Nikon D5300 Review: A 360-Degree View at a Budget DSLR

The Nikon D5300 model has been one of the better DSLRs in the Nikon series, competing with the likes of the Nikon 5200 and Nikon 7500. However, it’s priced fairly affordably compared to some of the more advanced models on the market, although not as affordably as the best DSLR cameras under 30,000 here.

But what exactly does it bring to the table in terms of the features and functionality, and other aspects? Let’s find out below!

Who Should Buy It?

First things first, the Nikon D5300 is going to be an ideal DSLR for enthusiastic hobbyists, who are often also known as the advanced beginners.

Technical Attributes

• The image quality is amazing with the 24.2 MP camera with an Af-p of 18-55 mm, which captures the static images without any loss of detail
• f/3.5-5.6g
• It comes with a VR kit lens
• The storage memory comes with a 16GB card accessorized with a camera bag to store and carry around.

Physical attributes

1. Lightweight when compared to the more advanced D7100
2. Neutral Black in color
3. Fairly more compact than the D3200

A Detailed Look at the Nikon D5300

Let us tell you right off the bat that the image quality is at its best with the 24.2 MP camera that comes with onboard flash. The lightning, brightness and the saturation can be edited on a post processing stage to make the pictures look exactly how you want them to.

The onboard flash might pose a problem while taking photographs in dim light, causing reflections and capturing shadows of the surrounding subjects. However, you would easily be able to get around this by getting a cheap lighting product with the D5300.

Alternatively, you can consider having a slightly bigger budget and getting one of the DSLR cameras under 50,000 as reviewed here.

Take high quality pictures with time-lapses

The built-in intervalometer provides the versatility to take time-lapsed pictures seamlessly. This allows you to take raw images and later process them to your liking.

Ease of USE

The Nikon D5300 is for learning, experimenting and honing your skills as a photographer and videographer. The knowledge about the technicalities, handling of the manual focus, lighting and frequencies are explained by the tutorial CD that comes with the product to help you in your photographic adventure.

Editing Modes

The previous model of the Nikon series usually had nine editing effects such as landscape, portrait, people etc. But, with the new D5300, two new modes of editing are introduced for helping users unleash their creativity: Toy camera and HDR painting.

And they are just as cool as they sound.

A Great Budget DSLR

Something that makes the D5300 the best DSLR in India for those on a budget is that despite being priced on the lower side (by DSLR standard), it still comes with the Wi-Fi and GPS.

The Wi-Fi helps to instantly send the picture to your smartphone using, while also allowing to simultaneously share on social media.

The GPS helps in tagging the altitude, longitude, and latitude of the picture taken.

Lens Compatibility

This feature adds on another pro for getting quality images and reducing the audio noise, while also offering the flexibility of using an external lens to improve the image quality.

High HD Video Mode

The video quality is also pretty impressive at this price point, as you can record videos in the standard 1080/60p HD quality. The screen is 3.2” wide and helps in properly capturing the entire element(s).

The split screen is quite an innovative feature, that allows you to see your video live as you record it.

Good Battery Life

You can take up to 600 shots with the battery life if you were to review every photo. If not, the Nikon D5300 can take up to 1500 shots.

The battery also charges pretty quickly, making it a great DSLR for travel purposes.

New Efficient Processor

The Nikon D5300 is powered by the EXPEED 4 processor. Usually, lower ISO results in better quality images, but with D5300 you can increase the ISO to 6400 and still get videos that are less noisy and very detailed.

Cons of D5300

The absence of touchscreen and autofocus motor

The D5300 lacks these powerful features present in the expensive models, which are available at the same price from different competing brands.

The Wi-Fi feature is restricted to only smartphones and the pictures taken are restricted to JPEG format.

Presence of Noise

There is some presence of noise while taking a video due to the internal mike. The audio noise can also be absorbed when the lens is in autofocus mode during video recording.

Getting Around the Cons

1. The audio noise can be minimized by using the lens in the manual mode.
2. Onboard flash consumes a lot of battery but isn’t very impressive when it comes to taking photos in low light conditions and at preventing reflections and shadows. You can always buy an external flash to avoid this drawback.
3. You can go for a higher quality lens to get a much better level of clarity in your images.

Summing It Up

As a final word, we must say that you would be hard-pressed to find something as functional as the Nikon D5300 in this price range. Unless you’re looking for some super advanced features, it can turn out to be a great choice on a budget, just like some of the other best DSLR cameras under 40,000 that have been reviewed on our blog.