I would class myself as an enthusiastic amateur photographer and having researched the digital camera market for three months I eventually decided on the Nikon Coolpix 3100. I was not disappointed. This light weight 3.2 million pixel camera is easy to use and has excellent results.
General The camera has a maximum picture resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels and this produces clear and detailed pictures which are photo quality up to about A4 printed size.
Memory Card It uses CompactFlash memory cards and is supplied with a 16MB card which is adequate to begin with but I would recommend getting a much bigger card once you have got the hang of the camera as you can only fit 10 images in maximum quality on the card. They are around £30 for a 128MB one if you shop online.
Connection It uses a USB connection to your PC or direct to a printer and is supplied with the necessary cables for transfer. It is also supplied with a cable which allows you to connect
the camera to a television so that you can view your photographs there. This took a little fiddling to set up as you have to select the correct setting on your television to view the pictures in colour and I had to refer to my Television manual but when I got it set up correctly it proved to be a good way to view the pictures.
Batteries It uses two rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH AA) and is supplied with two along with a mains recharger which is essential as the batteries do not last very long. I found that after I recharged them fully a few more times the battery life increased but I am considering buying a spare set. They are around £10 for a pack of four if you shop online.
The LCD The 1.5 inch LCD monitor is bright and clear and has 110,000 pixels, other 3 million pixel digital cameras had a much lower LCD resolution (65,000 pixels) which made a huge difference in the quality of the monitor and is an important factor to consider as this is where I tend to decide whether to keep the shot or take it again. It has no bearing on the eventual picture which is transferred on to your computer; this will be at whatever resolution you set your camera to.
When viewing the pictures in the LCD you can zoom in and out of each picture to examine the details or you can have many pictures at once in a thumbnail view; this is another feature which works better with a higher resolution LCD display.
The Zoom The camera has a three times optical zoom which I have found useful and adequate for amateur use, and a four times digital zoom on top of this which I tend to avoid as it affects the picture quality. The optical zoom zooms three times closer and takes a 3.2 million pixel shot whereas the digital zoom enlarges a section of the 3.2 million pixels and takes a shot, thus reducing the number of pixels captured.
Preset Picture Modes No review of this camera would be complete without a mention of the excellent macro (or close up) mode. This allows you to take shots as close as 4cm to the object while still keeping perfect focus. Many other digital cameras on the market do not get half as close with their macro modes. With this I have produced some excellent detailed pictures and it is a very useful feature to have. Along with this preset mode the Nikon 3100 has many other modes including:
Indoor/party mode - which allows you take bright, well lit indoor photos (slightly harder to take as the exposure time is longer and you have to keep very still to avoid blurring).
Sunrise and sunset modes - this lets you capture the beauty of a natural lighting effect and has excellent results.
Ski/bright sunshine mode - preset to allow you to capture good detail even in very bright conditions where an average amateur 35mm camera would overexpose.
Museum mode - an indoor mode that does not use a flash but still captures a well lit clear shot.
Night scene - a mode which is preset to capture night time shots, I used this on my trip to Chicago last November and although it was difficult to keep the camera still I persevered and eventually got some very good nightscapes of the city (the manual suggests using a stand for best results but I didn't have one.)
Picture Enhancing Features When you have taken your photographs you then have the facility to further enhance them in the picture enhancing menu, while they are still on your camera. This allows you to crop your images, alter the white balance (something I have not experimented with yet) and change your photos to black and white or sepia which is good for creating a more artistic shot. Once you have altered your original image you can save it as an additional picture so you don't lose the original.
Movie Mode The Nikon 3100 also has a short movie mode which allows you to record small movie clips without sound. I did not buy the camera with this feature in mind however it has proved to be a good addition. You can record a 20 second television sized clip or smaller 40 second clips. I have not fully tested this feature yet and have only viewed the clips on my television, but have had fun dabbling with it.
Software The software supplied with the camera is quite limited; it is basically for transferring photos from your camera to your PC. It lets you select a file to save the photos to, uploads the images and then shows you a thumbnail of all of the shots you upload, which you can view individually by double clicking on them. It also allow you to do some basic alterations such as red eye reduction although I have not used this option as I prefer to use a photo editing package such as PaintShop Pro. The actual transferring of the images from your camera to a computer is very easy and is well explained in simple steps in the manual. I didn't have any problems using my home PC and Windows XP home edition.
Downside The Nikon 3100 doesn't have any major bad points however the CompactFlash memory card supplied with it is too small for general use, the batteries have a short life and it is not supplied with a case.
Conclusion This camera is packed with useful and enjoyable features which are easy to use and it creates excellent professional results. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Ultra-compact dimensions, fun automatic tools, good performance for the asking price (-) Cluttered menu layout, camera buttons are scarce, specs are almost identical to the Samsung ES15
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(brand new merchandise in original packaging)This high capacity rechargeable battery definitely disposes of more power than the battery which was included in the delivery of your device. This rechargeable battery can be used instead of the original rechargeable battery without any problems and can be recharged with the available standard power supply. The rechargeable battery is protected and secured against overcharge and short-circuits.Important information:A battery with a greater power output than the battery which was included in the delivery of your device can have larger dimensions. Please observe the dimensions in mm indicated in the offer (see above under technical details).safety due to heat and overcharge protectionmore power than the battery which was included in the delivery of your deviceno memory effect - recharge your battery whenever you likeexcellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessorythe standard battery charger can still be usedLegal note: This item is compatible, not an original product of the camera manufacturer and is not manufactured, supported or recommended by the camera manufacturers. All brand names, trade marks and product names only serve the purpose of indicating compatibility, in doing so are not connected to the original products of the respective manufacturers and are the property of the respective holder of rights.
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Ex-Pro ultra fast 1 hour travel charger including 3 popular adapters, UK, Euro&USA/Canada ... more
- made specifically for Digital Camera's and any other equipment using AA or AAA Ni-Mh rechargable batteries. LED Indications with automatic current selection for batteries, can also charge 2 x AAA batteries (Not included). Automatic Cut off when charged.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
You will receive 1 high quality Rechargeable Battery,100% fits!Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery ... more
(brand new merchandise in original packaging)This high capacity rechargeable battery definitely disposes of more power than the battery which was included in the delivery of your device. This rechargeable battery can be used instead of the original rechargeable battery without any problems and can be recharged with the available standard power supply. The rechargeable battery is protected and secured against overcharge and short-circuits.Important information:A battery with a greater power output than the battery which was included in the delivery of your device can have larger dimensions. Please observe the dimensions in mm indicated in the offer (see above under technical details).safety due to heat and overcharge protectionmore power than the battery which was included in the delivery of your deviceno memory effect - recharge your battery whenever you likeexcellent fitting accuracy, certified quality merchandise, not an original accessorythe standard battery charger can still be usedLegal note: This item is compatible, not an original product of the camera manufacturer and is not manufactured, supported or recommended by the camera manufacturers. All brand names, trade marks and product names only serve the purpose of indicating compatibility, in doing so are not connected to the original products of the respective manufacturers and are the property of the respective holder of rights.
Postage & Packaging:£3.98 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Small (Pocket sized) but not fiddly, Good instructions and easy to use and excellent pictures. Disadvantages: Batteries don't last very long but this is always the case with cheap Digital Camera's
Julie_ha_francis 19.05.2004 (20.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Nikon Coolpix 3100
Advantages: Small (Pocket sized) but not fiddly, Good instructions and easy to use and excellent pictures. Disadvantages: Batteries don't last very long but this is always the case with cheap Digital Camera's
Julie_ha_francis 19.05.2004 (20.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Nikon Coolpix 3100
Advantages: This camera is easy to use. If you are hopeless at framing a picture its photo wizards help. They give an outline of a figure for you to line up with your subject. There is a variety of these template available. I found them a great help ! Disadvantages: Occasionaly pictures taken in the dark look ok on the cameras screen but when placed onto the computer may seem blurred.
k_11_uk 02.02.2004 (02.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Nikon Coolpix 3100
Jan 13th, 2004
very helpful by (100%):
