DSLR · 2012

Nikon D3200

The Nikon D3200 is a DSLR from 2012 with a APS-C sensor measuring 23.2 × 15.4 mm and 24.2 megapixels. Its crop factor is 1.55×, so a 50 mm lens frames like 78 mm on full frame. Every number below is calculated for this exact sensor.

APS-C1.55× crop24.2 MPNikon F
Nikon D3200 camera
Photo: Rwendland, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1.55×
Crop factor
23.2×15.4 mm
Sensor size
357 mm²
Area · 41% of full frame
24.2 MP
Resolution
3.86 µm
Pixel pitch
f/5.7
Diffraction-limited aperture
2012
Release year

Specifications#

Brand
Nikon
Model
D3200
Camera type
DSLR
Released
2012-01-01
Lens mount
Nikon F
Sensor size
23.2 × 15.4 mm (APS-C)
Crop factor
1.55×
Resolution
24.2 MP (6,016 × 4,000 px)
Continuous shooting
4 fps
Weight
455 g (16.0 oz)
Sensor
23.2 mm × 15.4 mm Nikon DX format RGB CMOS sensor, 1.5 × FOV crop, 3.85 µm pixel size
Storage
Secure Digital, SDHC and SDXC compatible, UHS-I bus
Viewfinder
Optical 0.80x, 95% Pentamirror
AF points / area
11-area AF system, Multi-CAM 1000 AF Sensor Module
Metering
TTL 3D Color Matrix Metering II metering with a 420-pixel RGB sensor
Shutter
Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Flash
Built in Pop-up, Guide number 13 m at ISO 100, Standard ISO hotshoe, Compatible with the Nikon Creative Lighting System
Battery
Nikon EN-EL14 rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery
Lens
Interchangeable, Nikon F-mount
Predecessor
Nikon D3100
Successor
Nikon D3300
Drive
4 fps

Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.

Sensor size compared#

Medium format 44 × 33 mmFull frame (35 mm)Nikon D3200Four Thirds / Micro Four Thirds1" (one-inch) sensor
The Nikon D3200 sensor (highlighted) drawn to scale against common formats. Its area is 41% of a full-frame sensor, which collects about 1.3 stops less total light at the same exposure.

Focal length equivalents & field of view#

Multiply any focal length by 1.55 to get the full-frame field of view. Angles are for a rectilinear lens focused at infinity.

Lens on this cameraFull-frame equivalentHorizontalVerticalDiagonal
8 mm12 mm110.8°87.8°120.2°
10 mm16 mm98.5°75.2°108.6°
12 mm19 mm88.1°65.4°98.5°
14 mm22 mm79.3°57.6°89.7°
16 mm25 mm71.9°51.4°82.1°
18 mm28 mm65.6°46.3°75.4°
20 mm31 mm60.2°42.1°69.7°
24 mm37 mm51.6°35.6°60.2°
28 mm44 mm45.0°30.8°52.9°
35 mm54 mm36.7°24.8°43.4°
40 mm62 mm32.3°21.8°38.4°
50 mm78 mm26.1°17.5°31.1°
56 mm87 mm23.4°15.7°27.9°
70 mm109 mm18.8°12.6°22.5°
85 mm132 mm15.5°10.4°18.6°
100 mm155 mm13.2°8.8°15.9°
135 mm210 mm9.8°6.5°11.8°
200 mm311 mm6.6°4.4°8.0°
300 mm466 mm4.4°2.9°5.3°
400 mm622 mm3.3°2.2°4.0°
600 mm932 mm2.2°1.5°2.7°
800 mm1243 mm1.7°1.1°2.0°

Depth of field table#

Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 19.3 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.

FocalAperture50.0 cm1.00 m2.00 m3.00 m5.00 m10.0 mHyperfocal
14 mmf/1.88.7 cm36.1 cm1.61 m4.41 m40.5 m∞5.65 m
14 mmf/2.813.7 cm58.7 cm3.13 m15.4 m∞∞3.64 m
14 mmf/419.9 cm91.5 cm8.08 m∞∞∞2.55 m
14 mmf/844.9 cm3.92 m∞∞∞∞1.28 m
28 mmf/1.82.1 cm8.6 cm35.2 cm80.4 cm2.32 m11.0 m22.6 m
28 mmf/2.83.3 cm13.5 cm55.4 cm1.28 m3.89 m26.1 m14.5 m
28 mmf/44.7 cm19.3 cm80.8 cm1.92 m6.44 m561 m10.2 m
28 mmf/89.4 cm39.8 cm1.83 m5.35 m242 m∞5.10 m
48 mmf/1.80.7 cm2.9 cm11.8 cm26.8 cm75.1 cm3.07 m66.3 m
48 mmf/2.81.1 cm4.5 cm18.4 cm41.8 cm1.18 m4.94 m42.7 m
48 mmf/41.5 cm6.4 cm26.3 cm60.0 cm1.71 m7.51 m29.9 m
48 mmf/83.0 cm12.8 cm53.3 cm1.24 m3.73 m24.0 m15.0 m
78 mmf/1.80.2 cm1.1 cm4.4 cm10.0 cm28.1 cm1.14 m175 m
78 mmf/2.80.4 cm1.6 cm6.8 cm15.6 cm43.8 cm1.78 m113 m
78 mmf/40.5 cm2.3 cm9.8 cm22.3 cm62.7 cm2.56 m78.9 m
78 mmf/81.1 cm4.7 cm19.6 cm44.8 cm1.27 m5.38 m39.5 m

Equivalent aperture#

Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.

Aperture on this cameraFull-frame equivalent (depth of field)Hyperfocal at 28 mm
f/1.2f/1.933.9 m
f/1.4f/2.229.0 m
f/1.8f/2.822.6 m
f/2f/3.120.3 m
f/2.8f/4.414.5 m
f/4f/6.210.2 m
f/5.6f/8.77.28 m
f/8f/12.45.10 m

Diffraction & pixel pitch#

With 3.86 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/5.7. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/3.2 and f/6; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.

ApertureAiry disk diameterSpread overAt 100% view
f/2.83.8 µm1.0 pxsharp
f/45.4 µm1.4 pxsharp
f/5.67.5 µm1.9 pxsharp
f/810.7 µm2.8 pxslight softening
f/1114.8 µm3.8 pxvisibly soft
f/1621.5 µm5.6 pxvisibly soft
f/2229.5 µm7.7 pxvisibly soft

Maximum print sizes#

At 24.2 MP the Nikon D3200 produces 6,016 × 4,000 pixel images. See the 24 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.

ResolutionTypical useInchesCentimetres
300 DPIPhoto-lab quality20.1 × 13.3 in51 × 34 cm
240 DPIFine-art inkjet25.1 × 16.7 in64 × 42 cm
200 DPIWall print30.1 × 20.0 in76 × 51 cm
150 DPIPoster, viewed from 1 m+40.1 × 26.7 in102 × 68 cm

Night-sky exposure limits#

Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.

Focal length500 ruleNPF f/1.8NPF f/2.8NPF f/4
9 mm (14 mm eq.)35.8 s19.9 s23.7 s28.4 s
13 mm (20 mm eq.)24.8 s13.7 s16.4 s19.7 s
15 mm (23 mm eq.)21.5 s11.9 s14.2 s17.0 s
23 mm (36 mm eq.)14.0 s7.8 s9.3 s11.1 s
32 mm (50 mm eq.)10.1 s5.6 s6.7 s8.0 s

Open the NPF / 500 rule calculator →

Handheld shutter speed guide#

The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.

Focal lengthNo stabilisation (1/equiv. focal)With 3-stop ISWith 5-stop IBIS
15 mm1/25 s0.3 s1.3 s
32 mm1/50 s1/6 s0.6 s
64 mm1/100 s1/13 s0.3 s
129 mm1/200 s1/25 s1/6 s

Frequently asked questions#

What is the crop factor of the Nikon D3200?

The Nikon D3200 has a crop factor of 1.55× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 27.8 mm vs 43.3 mm).

What size is the Nikon D3200 sensor?

23.2 × 15.4 mm (APS-C), an area of 357 mm² — 41% of full frame.

Is the Nikon D3200 full frame?

No — its sensor is APS-C, which is 2.4× smaller in area than full frame.

How many megapixels does the Nikon D3200 have?

24.2 megapixels (6,016 × 4,000 pixels), enough for a 20 × 13 inch print at 300 DPI.

What lens mount does the Nikon D3200 use?

The Nikon D3200 uses the Nikon F (flange distance 46.50 mm).

How long can I expose the night sky with the Nikon D3200?

With a 13 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 16 s.

Sources & licences#

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources