Featuring 24.2 effective megapixels, the D3200 employs a Nikon-developed DX-format CMOS image sensor. It achieves high-resolution rendering & rich tonal gradation that smoothly reproduces human skin texture & gradation of sky. Also, utilizing the large sensor of a D-SLR, high-quality still images & movies can be taken with beautiful background blur. The high pixel count of the D3200 is also effective when images are printed. Even when taken still images are trimmed & enlarged, high-resolution image quality is realized with the least degradation. To process 24.2-megapixel data at high speed, an image-processing engine EXPEED 3, the same as that used by the Nikon D4, that is optimized for D-SLRs is incorporated. EXPEED 3 realizes faithful reproduction of human skin, expanded dynamic range & enhanced color rendering in Active D-Lighting. With its high-performance noise-reduction function, rich gradation with less noise is achieved even at a high sensitivity range, for both still images & movies. The D3200 analyzes color & brightness information of the scene utilizing the light source identification function of Scene Recognition System & detects the light source precisely by referencing the in-camera database for auto white balance. In this way, it can determine the ideal white balance even with difficult light sources. It is difficult to reproduce the brightness of subjects as it appears in such scenes as a dark room including outside scenery seen through a window, high-contrast scenes such as at the seaside under strong sunlight, & backlit situations. The D3200 employs active D-lighting that preserves details in both highlights & shadowy areas in such situations, maintaining moderate contrast. You can reproduce brightness as you see it in both bright & dark situations. With D-SLRs, it sometimes occurs that dust becomes attached to the OLPF (optical low-pass filter) located in front of the image sensor when exchanging lenses, & is ph