Photography

Bluetooth-enabled Nikon D3400 focuses on easy photo sharing

Bluetooth-enabled Nikon D3400 focuses on easy photo sharing
The Nikon D3400 uses Bluetooth LE to make sharing photos simple
The Nikon D3400 uses Bluetooth LE to make sharing photos simple
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The Nikon D3400 uses a 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor
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The Nikon D3400 uses a 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor
The standard lens kit is an 18-55 mm
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The standard lens kit is an 18-55 mm
Users have access to a guide mode, designed to walk them through shooting on a DSLR
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Users have access to a guide mode, designed to walk them through shooting on a DSLR
The D3400 is aimed at beginners and families
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The D3400 is aimed at beginners and families
There's a 1200 shot battery in the camera
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There's a 1200 shot battery in the camera
Guide mode is designed to make life easy for beginners
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Guide mode is designed to make life easy for beginners 
The camera is also available in cherry red
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The camera is also available in cherry red
The camera has an always-on Bluetooth system
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The camera has an always-on Bluetooth system
The D3400's body is similar to the D3300's
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The D3400's body is similar to the D3300's 
The D3400 will shoot 5FPS on the burst
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The D3400 will shoot 5FPS on the burst
Guide mode is accompanied by a number of scene modes
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Guide mode is accompanied by a number of scene modes
The Nikon D3400 is designed to make life easier for inexperienced DSLR shooters
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The Nikon D3400 is designed to make life easier for inexperienced DSLR shooters 
Pricing for the D3400 starts at $649
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Pricing for the D3400 starts at $649
The Nikon D3400 uses Bluetooth LE to make sharing photos simple
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The Nikon D3400 uses Bluetooth LE to make sharing photos simple
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Taking photos on a DSLR is one thing, broadcasting them to social media is another. The new Nikon D3400 is designed to make lightning-quick image sharing easier, connecting to smartphones using Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) for faster file transfers through the brand's SnapBridge software.

The Nikon D3400 is aimed at families and DSLR newbies, which means the modes on its dial are all about giving users a push in the right direction. The traditional PASM (program, aperture priority, shutter priority) modes are flanked by a range of scene presets and a Guide Mode, which walks amateurs through the various settings of their new toy and suggests the best ones for the current scene. Guide Mode will also give simple step-by-steps on how achieve certain effects, making it simpler for newbies to achieve professional-looking motion blur and soft backgrounds.

Just like the D3300 it replaces, the D3400 makes use of a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and Nikon has placed a focus on low-light photography with a maximum ISO of 25,600. Image processing is handled by an Expeed 4 engine designed to deliver clearer high-ISO shots, and the camera's maximum burst rate is five frames per second.

There's also an 11-point autofocus system, aimed at making sure parents can keep their kids in focus as they run around the house or sporting field. Users are less likely to miss a shot of the kids because of a flat battery, either – compared to the 700-shot battery in the D3300, the new camera's 1,200-shot unit is a major improvement.

When it comes time to show the world what you've learned in Guide Mode, the D3400's Bluetooth LE connectivity makes it easy to transfer photos across to a smartphone or tablet. Once it's connected, the Nikon SnapBridge software can be set up to automatically transfer every image as it's taken, or users can manually transfer specific ones later on.

Interestingly, Nikon hasn't included Wi-Fi for image sharing, relying solely on the Bluetooth connection. That could be changed with an aftermarket SD card, but if the SnapBridge system works as advertised it's not likely to make much of a difference.

Pricing for the base D3400 kit starts at US$649.95, and includes an AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens.

Source: Nikon

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1 comment
1 comment
BartyLobethal
That's Nikon's idea of 'easy' photo-sharing. To be fair, it's a lot easier than it was previously (take photo, go home, import images to computer, post). It's also a lot *less* convenient than sharing straight from the device itself. This is one of the reasons why 80~90% of photography is done with smartphones.