You can not fail to be totally blown away by the quality of the images.  For those trading up from a 12- megapixel APS-C sensor ,or even maybe an 18-megapixel sensor  the difference in quality is substantial. With kit zoom 18-55mm V.R., compared to results with a decent prime lens on the Canon, a lot more detail is visible. In short, no contest. I doubt there’s a better DX-sensor out there, apart from the Fovean used in the SD1 and nice though it is, the camera is much more expensive and doesn’t feature built-in video!

This camera has the potential to make a lot of photographers on a low budget, very, very happy as long as they choose their lenses with care. It represents yet another milestone in the evolution of digital photography to the masses, in terms of I.Q. From a personal perspective, this camera is a godsend enabling me to take action photographs at ISO800 with definition comparable to a slow slide film in years gone by, but with the better depth-of-field that APS-C allows. I just wish Nikon had remained loyal to all those film devotees, with non-AF, non-cpu, lenses. The idea of carrying around a handheld exposure meter,like a Western Euromaster, is just riduculous. On the 550D, you can meter with any lens attached; Nikon really should have designed this to do the same. Brilliant but fatally flawed. Can hardly wait for a D8000 (goodbye Canon, nice knowing you)!

Finally, a few words of warning over where not to buy:

Give Simply Electronics a miss; customer service means nothing to them. If you’re in any doubt over this, just check them out and read the many tales of woe. Completely untrustworthy from my perspective. Repeated e-mails are largely ignored (or your questions unanswered) and trying to get through by phone is a fruitless exercise, no matter how hard you try (nice little earner?).

Once they’ve got your money, they intend keeping it and if the item wasn’t in stock at the time, then you’ll be in for a very long wait. Don’t be fooled by their 30-day money back guarantee. On your invoice, it states 14 days and the item must be unused (not entirely clear from their advert). The clock starts ticking from the time your order is placed, not from when the goods are received. Being based in Hong Kong, compliance with E.U. / U.K. trading rules could be difficult to enforce, if you’re hoping to use Distance Trading Regulations. If they do agree to a refund, you’ll be kept waiting at least a month. In short avoid: go elsewhere to a U.K. based firm you can trust. Beware of Value Basket (they may well be the same organisation). Either way, their reputation is almost as poor.

Give Ebay a miss, because there are too many drawbacks, such as: being sold a poor-quality product, not getting adequate compensation for return postage to China and ending up paying import duties a week after your camera arrives. You may also find that the users’ manual is in Japanese, rather than English and that the manufacturer’s warranty is invalid.

After 45 days, Ebay wont be held responsible and you can’t even leave negative feedback against the scum that sold you duff goods. It’s then you versus the integrity of a trader that may be thousands of miles away, whose already let you down (risky)! Sending your camera back for repair using ‘signed-for’-mail to China is expensive, but without it you may never see your camera again. Ah but it wont go wrong thinks you. Wrong! Often the items are badly packed and faults may show up a few months later. You’ll then see the wisdom of buying from a U.K. trader. Customer service really is important when spending hundreds on a DSLR. Try using Trust pilot to guage customer satisfaction.

A certain organisation currently offers the camera for only £392 with kit-zoom and even grant an extra 3% discount for payment by bank transfer. Furthermore, their reputation is excellent, so you don’t need to spend extra for good customer service.

This is a good question, and also very easy to answer. The D3200 replaces the D3100 and D3000, which replaced the D40. And the D40 was one of Nikons best models ever.

The D3200 has a few almost magic tricks up its sleeve: 24 Mpx sensor, and a ISO-rating that will make almost any other camera look like a slouch. DXO has measures the sensor, and at the time of release the D3200 was ranked as one of the top-10 digital cameras, no matter the price! It was up against cameras that costs more than a new Mercedes, and it won.