PHOTO QUALITY. This 24-megapixel SLR camera captured images with very good quality. Pictures were sharp, which means you can see most details and subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations without a flash, pictures were sharp. We judged this model very good for outdoor performance, such as shooting landscapes in the daytime; very good for indoor performance, such as photographing a well-lit basketball game in a gym. And very good for low-light performance without a flash, such as capturing a birthday party. Photos taken in our low-light performance tests displayed very little image noise; subjects retained correct detail and color.
FLASH. The D 3500 w/ 50mm with the 50mm kit lens captured flash shots that were very good. In our distance test, we found the camera's flash could illuminate subjects very well, both near and far. The flash also has very good, even coverage.
LENS. The lens has a fixed focal length; it has no zoom capability.
IMAGE STABILIZATION. Although this model doesn't have an image stabilizer, it did an excellent job of minimizing the effects of camera shake in our tests. Shooting with digital telephoto in well-lit scenes, this model did an excellent job of minimizing the effects of camera shake. In low-light settings, it performed excellently and almost never produced blurry photos. Overall, the shake reduction results from our tests were excellent.
SPEED. In terms of performance, the Nikon D 3500 w/ 50mm powers up instantly. It has a very short interval between shots, which can be important when shooting fast-moving or unpredictable subjects.
VIDEO. The Nikon D 3500 w/ 50mm takes very good video. It captures full HD video at 1920 x 1080 60p. As for sound, it captures excellent audio in mono.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. Like all SLRs, it also includes a through-the-lens viewfinder, helpful when composing in bright light; this viewfinder has excellent quality. This SLR is much lighter than most in its class.
