Like on most DSLRs that offer continuous autofocus during movie recording its use is only recommendable within limits. In normal shooting the ‘jello’ effect is a non-issue on the Nikon. However, the effect is much less visible on the D3200 than on earlier generation cameras and you have to pan very fast to notice. Like all DSLRs with a CMOS sensor the D3200 can suffer from 'jello' effects when panning or recording subjects that are moving fast across the frame, with vertical lines tilting to diagonals due to the use of a 'rolling' shutter. On the other hand this means there is a higher possibility of your subjects moving out of the focal plane while filming. It allows for much easier isolation of subjects and gives you, in combination with Nikon's range of lenses, better creative flexibility than the smaller sensors of compact cameras. The D3200's APS-C sensor brings with it all the depth of field pros and cons that come with larger sensors. That said, you can connect an external stereo microphone and even control the recording level which is the recommended option for more serious videographers. The sound quality from the built-in microphone is only good enough for casual shooting in quiet surroundings and will easily pick up noise from camera operations such as zooming, autofocus or vibration reduction. The camera captures good quality movie footage, with smooth motion, no visible artifacts and comparatively low image noise levels when shooting in low light. The Nikon D3200 produces video output that is very similar to its predecessor D3100 and indeed other recent Nikon entry-level and mid-range DSLRs. However, the display makes no attempt to reflect the currently-set exposure level at all, and there's no on-screen exposure level meter either - a serious omission in our opinion.
In M mode you can additionally set shutter speed and ISO manually if you have activated this option in the menu - this is a new feature on the D3200. This is, obviously, somewhat confusing until you understand what's going on - at which point it's merely inexplicable. But if you then take a still image and restart movie recording, your new clip will now be shot at F16. This means, bizarrely, that movies aren't always recorded at the currently-set aperture.įor example, if in A mode you set the camera to F5.6 and enter live view, then change the aperture to F16 and start recording, your movie will be shot at F5.6. The camera enters live view at the currently set (or metered) aperture, but then remains there no matter what changes you make, until you either exit live view or take a picture. In A and M modes you can set the aperture manually before shooting but sadly this still works in the same unintuitive way as on the D3100.
The Nikon D3200 offers more control over video settings than previous generation Nikon entry-level DSLRs, including manual control over audio recording levels. In the PAS modes you can apply exposure compensation up to +/-3 EV, either before or during filming. Shutter speed, aperture and ISO are usually set automatically, and you can press the AEL button during recording to lock the exposure. You can record a still image while shooting a movie simply by pressing the shutter button - however this does also stop movie recording. At this point the live view image will crop down to the 16:9 aspect ratio if you're recording HD footage, but sadly there is still no way to preview the 16:9 format for more accurate framing before you press the record button. You engage live view by pressing the dedicated button on the camera back, then press the red movie button next to the shutter button to start recording. The process is well-integrated into the user interface and you don't need to enter a specific movie mode. Recording a movie on the D3200 works in a very similar way to the D3100. Monaural sound, Linear PCM, stereo sound with external microphone Like on the D3100 some basic video editing options are available in-camera via the retouch menu, allowing you to trim clips to selected start/end points, or extract individual frames as still images. MOV Quicktime format using H.264 compression.
There is a choice of three video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 Full HD, 1280 x 720 HD, and 640 x 424 SD - which all use progressive (i.e. Other than that, the camera's movie specs are in line with its predecessor. The built-in internal microphone captures mono audio only but you can adjust its sensitivity and switch it off completely. The new model offers manual control over both shutter speed and aperture (on the D3100 you could only fix the aperture before recording), and there is a connector for an external microphone which allows you to record stereo sound. On paper the D3200 offers a very similar video mode to its predecessor, the D3100, but there are a couple of interesting improvements which make the D3200 a more serious video capturing device than the D3100 was.