It’s odd to think how quickly camera technology can pass from the realm of the pro to the amateur, from cutting-edge to passé. Once upon a time we were all astounded by the 24.5MP resolution of the Nikon D3X, a camera designed for professional photographers who were willing to spend £4200 on their gear. Four years later and some people might reasonably be disappointed that the entry-level £500 Nikon D3300'only' carries the same 24.2MP resolution as its direct predecessor the D3200. How things change.
Despite the identical resolutions of the Nikon D3300 and D3200, there is one very important difference that impacts image quality. For the D3300, Nikon has removed the optical anti-aliasing filter. This is a filter installed in digital cameras to reduce occurrences of optical aberrations such as moiré patterning – unwanted artifacts appearing on images that feature repetitive detail patterns. While anti-aliasing filters reduce this effect, the cost is a loss in sharpness. Recently it has become a trendy move for camera manufacturers to remove the filters entirely in favour of optimal sharpness, relying on big megapixel counts to cope with any moiré-causing patterns.
The effect for a camera like the D3300 is that its high-resolution sensor is now able to capture every possible detail, putting it in the same league with more advanced(and more expensive) cameras.
