Bill_de Loc: US

Best advice!

Canon and Nikon each have everything an amateur and most professionals will ever need. There may be a feature here or there that someone will point to and say XYZ is better. There are also the typical fan boys/girls who will swear that 'their' brand is best, even though they never took a decent picture in their life.

Good luck in your search.

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Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I would recommend a used Nikon D7000 (about $350) a used Nikkor AFS VR 55-300mm zoom (about $200), and a used Nikkor AFS VR 18-55 zoom (about $90), on ebay from top rated sellers. This will cover everything from wide angle to telephoto, stills and video. I use the D7000 and 55-300mm lens and am very happy with the result. My friend has the 18-55mm zoom and gets great results.

BIG ROB Loc: Princeton, NJ 08540

Does your inane comment help? Often your sharp wit is great..

BIG ROB Loc: Princeton, NJ 08540

Yeah, that is THE answer. THE solution...

BIG ROB Loc: Princeton, NJ 08540

How significant do you believe that the Image Sensor Cleaner is? Nikon engineers must surely be entirely aware, of the fact, that the image sensor's, low pass filter, will not be getting vibrated, by the not present, "cleaning" mechanism, yet, they chose, to go ahead with this design on their new DSLR's design! How many pennies, do you think that they've actually saved, by choosing to omit the vibrating mechanism, from in-front of the image sensor's, low pass filter? It couldn't have been much at all! I would be very surprised to see them also, leave it off, their new iterations, of their mid and high level DSLR's! That would say, that it was not, just saving some small change, in their production costs, but rather a new approach to dealing with their image sensors...
*** I just got off the phone with Nikon Tech Support, the Rep couldn't provide me with any information as to why, Nikon chose, to omit, the image Sensor Cleaner, from this fine camera model; only that Nikon had also removed the Wi-Fi from the D3400, which now has the "Snap-Bridge" in it's place. I made it very clear to Nikon, that in my opinion, they should have left the Image Sensor Cleaner, on the D3400, and simply raised the price of the camera, as required; As the Image Sensor Cleaner is a "Must Have" feature of the camera. I also requested that the Rep pass all of my comments on to Nikon Corporate.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I'm a firm believer in the built-in sensor cleaner; each of my Pentax cameras is set up to clean its sensor every time it turns out {and my MILC cleans while turning off also} ... I get very nervous at the thought of touching the sensor myself using one of those cleaning kits, so I like this solution much better.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

It is EXTREMELY significant if you change lenses anywhere there is moving air and dust or water spray. As a trainer for a large school photography company, I was the go to guy for difficult camera troubleshooting issues. Our early Canons had no cleaning device. We had lots of issues with dust, even though we NEVER took the lenses off of most of them. It comes from the foam dampening the mirror slap, from metal shavings off the shutter and aperture, and from air sucked in during zooming/focusing, among other sources. The later Canons all had vibrators, which killed 80% or more of our dust issues.

When Nikon does either WiFi or SnapBridge well, that will be amazing. Until they can get it down to a one click link on a phone app, and keep it fast and rock steady reliable to at least 30 feet or so, it's just a gimmick and a battery drainer.

I agree that price competition makes them do stupid things. Gotta keep the price in line with the equivalent Canons, right? I was in Costco the other day, and they had the 3400 and one of the Rebels, both in 2-lens kits, at pretty close to the same price.

BIG ROB Loc: Princeton, NJ 08540

It's really rather incredulous, that Nikon would actually CHOOSE "to shoot THEIR OWN BRAND NEW MODEL DSLR, in the Foot!"
This otherwise extremely fine performing, entry level consumer camera, that's replacing their wonderful, and so popular D3300?
It makes no business sense. You'd think their marketing/development people would understand, that even new photographer's will
realize the serious lack of the image cleaning device. How much could they have possibly saved? (Add it to the price of the camera.)

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

My wife has a D3300 at work. It is not the best camera around, but it is *very* hard to beat for the money. I'd rather buy that than a new 3400.

BIG ROB Loc: Princeton, NJ 08540

Of course not "the best," yet a truly excellent starter camera (D3300) for the photographer, also as a back-up body for a Nikon shooter. It takes extremely sharp and well defined images, having a superb image sensor, and all that you need for basic yet serious photography at a great low price; A real shame that they CHOSE to run the model line into a "brick wall", by omitting the needed sensor cleaner; such an inexpensive, and basic item. They really gave the entry level slot to Canon Rebel by doing this! Very poor
business decision...(Nice thread, Burke.)