Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3100

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D3500 and the Nikon D3100, 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 D3500 was introduced in August 2018 and Nikon D3100 was introduced in December 2010. 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 D3500 over Nikon D3100.

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 D3500 and Nikon D3100 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 921k dot and 230k dot resolutions respectively.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinders. They both have 95% coverage.

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 366.6 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600. Nikon D3100 features a 14 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.1 x 15.4 mm and a total area of 237.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode.

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 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. Nikon D3100 is equipped with EXPEED 2 processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3072 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3456 x 2304, 2304 x 1536 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Nikon F lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) 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 D3500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D3100 nothing can be done. On Nikon D3100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D3500 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 D3500 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon D3100 has a Mini Type C HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D3500 comes with EN-EL14a battery pack with battery life of 1550 shots and Nikon D3100 comes with EN-EL14 battery pack with battery life of 550 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D3500 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot. Nikon D3100 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D3500 has Electronic shutter. Nikon D3100 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D3500, and up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D3100. Nikon D3500 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps. Nikon D3100 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D3500 has 11 focusing points and Nikon D3100 has 11 (1 cross-type) focusing points. They both have detection range from -1 to +19 EV

Exposure

Both cameras' exposure metering ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on both models.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 7.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D3500 and 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D3100. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe to Nikon D3500 and via Hot Shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock to Nikon D3100. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on both cameras.

Nikon D3500 body has dimensions of 124 x 97 x 70 mm (4.88 x 3.82 x 2.76") and Nikon D3100 body has dimensions of 124 x 96 x 75 mm (4.88 x 3.78 x 2.95"). Nikon D3500 weighs 365 g (0.80 lb / 12.87 oz) and Nikon D3100 weighs 505 g (1.11 lb / 17.81 oz).

Nikon D3500

Nikon D3100

124 mm

97 mm

124 mm

96 mm

97 mm

96 mm

70 mm

75 mm