p, high/normal. 640 x 424, 30p/25p, high/normal. Frame rates of 30p (actual frame rate 29.97 fps) and 60p (actual frame rate 59.94 fps) are available when NTSC is selected for video mode. 25p and 50p are available when PAL is selected for video mode. Actual frame rate when 24p is selected is 23.976 fps.
Movie file format MOV
Video compression H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
Audio recording format Linear PCM
Audio recording device Built-in or external stereo microphone; sensitivity adjustable
Movie - ISO sensitivity ISO 100-12800; can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 25600 equivalent) above ISO 12800
Monitor 8.1 cm/3.2-in. (3 : 2), approx. 1037k-dot (720 x 480 x 3 = 1,036,800 dots), vari-angle TFT monitor with 170 ° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment
Playback Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 12, or 80 images or calendar) playback with playback zoom, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, picture rating, and image comment (up to 36 characters)
USB Hi-Speed USB
Video output NTSC, PAL
HDMI output Type C mini-pin HDMI connector
Accessory terminal Wireless remote controllers: WR-1, WR-R10 (available separately). Remote cords: MC-DC2 (available separately). GPS units: GP-1/GP-1A (available separately)
Audio input Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter); supports optional ME-1 stereo microphones
Standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Communications protocols IEEE 802.11b: DSSS/CCK. IEEE 802.11g: OFDM
Operating frequency 2412-2462 MHz (channels 1-11)
Range (line of sight) Approximately 30 m/98 ft (assumes no interference; range may vary with signal strength and presence or absence of obstacles)
Data rate 54 Mbps. Maximum logical data rates according to IEEE standard. Actual rates may differ.
Security Authentication: Open system, WPA2-PSK. Encryption: AES
Wireless setup Supports WPS
Access protocols Infrastructure
Receiving frequency 1575.42 MHz (C/A code)
Geodesics WGS84
Supported languages Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Battery One rechargeable Li-ion EN-EL14a battery
AC adapter EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5A power connector (available separately)
Tripod socket 1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 125 x 98 x 76 mm (49.2 x 3.9 x 3 in.)
Weight Approx. 530 g (1 lb 2.7 oz) with battery and memory card but without body cap; approx. 480 g/1 lb 0.9 oz (camera body only)
Operating environment – temperature 0 °C - 40 °C (+32 °F - 104 °F)
Operating environment – humidity 85% or less (no condensation)
Supplied accessories BS-1 accessory shoe cover, DK-25 rubber eyecup, BF-1B body cap, EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery (with terminal cover), MH-24 battery charger, AN-DC3 strap, UC-E17 USB cable, EG-CP16 audio/video cable, DK-5 eyepiece cap, ViewNX 2 CD, Reference CD (contains the Reference Manual)
Access protocols Infrastructure
Location data  
Receiving frequency 1575.42 MHz (C/A code)
Geodesics WGS84
Supported languages Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Power source  
Battery One rechargeable Li-ion EN-EL14a battery
AC adapter EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5A power connector (available separately)
Tripod socket 1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions/weight  
Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 125 x 98 x 76 mm (49.2 x 3.9 x 3 in.)
Weight Approx. 530 g (1 lb 2.7 oz) with battery and memory card but without body cap; approx. 480 g/1 lb 0.9 oz (camera body only)
Operating environment  
Temperature 0 °C - 40 °C (+32 °F - 104 °F)
Humidity 85% or less (no condensation)
Supplied accessories BS-1 accessory shoe cover, DK-25 rubber eyecup, BF-1B body cap, EN-EL14a rechargeable Li-ion battery (with terminal cover), MH-24 battery charger, AN-DC3 strap, UC-E17 USB cable, EG-CP16 audio/video cable, DK-5 eyepiece cap, ViewNX 2 CD, Reference CD (contains the Reference Manual)

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