Nikon D3300 DX-format DSLR Kit w/ 18-55mm DX VR II & 55-200mm DX VR II Zoom Lenses and Case (Black)

Based on the top reviews, and after 3+ weeks of driving myself and my wife crazy with the hardcore researching about which camera to buy in this price class, I chose the D3300. My first experience was with a third-party seller, and I'm still extremely angry at them for hosing my order up so badly.So, I decided to spend a little more and buy from Amazon instead, knowing Amazon would make any problems go away as quickly as possible. Since I didn't get the kit from a 3rd party, I paid more and got a lot less in terms of accessories. I've had to buy the wireless remote, wired remote, filters, petal shade thing, cleaning cloths and brushes, all that stuff that I've just found out is pretty essential if you're going to spend the time to learn how much this camera can do. I'm an avid sci-fi nerd, which means I love nothing more than to stare at the night sky, and now stare at the night sky while the camera is doing a long exposure to capture the Milky Way.The case is nice and padded, and has room for the camera and both lenses, and so far, all of my accessories. It has adjustable padded velcro doohickies in it to resize the compartments to your needs. It's not stiff at all, which could be worrisome if I was rough and tumble, but since this is my first "real" camera in my 41 years, I tend to treat it like my ESP and Jackson guitars (like they are unstable nitroglycerin containers).The lenses are both Nikon-made, though I'm nowhere near experienced enough to know if they are as great as others have said in these reviews. So far, the camera and lenses work exactly as they should, and I've quickly learned how to actually do manual settings in some situations (as Auto mode is okay, but when you hit the right exposure/ISO/etc, the full moon through the zoomed 200mm is too awesome for words... I guess I'm weird but it's still amazing that my moon pictures that I got the settings right look just as good as the National Geographic type quality stuff I've seen my whole life... the craters and such... this came from MY CAMERA!).The D3300 doesn't have all the extra Autofocus bells and whistles that some others do, but so far, it works great. Again, I'm a nooblet, but I'm doing something right, and I'm sure that something is getting a good camera and lens that will guide me with excellent results. The flash is something I haven't used much of yet, though I am definitely going to purchase an external unit as I'm a nerd and want to learn that too.One of the things I like about the lenses, and this is probably common knowledge to SLR users, is that they have a little button on them to lock the lens "closed" (or "retracted" is probably a better term). The camera is constantly reminding me when I turn it on that I have to hold the button on the lens housing and twist to get it to lock in the "open" mode. Seems like it would be annoying, but I'm paranoid-careful still so this is a good thing. Plus it retracts them further than their shortest active mode, which saves an inch or more of space in the bag.Overall, I am more pleased with this camera kit than I can put into words. Again, it's my first "real" camera. Sort of like when I bought my first "real" (ie: expensive as @#%@) guitar. It's a learning experience for sure, but I joined a local camera club that meets regularly, and I'm a big internet nerd so I've been reading as much as I can then rushing outside to try it out. I like that the camera guides me into doing things without confusing me too much.The biggest issue I've run into so far is I had to search the internet to find out why the camera wouldn't take pictures in the dark. I KNOW these things are awesome at taking pictures of the night sky, but mine wouldn't... For experienced camera persons, you're probably wanting to thump me in the head because you know the answer, but for other rookies like me, the answer is: set it to manual focus.Yep, turn off AF (autofocus). If it's too dark, the camera can't focus on a subject and so refuses to open the shutter. Now, there might be another way around this, but this was the only real answer I found that solved my problem. Now I've got about 9GB of images from just about every shutter speed imaginable, and I'm about to have about 5000000GB more now that I have a wired shutter remote and can leave it open for an hour or more.Note to self: buy a nice motorized tripod with GPS so it will track the stars and not leave streaks.This kit did come with the wireless / WiFi adapter. I haven't used it yet, and to be honest, I'm not sure if I ever will. I guess I should finally stop being an old man and get an Instagram account. I have a nice LG G3 phone, but I can't really see how using my camera in WiFi mode would be helpful. It seems like just another step or six that I'd have to go through when what I really dig is popping the SD card and plugging it into the desktop via USB 3.0 card reader. Blazing fast transfers that way, much faster than WiFi or USB 2.0 phone. I'll keep it around just in case someone tells me a good use for it, but if the kit came without it, I wouldn't have cared. Which also means I am glad I saved some money and bought this model instead of the next step up (D5300?) which has built-in WiFi and GPS.Thanks to all of the great reviews of this product. They really did help me make up my mind between this and the Canon T5i (I REALLY wanted the 1080p video @ 60fps, and from everything I've read and seen, the D3300 video capabilities are superior to almost every other camera in this price range) and a few others (Pentax and Minolta were candidates too).

This is an excellent buy for someone starting in the the world of photography. I really have no previous knowledge of photography so I can really review this camera as a beginner. I must say I was quit daunted by SLR cameras as I'm only accustomed to the point and shoot ones so I wasn't sure if I could have taken great pictures with a DSLR camera. But to my surprise I got really stunning results!To begin with this camera is quite lightweight and is great for smaller hands like my wife's ones (who I actually brought the camera for) She used it with the greatest of ease.The quality of the camera lenses and bag is very sturdy and yes even though I knew Nikon made great cameras the finish and use of all the buttons switches etc. were very smooth and solid.As beginners we relied heavily (and solely for now :-) ) on the automatic settings that came with this camera. I must say I was actually blown away by the quality of pictures we got with these setting even in low light. We went on vacation days after we brought this camera and got amazing pictures despite our lack of photography knowledge.The child setting was really impressive as I got some wonderful shots with my kids in action which looked really professional. If in doubt the auto setting was always great and I can say no picture was really bad. Its nice NIkon has 2 lenses with this kit which came in handy for the distant shots and the "professional" close ups. It really had our interest at a peak. It comes with VR but the pictures I always got were so clear I really didn't have a need to use it thus far.My only "con" for this is not with the camera itself but it would have been nice if lens filters were included to protect your lenses. We are now getting into understanding some of the basics of photography and in time we will really use this camera to its full potential. But if you really want to learn photography this camera is a real motivator. I also recommend buying this camera through amazon and not through a 3 rd party seller as the delivery was fast and a lot of 3rd party sellers do have a mix and match set with non original nikon fittings where I heard other reviewers complain about parts don't fit etc. This set came directly from nikon itself in one box and it works perfectly!

Everything I need for my camera fits perfectly in this case, with room to spare. I carry it to work and special events on a regular basis. It appears to be very sturdy and of good quality. It looks great, too-- pleasing on the eye and professional quality. Great accessories for a begin get photographer, but I would suggest also purchasing lens protectors and an additional battery if you do a lot of traveling or field photography. The battery life tends to be excellent, but I would hate to lose a good shot because I didn't have a backup! I also bought a more comfortable strap, but that was merely personal preference.Most importantly, I love this camera. My photos are vibrant, detailed, and crisp. Viewers have made the comment that they feel they could reach into one of these photos and touch the world on the other side. Stunning results, truly. The camera is lighter than expected and feels great in my hands, meaning I can shoot longer without exhausting my arms. Easy to use and learn, even for a novice. There are loads of instructional books and videos online if you need additional guidance, but the user manual is very detailed in itself. I had no problem taking professional-quality photos with this camera straight out of the box. The improvement in photo quality over my old camera was immediately noticeable and I received a surge of compliments when I shared the results online.Delivery was quick with Amazon Prime and I haven't looked back since switching to this kit!