Nikon D3400 Sample Images From Real-World Shooting

The Nikon D3400 DSLR has a 24.2MP DX-format CMOS Sensor.

It produces images that are 6000 by 4000 pixels. It’s the entry-level model in Nikon’s DSLR range, and it’s a great option for photographers looking to step up from taking photos with smartphones and point-and-shoots into the world of more serious photography.

The DX is Nikon’s designation for their APS-C cropped sensors, which are a little smaller than what’s known as a full-frame sensor (but it’s still much larger than most phones or compact cameras have, opening up the potential for much better image quality). So if you put a 50mm lens on this camera, you’ll get the focal length equivalent of a 75mm lens on a full-frame camera.

The sensor offers a native ISO range from ISO 100 to ISO 25600, which gives it quite a lot of versatility under various lighting conditions, something that comes in very handy in general shooting and especially when traveling.

And even at relatively high ISOs in low light, the lack of noise is impressive — usable results are possible up through ISO 3200 or so, and even ISO 6400 in a pinch. The very top of the range, ISO 25600, is best reserved for situations where a noisy shot beats no shot at all.

The samples below were shot mainly with the standard kit lens, the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR zoom lens. Some were shot with the AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G prime lens. The lens, focal length, and exposure settings are included with each image. I’ve tried to include a range of different scenes under different lighting and with different settings.

These were primarily shot in RAW mode and only lightly processed in Lightroom. I haven’t applied any corrections like fixing chromatic aberration, vignetting, or lens barrel distortion.

If you’d like to see the images at full resolution, you can click to open the high-resolution version. And if you’d like to dive deeper, I’ve posted separately on Nikon D3400 low-light performance and picture quality settings.

Nikon D3400 sample photos

You can click on each of these Nikon D3400 photo samples to open a full-resolution version for a closer look.

Nikon D3400 Explorer

Here’s a fun interactive tool I put together to help find which button and dial is where on the camera (and just as importantly, what Nikon calls it).

Nikon D3400 Explorer

All 48 parts from the parts pages of Nikon’s Reference Manual, numbered in the order the manual lists them. Turn the camera, pick a number, and it’ll show you what the part does.

3/4 Front Top Rear Left Right Bottom

Shaded Line

Numbers Names Off

Dimensions

Moving parts

+ − Reset

Drag to turn. Right-drag or Shift-drag to move. Scroll to zoom once you’ve clicked the model.

Parts index

Names from “The Camera Body,” Reference Manual pp. 1–3, numbered 1–48 in the manual’s order

Sources: Nikon D3400 Reference Manual (Nikon Download Center), pages as cited for each part. Outside dimensions 124 × 98 × 75.5 mm (p. 301). Shown with the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6G VR, retracted; the lens has its own manual and its parts are not numbered here. The model is a simplified diagram built to those dimensions and to photos of the camera; small details are approximate. Not affiliated with Nikon.