Tutorials |Can the Nikon D3400…? Common questions answered

Can the Nikon D3400…? Common questions answered

Nikon D3400
Tutorial
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The Nikon D3400 is one of the best-selling cameras on the market, owing to its budget-conscious price tag of just £350 / $500. So naturally, Google gets a lot of questions about what the Nikon D3400 can and can’t do.

We hear you out there! And lucky for you, we’ve shot quite a lot with the D3400 and can help shed some light on some of those grey areas. Below we’ll take your questions one by one and provide the answers you’re seeking.

Did we miss your question? Let us know, and we’ll update the post!

Question 1: Can the Nikon D3400 record video?

Yes, the Nikon D3400 can record video in Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080)
at 60p (progressive)/50p/30p/25p/24p.

In our extensive test of the Nikon D3400, we found the quality of its video very high, with pleasant colour and nice detail levels. If you force it by moving the camera quickly, rolling shutter effect is visible, but it’s not a major issue unless you plan on panning with fast moving subjects on a regular basis.

Question 2: Can the Nikon D3400 shoot raw files?

Yes, the Nikon D3400 can shoot raw files. Raw files, of course, give you greater flexibility on the computer to correct exposures and unwanted colour casts.

Not only can the D3400 shoot raw files, but it offers a maximum shooting rate of 5 frames per second in its continuous shooting mode, and it can maintain this rate for up to 24 raw files (and 100 JPEGs).

We found that raw files from the Nikon D3400 have a bit more bite, even at high ISO values, and give you a lot of leeway to reveal a little more detail at the expense of some colour noise.

Question 3: Canon the Nikon D3400 get wet? Is it waterproof?

A lot of questions out there on the issue of water, so we lumped some of them together…. The short answer is, no, the Nikon D3400 is not waterproof. But you can buy a bespoke underwater housing for your D3400 from Ikelite, which opens up a world of creative possibilities.

Nor does the Nikon D3400 have weather sealing… which means you cannot get it wet. So be careful when planning those shoots at the beach, or venturing out into the rain. A light mist probably isn’t going to hurt it, but it’s always best to err on the side of caution. There are all sorts of great – and inexpensive – camera and lens covers out there to enable you to shoot in the rain.

So which Nikon DSLRs are weather sealed? If you go up the range to the D7200 and D7500 you’ll start finding weather-sealed models.

Question 4: Can the Nikon D3400 connect to WiFi?

No, the Nikon D3400 is not WiFi-compatible. But while it lacks Wi-Fi connectivity to allow photographers to control it remotely from their phones, it offers instead Bluetooth connectivity, which it calls SnapBridge.

Nikon’s SnapBridge feature allows you to connect the camera wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet by Bluetooth. What’s more, this connection can be maintained using a low energy connection so that images can be transferred from the camera to your phone automatically, even when the camera is turned off.

The SnapBridge system is easy to set-up following an on-screen wizard, and Nikon has refined it over the years, most recently with a major firmware update.

While it’s a very useful feature and one of the D3400’s key selling points, it’s worth noting that because the D3400 doesn’t have WiFi connectivity, it’s not possible to use the SnapBridge app to control the camera remotely.

 

Question 5: Can the Nikon D3400 do a time lapse video?

The Nikon D3400 cannot shoot a time lapse in-camera. This is because the Nikon D3400 does not have an intervalometer, which is a built-in timer that instructs the camera to take a photograph every so many seconds at an interval set by the user.

Built-in intervalometers are a fun and handy feature found on an increasing number of cameras. You can see how it works in this Nikon D850 interval shooting tutorial.

Just because your camera doesn’t boast an intervalometer doesn’t mean you can’t create a time lapse video. However, truth be told, it is a bit more difficult with the D3400.

The way around this would usually be to purchase an external intervalometer. You can either get a wired or wireless version for less than £100 / $100. The trouble is, these need to plug into a USB accessory port on your camera.

The Nikon D3300 had an accessory port, but Nikon removed this when it designed the D3400. That said, it still may be possible.

We’ve not tried it ourselves, but some D3400 users have reported that Sony’s intervalometers work with the D3400 since they are micro USB and can plug into the D3400.

A better solution – and less costly – would be to purchase an app such as qDslrDashboard, which is compatible with the D3400 and lets you use your phone as a remote control. Within the app you can then set up interval shooting to create a timelapse.

Now, doing a time lapse with the D3400 will require some patience. You’ll need to determine your interval and shoot images manually during this period. An easy way to do this when getting started is to use a timelapse calculator app, such as PhotoPills.

Afterward you’ll then need a piece software such as Photoshop into which you can import all your files, batch edit and combine into a video and set your speed.

Question 6: Can the Nikon D3400 connect to an iPhone or Android phone?

Yes, the Nikon D3400 can connect to your iPhone or Android device. This, again, is via its SnapBridge functionality. Unlike other Nikon cameras, you cannot use your iPhone and Android phone as a remote control because the D3400 doesn’t have WiFi capability. But you can still connect the camera to your phone to transfer images automatically as you shoot them.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to connect SnapBridge to your phone.

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