Nikon 1 J3 vs Nikon D3500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon 1 J3 and the Nikon D3500, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon 1 J3 was introduced in November 2013 and Nikon D3500 was introduced in August 2018. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J3 over Nikon D3500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D3500 over Nikon 1 J3.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon 1 J3 and Nikon D3500 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 921k dot resolution.

Optical (pentamirror) Viewfinder on Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.85x (0.57x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon 1 J3.

Nikon 1 J3 features a 14.2 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 116.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 6,400. Nikon D3500 features a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon 1 J3 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3072 resolution. Nikon D3500 is equipped with EXPEED 4 processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4496 x 3000, 2992 x 2000 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon 1 J3 has Nikon 1 lens mount and Nikon D3500 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 J3 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7. Due to APS-C sensor in Nikon D3500 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon D3500

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D3500. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Nikon 1 J3 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D3500 nothing can be done. On Nikon D3500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon 1 J3 nothing can be done.

Bluetooth on Nikon D3500

Nikon D3500 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon 1 J3 has a Type C HDMI and Nikon D3500 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon 1 J3 comes with EN-EL20 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots and Nikon D3500 comes with EN-EL14a battery pack with battery life of 1550 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon 1 J3 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Nikon D3500 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon 1 J3 and Nikon D3500 have Electronic. shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 J3, and up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D3500. Nikon 1 J3 can shoot continuously up to 15.0 fps. Nikon D3500 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon 1 J3 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 135 (41 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon D3500 has 11 focusing points. Nikon D3500 has detection range from -1 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D3500 ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 range on Nikon 1 J3 and ±5 EV range on Nikon D3500. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on both models.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m on Nikon 1 J3 and 7.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D3500. Nikon D3500 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/60 sec on Nikon 1 J3 and 1/200 sec on Nikon D3500.

Nikon 1 J3 body has dimensions of 101 x 61 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.4 x 1.14") and Nikon D3500 body has dimensions of 124 x 97 x 70 mm (4.88 x 3.82 x 2.76"). Nikon 1 J3 weighs 201 g (0.44 lb / 7.09 oz) and Nikon D3500 weighs 365 g (0.80 lb / 12.87 oz).

Nikon 1 J3

Nikon D3500

101 mm

61 mm

124 mm

97 mm

61 mm

97 mm