Nikon
D3200
 vs
Nikon
D800

Nikon D800

85

  
Nikon D3200

55

  
Winner

Nikon D800

Reasons to buy the Nikon D800

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
2,853 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
95.0
Color depth
 Great color depth
25.3 bits
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
14.4 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.2"
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.72x
 
Runner-up

Nikon D3200

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3200

Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
13.2 EV
True resolution
 High true resolution
24.1 MP
External mic jack
 External mic jack
Record higher quality audio with a microphone
Weight
 Light-weight
505 g
 

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3200
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available 169 lenses vs 121 lenses
Help
 Around 40% more lenses available
Size Significantly smaller 125x96x76 mm vs 146x123x82 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Weight Significantly lighter 505 g vs 1,000 g
Help
 Around 50% lighter
Thickness Thinner 3" vs 3.2"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Lowest price Cheaper $546.95 vs $2,796.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $2,250 cheaper (5.1x less)
Nikon D3200 Learn more about
the Nikon D3200

Advantages of the Nikon D800
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 2,853 ISO vs 1,131 ISO
Help
 The D800 has excellent image quality 1.3 f-stops higher ISO than the D3200
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 95.0 vs 81.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Viewfinder size Much larger viewfinder 0.72x vs 0.50x
Help
 More than 2x larger viewfinder
True resolution Much higher true resolution 36.2 MP vs 24.1 MP
Help
 Capture more than 50% more detail in your photos
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.2" vs 3.0"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
Sensor size Much larger sensor Full frame 35.9x24.0mm vs APS-C 23.2x15.4mm
Help
 Around 2.5x larger sensor
Weather sealed Weather sealed Yes vs No
Help
 Sealed to shoot in the rain
Focus points Significantly more focus points 51 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 15 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Viewfinder coverage Much better viewfinder coverage 100% vs 95%
Help
 Around 10% better viewfinder coverage
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 1,040k dots vs 921k dots
Help
 More than 10% higher resolution screen
Dynamic range More dynamic range 14.4 EV vs 13.2 EV
Help
 1.2 f-stops more dynamic range
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 209 ms vs 276 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Battery life Longer battery life 900 shots vs 540 shots
Help
 Around 70% more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Color depth Better color depth 25.3 bits vs 24.1 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 1.2 more bits of color
Storage slots Has more storage slots 2 vs 1
Help
 More slots allows storing more images without switching memory cards
Startup delay Slightly less startup delay 200 ms vs 400 ms
Help
 2x less delay when turning on
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/8000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The D800's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D800 Learn more about
the Nikon D800
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3200 Nikon D3200
55 vs 85
Explain scores
Nikon D800 Nikon D800
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D800. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a entry-level DSLR with a pro DSLR.

similarities

Compared to recent DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
D3200:13.2 EV
D800:14.4 EV
True resolution Capture very high resolution images Help
D3200:24.1 MP
D800:36.2 MP
Movie continuous focus Focus continuously recording movies Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Startup delay Minimal startup delay Help
D3200:400 ms
D800:200 ms
Built-in flash Each has a built-in flash Help
External flash not needed
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
4 fps
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
6,400 ISO
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Autofocus Slower contrast detection video autofocus Help
slower focusing
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$597 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the D5100 vs the D3200
Compare the D5100 vs the D800
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Compare the D5200 vs the D3200
Compare the D5200 vs the D800
Nikon D600

Nikon D600

Pro DSLR

$1,997 body only

$2,397 with 24-85mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D600 vs the D3200
Compare the D600 vs the D800
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D7100 vs the D3200
Compare the D7100 vs the D800
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$675 - $899 body only

$799 - $1,099 with 18-105mm lens
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D90 vs the D3200
Compare the D90 vs the D800
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Continuous shooting Shoots faster continuously
Weight Is slightly heavier
True resolution Takes significantly lower resolution photos
Compare the D7000 vs the D3200
Compare the D7000 vs the D800
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$699 - $899 body only

$999 - $1,279 with 18-135mm lens
Screen flips out Has a screen which flips out
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3200
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D800

Nikon D3200 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$599 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3200
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Thickness Thinner
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the D3100 vs the D3200
Canon Rebel T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$669 - $800 body only

$699 - $749 with 18-55mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
HDR Has in-camera HDR
Overall image quality Much worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the D3200

Nikon D800 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Pro DSLR

$3,250 - $3,499 body only

$3,800 - $4,099 with 24-105mm lens
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the EOS 5D Mark III vs the D800
Nikon D4

Nikon D4

Pro DSLR

$5,997 body only
Battery life Much longer battery life
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D4 vs the D800
Nikon D700

Nikon D700

Pro DSLR

$3,500 body only
Continuous shooting Shoots faster
Battery life Slightly longer battery life
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
Compare the D700 vs the D800
Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 6D

Pro DSLR

$1,999 body only

$2,599 with 24-105mm lens
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
GPS Has a GPS
Overall image quality Significantly worse image quality
True resolution Much lower true resolution
Compare the EOS 6D vs the D800

appearance

Nikon D3200 Nikon D800
Nikon D3200 Nikon D800
Nikon D3200 Nikon D800

discussion

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