Nikon D3200 vs Nikon D850
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NikonD3200 | NikonD850 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | May 2012 | September 2017 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | DSLR | DSLR |
| Sensor format | APS-C | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CMOS | Backside-illuminated CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.2 × 15.4 mm | 35.9 × 23.9 mm |
| Effective resolution | 24.2 MP | 45.7 MP |
| Largest image | 6016 × 4000 | 8256 × 5504 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 100–6400 | 64–25600 |
| Sensor detail | Japan specifies 24.16 million effective and 24.72 million total pixels, rounded to 24.2 and 24.7 million; Nikon DX format with approximately 1.5× lens focal-length equivalent; sensor cleaning, Airflow Control System and Image Dust Off reference data | 46.89 million total pixels; no optical low-pass filter; sensor cleaning and image-dust-off reference data. UK effective resolution rounded to 45.7 MP; Japan specifies 45.75 million, distinct from the 45.44-million-pixel largest file. |
| Image formats | 12-bit compressed NEF RAW, JPEG and simultaneous RAW plus JPEG; Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape Picture Controls; in-camera RAW processing and retouching | 12/14-bit NEF RAW with lossless compression, compression or no compression; medium/small RAW fixed at 12-bit lossless; JPEG, RGB TIFF and RAW plus JPEG |
| ISO detail | ISO 100–6400 in one-stop steps; expanded ISO 12800 equivalent; Auto ISO. Movie sensitivity ISO 200–6400, expandable to 12800 | Expandable to equivalent ISO 32–102400; Auto ISO available |
| Image processor | EXPEED 3 | EXPEED 5 |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Nikon F mount | Nikon F mount |
| Stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation |
| Maximum continuous burst | 4 fps | 9 fps |
| Lens detail | Autofocus with AF-S and AF-I NIKKOR lenses; no body autofocus motor for screw-drive lenses. Other compatible AF lenses require manual focus. Non-CPU lenses work in manual exposure without metering; IX and F3AF lenses unsupported; electronic rangefinder requires maximum aperture f/5.6 or faster | Compatible F-mount lenses include G/E/D, other supported AF, P and AI non-CPU lenses with restrictions; DX lenses use a cropped image area. Non-AI, IX and F3AF lenses unsupported. |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 1000; 11 phase-detection points including one cross-type; -1 to +19 EV at ISO 100, 20°C; AF-S/AF-C/AF-A, single-point, dynamic, auto-area and 11-point 3D tracking; AF-assist lamp. Live view uses contrast-detection AF-S/AF-F with face-priority, wide, normal and subject-tracking areas | Viewfinder Multi-CAM 20K phase detection with 153 points, 99 cross-type and 55 user-selectable; 15 support f/8. Live view uses contrast detection with face, wide, normal, pinpoint and tracking modes. Review references to a Multi-CAM 3500 module are incorrect. |
| Shutter | 1/4000 to 30 seconds in one-third stops and Bulb; Time requires optional ML-L3 remote; flash sync 1/200 second | 1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb and Time; mechanical focal-plane and electronic front-curtain options; flash sync 1/250 second with compatible Auto FP support; electronic silent live-view modes |
| Burst detail | Approximately 4 fps under Nikon's manual-focus, S/M, 1/250-second-or-faster test conditions; Japanese specification lists up to 18 RAW, ten RAW plus Fine JPEG or 80 Large/Fine JPEG frames with its specified 8 GB SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-I SDHC card | Main 9 fps requires optional MB-D18 grip, EN-EL18b battery and BL-5 cover; body with EN-EL15-series battery reaches 7 fps. Full-resolution silent Mode 1 reaches 6 fps. Brief silent Mode 2 reaches 30 fps for at most three seconds with fixed focus/exposure and 3600 × 2400 DX JPEG Normal files; this restricted mode is not the headline continuous rate. |
| Stabilisation detail | Optical VR depends on the lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation | No sensor-shift stabilisation; optical VR depends on the attached lens. Electronic movie vibration reduction available with mode restrictions. |
| Flash | Built-in pop-up flash; guide number approximately 12 m at ISO 100, 20°C, or 13 at manual full output; hot shoe; optional AS-15 adapter for PC sync | No built-in flash; ISO 518 hot shoe, ISO 519 sync terminal and compatible external i-TTL Speedlights |
| Exposure controls | P/S/A/M, Auto, flash-off Auto and scene modes; beginner Guide mode with illustrative assist images. 420-pixel RGB metering with Colour Matrix Metering II, centre-weighted and spot modes; ±5 EV compensation; Active D-Lighting on/off | P/S/A/M; ±5 EV compensation; 180K-pixel RGB metering sensor, unlike Photography Blog's erroneous 91K-pixel narrative |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 1920 × 1080 at 30 fps | 3840 × 2160 at 29.97 fps |
| Video detail | H.264 MOV at Full HD 30p/25p/24p, 720p 60p/50p or 640 × 424 at 30p/25p; actual NTSC rates 59.94/29.97/23.976. Maximum clip approximately 20 minutes; continuous contrast-detection autofocus available. Photography Blog's 24p-only Full HD description and Photo Review's 640 × 480 table differ from Nikon's technical sheet | Full-width FX or DX UHD 3840 × 2160 at 29.97/25/23.976p; Full HD up to 59.94p and cropped silent slow-motion capture at 100/119.88 fps played at 25/29.97/23.976p. H.264 MOV/MP4; recording limit 29 minutes 59 seconds. In-camera 4K time-lapse; 8K time-lapse requires still-frame assembly in external software. |
| Audio | Built-in mono microphone, external stereo microphone supported through 3.5 mm input; adjustable sensitivity and linear PCM recording. Photography Blog's description of a built-in stereo microphone differs from Nikon's mono specification | Built-in stereo microphones, external 3.5 mm microphone input and headphone monitoring; PCM or AAC depending on file format; slow motion has no audio |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical | Optical |
| Screen size | 3″ | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 921,000 | 2,359,000 |
| Touchscreen | – | Yes |
| Tilting screen | – | Yes |
| Display detail | Fixed 3-inch TFT, approximately 921000 dots globally, rounded to 920000 in Japan; 160° viewing angle and approximately 100% coverage; dots count subpixels | Tilting TFT, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; maker US announcement specifies 2359K dots, Japan rounds to approximately 2.36 million; dots count subpixels |
| Viewfinder detail | Pentamirror; approximately 95% frame coverage, 0.8× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity and 18 mm eyepoint | Pentaprism, approximately 100% FX coverage, 0.75× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity, 17 mm eyepoint and −3 to +1 dioptre adjustment |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | – | Yes |
| Bluetooth | – | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 540 photographs | 1840 photographs |
| Body weight | 455 g (better) | 915 g |
| Release detail | Nikon Japan records sale on 24 May 2012; the US announcement planned late-April kit availability, without confirming an actual retail day. Main date is the confirmed Japanese retail date. Nikon's global announcement explicitly calls D3200 the successor to D3100 | Announced on 24 August 2017 after a July development announcement; Nikon US states September availability and Nikon Japan specified 8 September. Main retains September because the exact first UK retail day is unconfirmed. |
| Recording media | One SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot, with UHS-I support for SDHC/SDXC; MMC unsupported | Current maker specification supports CFexpress Type B/XQD plus UHS-II SD/SDHC/SDXC; overflow, backup, RAW/JPEG separation and card copying. Launch specification had XQD plus SD. |
| Ports | Hi-Speed USB, mini-HDMI Type C, NTSC/PAL analogue video output, 3.5 mm stereo microphone input and accessory terminal for optional MC-DC2 remote or GP-1 GPS; optional ML-L3 infrared remote | USB 3.0 Micro-B, mini HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets, 10-pin remote terminal and flash-sync socket; Ethernet requires the optional WT-7 transmitter |
| Wireless connections | No integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or GPS; optional WU-1a wireless mobile adapter transfers images and supports remote shooting; optional GP-1 GPS | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 4.1; SnapBridge |
| Battery life detail | EN-EL14; approximately 540 CIPA single-frame photographs or 1800 continuous photographs under Nikon's different test. Original manual CIPA test uses 23°C, AF-S DX 18–55mm VR and alternate-shot flash, without live view | EN-EL15a/15b; maker CIPA claim approximately 1840 shots using the camera's own EN-EL15-series battery, not requiring the D5 battery as UK marketing prose could suggest. EN-EL15c may be supplied. Optional MB-D18 supports EN-EL18b, EN-EL15-series or eight AA cells. |
| Charging | External MH-24 charger; optional EH-5b adapter with EP-5A power connector | External MH-25a charger; optional EH-5c/EH-5b AC adapter and EP-5B power connector |
| Dimensions | Approximately 125 × 96 × 76.5 mm | Approximately 146 × 124 × 78.5 mm |
| Weight detail | Approximately 455 g body only or 505 g with battery and SD card, excluding body cap | Approximately 915 g body only or 1005 g including battery and XQD card, excluding body cap |
| Materials | – | Weather-sealed construction; maker operating range 0–40°C |
| Colours | Black or red | – |
| In the box | EN-EL14 battery, MH-24 charger, UC-E17 USB cable, EG-CP14 audio-video cable, AN-DC3 strap, BF-1B body cap, BS-1 shoe cover, DK-5 eyepiece cap, DK-20 eyecup and ViewNX 2 CD-ROM | EN-EL15-series battery, MH-25a charger, HDMI/USB cable clip, UC-E22 USB cable, AN-DC18 strap, BF-1B body cap and DK-17F eyepiece; battery revision may vary |
More comparisons
- Nikon D3200 vs Nikon Z50II
- Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z 8
- Nikon D850 vs Nikon Z 7II
- Nikon D6 vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D3200 vs Nikon D6
- Nikon D780 vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D3200 vs Nikon D780
- Nikon D850 vs Panasonic LUMIX S1R
- Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D3200 vs Nikon D3500
- Nikon D850 vs PENTAX K-1 Mark II
- Canon EOS 5D Mark IV vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D800 vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D800E vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D810 vs Nikon D850
- Nikon D5 vs Nikon D850

