Nikon D3100 Digital-SLR camera full review

                                                   D3100 Digital-SLR camera


Nikon D3100 Digital-SLR camera  full review Though in some specifications at its introduction it bested almost every camera in Nikon's digital SLR lineup, the Nikon D3100 slots into the company's product line directly above the entry-level D3000.

The newly designed 14.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor is coupled to the latest generation EXPEED 2 image processor; a combination that allows both higher resolution and 1080p movie capture at 24 fps. The Nikon D3100 adds today's must-have Live View and Movie modes, both of which were conspicuously absent on the D3000. Perhaps even more unusually, the Nikon D3100 provides full-time autofocusing capability both in Live View mode and during movie capture. The Nikon D3100 also offers basic in-camera movie editing capabilities.

The D3100 is the first Nikon digital SLR to support the latest generation of Secure Digital cards, known as SDXC. The Nikon D3100's burst rate is unchanged, at three frames per second. The Nikon D3100 has an estimated selling price of US$699.95.

Nikon D3100

The Nikon D3100's Mode dial features the same thirteen operating modes as the D3000. Like the D3000 before it, the Nikon D3100 is shipping with Nikon's 18-55mm VR image-stabilized lens. The remainder of the Nikon D3100's new controls are found on its rear panel.

One further change on the Nikon D3100's rear is the addition of a nine-hole speaker grille at the lower right corner, for use with the new movie mode. Connectivity. Sensor and processor. On the inside, the Nikon D3100 sports the pairing of a newly developed, Nikon-designed DX-format CMOS image sensor, and a new generation of Nikon's EXPEED image processor. The Nikon D3100 can shoot image bursts at three frames per second.

Just like the D3000, the Nikon D3100 can shoot not only JPEG or .NEF RAW image files, but can also simultaneously record each image in both formats. As well as Secure Digital and SDHC cards, the D3100 is the first Nikon DSLR to support SDXC cards.

Focus and Exposure. The Multi-CAM 1000 module offers 11 focusing points, of which the center point is a cross-type sensor. While the AF sensor itself is unchanged, Nikon has updated the viewfinder point display. The Nikon D3100 also retains the D3000's Scene Recognition System, 3D Tracking capability, and selection of auto-area, single-point, and dynamic-area AF modes.

The selection of exposure modes is unchanged from the Nikon D3000, with the D3100 offering Full Auto, Program AE, Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Priority modes, as well as a selection of six scene modes -- Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Macro, and Night Portrait. Flash modes include Forced, Slow Sync, Rear-curtain Sync, Red-eye Reduction, and Slow Sync with Red-eye Reduction. Dust control. The Nikon D3100 includes the company's three-pronged strategy for controlling dust on the image sensor.

Live View / Video. As previously noted, the Nikon D3100 now includes a dedicated switch on its rear panel that allows Live View shooting to be initiated without entering the camera's menu system. The other big news for Live View shooting is that the Nikon D3100 now provides full-time autofocus in Live View mode.

The Nikon D3100's Movie mode is also unique among Nikon DSLRs for another reason. The Nikon D3100's movies are captured using MPEG-4 AVCHD / H.264 compression, with the file format being .MOV. Guide mode. The Nikon D3100 further builds on the user friendly Guide mode from the D3000, which is accessed from the Guide Mode position on the Mode dial. In-camera editing. As with the D3000, the Nikon D3100 offers a Retouch menu that lets users tweak images to their tastes after capture. Compared to that from the D3000, the Nikon D3100's Retouch menu offers several new functions -- straighten, distortion control, fisheye, and perspective control. Nikon tells us that the new EXPEED 2 image processor has brought improved performance for its Active D-Lighting function.

The Nikon D3100 also includes Nikon's Picture Control System, which allows control of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. No vertical battery grip is available for the Nikon D3100.
To respond to this concern of users advancing to a digital-SLR camera, Nikon began equipping its entry level digital-SLR cameras with a Guide mode that displays instructions for the most basic camera operations for shooting, image playback and editing and the application of camera settings, in the camera monitor.

The first camera to be equipped with Guide mode was the Nikon D3000 released in August 2009. A new DX-format CMOS image sensor developed by Nikon and the new image-processing engine, EXPEED 2, have been adopted for the new D3100, enabling capture of images exhibiting excellent image quality and definition. The D3100 is also equipped with a live view function that allows the user to frame images in the monitor, and the D-Movie function that provides support for high-definition movie recording. While the D3100 offers authentic digital-SLR camera performance, it is also an extremely lightweight digital-SLR camera from which even beginners can expect beautiful images that accurately reflect their shooting intent.

A new DX-format CMOS image sensor and image-processing engine, EXPEED 2, both developed by Nikon enable capture of high-definition images with superior image quality

The D3100 is equipped with a new Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor and a new image-processing engine, EXPEED 2, both developed by Nikon. The CMOS image sensor offers an effective pixel count of 14.2-million pixels (D3000: CCD image sensor with 10.2-million effective pixels) and enables capture of high-definition images exhibiting superior image quality with extremely detailed rendering and rich tones. EXPEED 2 is Nikon's new image-processing engine, developed by refining the concepts, know-how and technologies regarding digital images that Nikon has spent years cultivating. It maximizes the performance of the CMOS image sensor to suppress noise in still images and movies and produces images that faithfully reproduce vivid colors.

Guide mode has been refined to make most camera operations even easier, from shooting to image playback and editing to the application of camera settings, regardless of the user's skill level.
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