D5300 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Auto Focus-S DX NIKKOR Zoom Lens (Black)

I purchased this a few days ago here on Amazon. I brought a slightly used one with just over 3,000 shutter actuation's. Saved a LOT of money. I came from the delightful rank-beginner D3200 camera to this upgrade. Here are my thoughts after 2 years of shooting with a D3200 and upgrading to the D5300: 1. Stellar upgrade in sharpness! Without a doubt, the most noticeable thing. 39 autofocus points over the 11 on D3200 really helps! That irritating OLPF is gone! I use a 37" monitor to develop in Lightroom, and pixel peeping on the D5300 is a delightful experience. My friend who owns a D7200 thinks the image quality is identical. It is close, my friends. Too close to call. 2. Smaller and lighter than D3200, but still substantial enough in the hand. Anyone with slightly smaller hands will really enjoy this camera. Me? I am 6 4" with big hands, and it still felt just great. No issues there as far as I can see. 3. Your EN-EL-14 batteries will work in it. The D5300 is recommended and comes with EN-EL-14a. Battery life is just fine. To make a guestimate from the 150+ images shot and no budge on the battery meter...500-600 may just be possible without heavy flash use. I should not admit this, but even an aftermarket battery I used in my D3200 for 2 years works perfect in my D5300. No issues at all. 4. A surprising find: This much better body has really helped me get a LOT more from my lenses. I kid you not, friends. The 35mm f/1.8 from Nikkor remains sort of a disappointment, but still shows improved image quality on the end of the D5300. The "Fantastic Plastic" Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 really shines though on this camera! sharp sharp sharp!!! Lots of light through that big 58mm thread size. It was a performer with the D3200, and really pairs well with the D5300. My old 55-200 VR likes my D5300 as well and has also shown a sharpness bump. If you can believe it, even the kit lens 18-55 from the D3200 takes better pics on the end of the D5300. We all know good glass is important, but often times it seems that good quality bodies get down played even though they are also a very important part of the overall photographic equation. 5. You are going to have to make some out of the box adjustments. The irritating focus lock chirp for one. I had to shut that off. The AF illuminator is irritating as well and also had to be manually turned off. 6. Control lay-out: For God's sake, take the time to learn the differences if coming up from from D3100/3200 series cameras. It takes a while to learn the new placements and new hand motions to adjust on the fly. David Busch's guide to the D3200 was great for me, and I have purchased his D5300 guide and expect similar excellent tutoring as well. I highly recommend, and you can buy here on Amazon and read on Kindle. 7. ISO is a LOT less noisy on this body. Seriously. 1600 ISO looks great compared to many D3200 shots at that sensitivity. Even the one 3200 ISO shot I took for giggles was way quieter than I expected it to be. Overall my fellow Nikon geeks, this is a great upgrade still within most of our financial means. Next gen performance free of the OLPF, and just a real joy to work with. Some people complain about slow Live View, but I could care less. The good friend who got me into photography suggested I learn to get it as right as I could in the camera first, and to stop using anything but the view finder. 3 years later, I am glad for the wisdom he shared. Live View needed maybe for video or some other sorts of shots...but for us View Finder clickers who peep it later, this camera is going to be a happy surprise for you. Bottom Line: If you can afford it (new or used from a reputable seller here on Amazon)...do it! You won't be disappointed in your next step up the DX ladder. The D3200 got you hooked, and now the D5300 is going to take you to even better places and greater enjoyment and satisfaction from our chosen hobby.

My review is geared more towards beginners like myself who are just getting into the DSLR world. I've been shooting with the D5300 for a few months now. I bought this camera because it was at a lower price point for an entry level amateur photographer, and I've been having a great time with it. I've used this camera mainly for photographing friends and family, nature/scenery, my dogs, and random still-life scenes that captured my attention. I haven't really captured action except with the video. Pros: 1. Light weight (for a DSLR) 2. Good beginners camera. Controls not too difficult to learn (the user interface helped me get used to different ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings) 3. Swivel screen is very useful, especially when taking videos low to the ground or photos above a crowd. 4. Great battery life (new to me, compared to point-and-shoots) 5. WiFi useful for quickly transferring photos to a tablet and emailing to friends and family. I haven't used the GPS function though. Cons: 1. DX format (starting to learn about the limitations versus a full frame (i.e. more expensive) camera 2. Video focus tough to use (I guess I still have a lot to learn :P) 3. Lenses are expensive and there are soooooooo many accessories out there (my wallet is much lighter than I anticipated) 4. Settings can be a bit cumbersome and overwhelming for a beginner, but I'm getting the hang of it. I definitely recommend this camera, but I would recommend getting the only the body if you plan on picking up additional lenses (starting with the $200 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor). I bought this camera with the 18-55mm VRII lens, which is a good beginners lens. I've stopped using that lens since I got the 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor and haven't used the kit lens ever since. Overall, this is a great camera, and I've been having a great time with photography. At the end of the day, the camera is only a tool, but I'm glad I got this one and have no regrets about it.

I got a refurbished unit from a reputable vendor at a great price. It is a rather light camera and smaller than I thought but has such a nice rubberized grip. I bought it with the 18-55 mm VR kit lens since I'm just starting out and I graduated from a mirrorless Sony NEX-3N. I then bought the 55-200 mm zoom lens, and the 35 mm 1.8 prime lens. After a week of figuring things out (it really did take that long to get a decent shot), I am won over by it's amazing sensor, the lovely articulating screen, solid yet light construction, peer-to-peer wifi, fast autofocus, and many more adjustment features that were lacking in my Sony NEX-3N. I took pictures from my old camera and new and there is a significant difference in quality in low lighting situations especially. Also, the additional 8 megapixels to 24 from 16 clarifies the images considerably and a reasonable post processing cropping does not degrade the image. I've taken some pretty amazing images and with the right settings and lenses you can get professional quality photos. I was not wowed by the camera initially, but once I got the hang of using it, I am very happy with it. I feel it has enough headroom in which I can grow as a photographer. This is not a professional camera by the lack of more refined adjustments (like front and back autofocus adjustments), one control dial and only one SD card slot-but it's not a basic model. I would hazard to say it has enough for an intermediate level photographer, but it might be too complicated for a beginner. In short here are my likes and observed weaknesses with this camera: Pros It's the right size and weight to fit in my bag so it's always with me. "The best camera is the one that's with you." Chase Jarvis It feels great in my hand A view finder with a diopter adjustment and accessories shoe (totally lacking in a lot of mirrorless cameras). An articulating display that's pretty detailed and bright. An advanced 24 megapixel APS-C 1.5 crop sensor Phase-detection autofocus and contrast in live-view with up to 39 points The removal of the optical low-pass filter for a higher level of detail (that won't be realized until I get some optically superior lenses that can fully resolve the 24 megapixel detail). 2016 pixel RGB TTL exposure meter sensor Peer-to-peer wifi to transfer photos to my tablet and smartphone, and also remotely fire the camera. Availability of lenses at relatively dirt-cheap prices that are pretty sharp and autofocus quickly Battery lasts pretty long when using viewfinder An actual wall charger for the battery (it was in-camera charging with the Sony) Cons No touch screen so toggling feels a little dated with everything being touch screen now Dial function operates shutter speed and you need to depress other buttons at the same time to adjust aperture and ISO Some strange locations for certain buttons like shutter release settings and programmable function button. Poor documentation about more advanced features No built in motor so many legacy f mount lenses are manual focus only The viewfinder is a little small and has 95% coverage Live-view is slower than molasses GPS function is junk You can't make adjustments to the camera settings while controlling it from your tablet or smartphone A little on the high side if you pay full price Battery drains quickly when using wifi and in Live-view mode. Some iffy focus issues with the Nikon 35 mm 1.8 prime lens at the widest apertures in low light. Some have complained online about this combination presenting minor problems. My advice for beginners is to buy the d3300. It's considerably cheaper, has the same sensor, removal of the optical low-pass filter, and has a built in lens motor. Granted it only has 11 auto-focus points, a 420 pixel RGB light meter sensor, a smaller fixed screen, and no wifi or crappy GPS. You can buy the wifi module separately but it does protrude from the side of the camera body.

Great camera no visible defects takes great pictures overall exactly what I was looking for

I've only had the camera few days but so far so good. Everything works as advertised and I can use my other Nikon lenses on the D5300 body. The quality of the camera is very good, actually better than expected. 👍 Refurbished can be just as good as new!

It's more that what I expected

El día lunes 6 se envió el producto por devolución, ya que el visor de la cámara estaba sucio , le faltaba la tapa del cuerpo , no era multiidioma y no tenía tarjeta de memoria, este envío tuvo un coste para mi de 63 US$ , creo que Amazon debe revisar los productos antes de hacerse cargo de ofrecerlos , ya que es una tremenda frustración comprar algo que deseas y se quieran aprovechar de ti y no te coñetes tan ni los correos ni las solicitudes de llamada

Good camera for starting photoshooting (at least for the few days I've had it so far), although the camera came a bit dirty on the outer body. The reviews regarding the supplier were accurate and no caps were sent whatsoever, so no camera body cap, nor inner or outer lens cap. There is also no top flash cap or eyepiece protection. And the lens did come with a rough corner, as if something had hit it. Still, I hope it didn't damage the lens, and so far it seems to work as expected. I would give a 3.5 stars, but because I can't, I'll round it up to the 4th star.