Nikon D3100 Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 14.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.
The Nikon D3100 produced images of excellent quality during the review period. The out-of-camera JPEGs are soft at the default settings, but switch to raw image capture, and you'll see just how much detail the fourteen-megapixel sensor can record. Along with the increase in the number of pixels came a welcome improvement in high-ISO performance. The settings of ISO 100 through ISO 400 are as good as indistinguishable from each other. The slightest hint of noise starts to creep in at ISO 800 but the images are still very clean at that setting. ISO 1,600 and ISO 3,200 show progressively more noise, but both are eminently usable, even for very large prints. At the two “boosted” sensitivity settings the JPEGs are already full of chroma noise but the raw files only show some finely grained luminance noise that allows even the ISO 12,800 setting to produce printable results. The night photograph was excellent even with long-exposure noise reduction turned off. Red-eye was not a common occurrence with the built-in flash.
Noise
The standard sensitivity settings on the Nikon D3100 range from ISO 100 to ISO 3,200, with expanded (boosted) settings of ISO 6,400 and ISO 12,800 also available. The following 100% crops show the noise levels for each setting. The raw files have been converted with Adobe Camera Raw 6.3 Release Candidate.
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JPEG |
RAW |
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ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
ISO 6400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 12800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 12800 (100% Crop) |
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File Quality
The file quality settings available on the Nikon D3100 are Basic, Normal and Fine for JPEGs, with raw capture also at your disposal. The following crops demonstrate the differences in quality. Note how much sharper the raw output is (again straight from ACR 6.3 RC).
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Fine (7.5Mb) (100% Crop) |
Normal (3.9Mb) (100% Crop) |
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Basic (1.9Mb) (100% Crop) |
RAW (14.4Mb) (100% Crop) |
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Sharpening
The out-of-camera JPEGs are soft at the default settings, and benefit from further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Here are a couple of 100% crops - the right-hand images have had some sharpening applied. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level by altering the Picture Controls if you don't like the default look.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Focal Range
The Nikon D3100's 18-55mm VR kit lens offers a fairly versatile focal range, as illustrated by these examples:
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27mm |
82.5mm |
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Chromatic Aberrations
The Nikon D3100's 18-55mm VR kit lens handled chromatic aberrations quite well during the review, with some purple fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.
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Chromatic Aberrations 1 |
Chromatic Aberrations 2 |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Nikon D3100 are Auto, Auto with red-eye reduction, Fill-flash, Auto slow sync, Auto slow sync with red-eye correction, and Rear curtain with slow sync. These shots of a white coloured ceiling were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Flash Off - Wide Angle (27mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (27mm) |
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Flash Off - Telephoto (82.5mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (82.5mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye-Reduction settings caused any noticeable red-eye.
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Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night
The Nikon D3100 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times of practically any length, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. There is an optional long-exposure noise reduction function that can be activated to filter out any hot pixels that may appear when extremely slow shutter speeds are used. Do note that this works by way of dark frame subtraction, which effectively doubles the exposure time. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 30 seconds, aperture of f/11 at ISO 200, with noise reduction turned off in the menu. We've included a 100% crop for you to see what the quality is like.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Vibration Reduction
The Nikon D3100 does not offer body-integral image stabilisation, but the 18-55mm kit lens bundled with the camera features Vibration Reduction, Nikon's proprietary lens-based optical stabilisation system. This allows you to take sharp hand-held photos at slower shutter speeds than with lenses that lack this function. To illustrate this, I took two photos at the long end of the zoom, with VR turned on and off. There is a noticeable difference, even though the one taken with VR on also has a hint of blur to it.
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Shutter Speed / Focal Length |
Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop) |
Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop) |
| 1/20th / 82.5mm | |
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Picture Controls
Nikon’s Picture Controls are akin to Canon’s Picture Styles in being preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. The available choices are Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape. The following examples demonstrate the differences across these options.
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Standard |
Neutral |
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Landscape |
Vivid |
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Portrait |
Monochrome |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D3100 camera, which were all taken using the 14.2 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample RAW Images
The Nikon D3100 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).
1/60s · f/8 · ISO 400
78mm
Download original
1/100s · f/8 · ISO 400
36mm
Download original
1/50s · f/8 · ISO 400
33mm
Download original
1/200s · f/5.6 · ISO 100
39mm
Download original
1/400s · f/8 · ISO 400
48mm
Download original
130/10s · f/8 · ISO 100
82mm
Download original
300/10s · f/11 · ISO 200
33mm
Download original
130/10s · f/16 · ISO 100
39mm
Download original
1/20s · f/8 · ISO 3200
66mm
Download original
Sample Movie & Video
The Nikon D3100 can record Full HD video in the MOV format. This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1280 pixels at 24 frames per second. Please note that this 19 second movie is 44.7Mb in size.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Memory Card Slot |
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Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
If you’ve read the entire review, you will probably agree that the Nikon D3100 produces image quality that defies its entry-level status. Compared to the one-year-old D3000, Nikon has managed to simultaneously increase the pixel count and improve quality at high sensitivity settings, with the D3100 enjoying at least one stop of advantage over its predecessor.
In terms of handling, there are a few welcome enhancements - most notably the inclusion of an ingenious drive mode lever, a separate movie record button and a spring-loaded Live View switch. All of these have brought about enhanced functionality as well as handling improvements - the available drive modes now include the Quiet mode first seen on the D5000, which allows you to delay the mirror return until you let go of the shutter release; while the movie record button and Live View switch provide access to features absent from the D3000. As to the implementation of these features, we definitely see room for improvement: the Live View mode desperately needs a live histogram and a higher-resolution live feed, while the movie mode is not complete without full exposure control, not to mention a truly well-working full-time AF feature.
As regards the Nikon D3100's ergonomics as a traditional DSLR camera, it's not bad at all, but we would have liked to see separate buttons for ISO and WB, both of which can be mapped onto the handy Fn button, but alas not at the same time. Focusing speed and accuracy - especially in low light - could also be improved, as neither was optimal with the kit lens.
That said, the Nikon D3100 is a surprisingly well-featured and complete package for an entry-level digital SLR camera, and at the current market prices of £429.99 / $579.95 for the body, it also represents good value for the money.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 3.5 |
| Features | 4 |
| Ease-of-use | 4.5 |
| Image quality | 4.5 |
| Value for money | 4 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Nikon D3100 from around the web.
cameralabs.com »
Nikon's D3100 is the company's latest entry-level DSLR. Announced in August 2010, it's the successor the best-selling D3000 and makes several key upgrades to that model. Most notably the new D3100 now features Live View and video recording facilities – indeed it becomes the first Nikon DSLR (hotly followed by the D7000) to offer 1080p video recording in addition to 720p. To satisfy market demands, the resolution has also received boost from 10 to 14 Megapixels and there's a number of tweaks to the controls and ergonomics.
Read the full review »
popphoto.com »
It’s been a very busy year indeed for Nikon. On top of nine new lenses in 2010, last fall it announced two more camera bodies: the midlevel D7000 and entry-level D3100. The 14.2MP D3100 ($640, street, with 18–55mm f/3.5–5.6 lens) was the first to find its way to the Popular Photography Test Lab—look for our test of the D7000 next month.
Read the full review »
cameras.about.com »
The D3100 is Nikon's replacement for the D3000. Aimed squarely at the entry-level DSLR camera market, it's certainly going to be a wake-up call for other manufacturers. The D3100 has 14.2MP and full HD movie mode. In general though, Nikon has made entry-level cameras that lack specifications, but are fun and easy to use. How does the D3100 measure up?
Read the full review »
kenrockwell.com »
The Nikon D3100 is a very competent and ultra-lightweight DSLR. It is small and light, but doesn't feel dinky. It feels like the precision product it is. The D3100 is Nikon's lightest SLR, ever, and probably their smallest, too.
Read the full review »
neocamera.com »
The D3100 is Nikon's latest entry-level DSLR camera which brings full 1080p HDTV video recording with autofocus to DSLRs. This is a relatively compact DSLR camera with a 14 megapixels sensor, a Nikon electronic-only lens mount and most features usually found among such entry-level cameras.
Read the full review »
Specifications
| Type | Single-lens reflex digital camera |
| Lens mount | Nikon F mount (with AF contacts) |
| Effective angle of view | Approximately 1.5x lens focal length (Nikon DX format) |
| Image sensor | 23.1 x 15.4 mm CMOS sensor |
| Effective pixels | 14.2 million pixels |
| Total pixels | 14.8 million pixels |
| Dust-reduction system | Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required) |
| Image size (pixels) | 4,608 x 3,072 (L); 3,456 × 2,304 (M); 2,304 × 1,536 (S) |
| File format | NEF (compressed RAW); JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression; Simultaneous recording of compressed RAW and JPEG fine image possible |
| Media | SD (Secure Digital), SDHC, SDXC, and Eye-Fi memory cards |
| Picture Control System | Can be selected from Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Landscape, Portrait; selected Picture Control can be modified |
| Viewfinder | Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder |
| Frame coverage | Approx. 95% horizontal and 95% vertical |
| Magnification | Approximately 0.8× (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, -1.0 m-1) |
| Eyepoint | 18 mm (-1.0 m-1) |
| Diopter adjustment | -1.7 to +0.5 m-1 |
| Focusing screen | Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen |
| Reflex mirror | Quick return type |
| Lens aperture | Instant return, electronically controlled |
| Compatible lenses | AF-S or AF-I NIKKOR: All functions supported. Type G or D AF NIKKOR without built-in autofocus motor: All functions except autofocus supported. Other AF NIKKOR without built-in autofocus motor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D color matrix metering II. IX NIKKOR and F3AF: Not supported. Type D PC lenses: All functions supported except autofocus and some shooting modes. AI-P NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D color matrix metering II. Non-CPU: Autofocus not supported. Can be used in exposure mode M, but exposure meter does not function. Electronic rangefinder can be used if lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster. |
| Shutter Type | Electronically controlled, vertical-travel focal-plane shutter |
| Shutter Speed | 1/4000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3 EV, bulb |
| Flash sync speed | X=1/200 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slower |
| Release mode | Single frame, continuous, self-timer, quiet shutter release |
| Frame advance rate | Up to 3 fps (manual focus, mode M or S, shutter speed 1/250 s or faster, and other settings at default values) |
| Self-timer | 2 s, 10 s |
| Metering | TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor |
| Metering method | Matrix: 3D color matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame; Spot: Meters 3.5 mm circle (about 2.5 % of frame) centered on selected focus point |
| Range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F) | Matrix or center-weighted metering: 0 to 20 EV; Spot metering: 2 to 20 EV |
| Exposure meter coupling | CPU |
| Mode | Auto modes (auto, auto (flash off); scene modes (portrait, landscape, child, sports, close up, night portrait); programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M) |
| Exposure compensation | -5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3 EV |
| Exposure lock | Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button |
| ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index) | ISO 100 to 3200 in steps of 1 EV; can also be set to approx. 2 EV above ISO 3200 (ISO 12800 equivalent); auto ISO sensitivity control available |
| Active D-Lighting | Can be selected from on or off |
| Autofocus | Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, 11 focus points (including one cross-type sensor), and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5–3 m/1 ft. 8 in.–9 ft. 10 in.) |
| Detection range | -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100 at 20°C/68°F) |
| Lens servo | Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); continuous-servo AF (AF-C); auto AF-S/AF-C selection (AF-A); predictive focus tracking activated automatically according to subject status. Manual focus (MF): Electronic rangefinder can be used |
| AF-area mode | Single-point AF, dynamic-area AF, auto-area AF, 3D-tracking (11 points) |
| Focus lock | Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button |
| Built-in flash | Guide number of approximately 12/39, 13/43 with manual flash (m/ft, ISO 100, 20°C/68°F); Auto, portrait, child, close up, night portrait: Auto flash with auto pop-up; P, S, A, M: Manual pop-up with button release |
| Flash control | TTL: i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR using 420-pixel RGB sensor. i-TTL balanced fill-flash is available with built-in flash and SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, or SB-400 when matrix or center-weighted metering is selected. Standard i-TTL is available with built-in flash and SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, or SB-400 when spot metering is selected (Flash mode can be set using Speedlight controls with SB-900, SB-800, and SB-600). Auto aperture: Available with SB-900/SB-800 and CPU lens. Non-TTL auto: Supported flash units include SB-900, SB-800, SB-80DX, SB-28DX, SB-28, SB-27, and SB-22S. Distance-priority manual: Available with SB-900 and SB-800 |
| Angle of coverage | Sufficient to illuminate the angle of view of an 18 mm lens. Picture edges may be slightly dark depending upon conditions, such as the lens used and the aperture setting. |
| Flash mode | Auto, portrait, child, close up: Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, off available with built-in flash; Fill-flash and red-eye reduction available with optional flash units. Night portrait: Auto slow sync, auto slow sync with red-eye reduction, off available with built-in flash; Slow sync and slow sync with red-eye reduction available with optional flash units. Landscape, sports: Fill-flash and red-eye reduction available with optional flash units. P, A: Fill-flash, rear-curtain with slow sync, slow sync, slow sync with red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction. S, M: Fill-flash, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction |
| Flash compensation | -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3 EV |
| Flash-ready indicator | Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit such as SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-400, SB-80DX, SB-28DX, or SB-50DX is fully charged; blinks for 3 s after flash is fired at full output |
| Accessory shoe | ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock |
| Sync terminal | AS-15 sync terminal adapter (available separately) |
| Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) | Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with SB-900, SB-800, or SU-800 as commander. Flash color information communication supported with built-in flash and all CLS-compatible flash units |
| White balance | Auto (TTL white balance with main image sensor and 420-pixel RGB sensor); incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual, all except preset manual with fine tuning. |
| Live View - Lens servo | Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F). Manual focus (MF) |
| Live View - AF-area mode | Face-priority AF, wide-area AF, normal-area AF, subject-tracking AF |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected) |
| Scene auto selection | Available in auto and auto flash off modes |
| Movie recording | File format: MOV |
| Movie recording | Frame size/rate: 1920 × 1080, 24 fps; 1280 × 720, 30 fps |
| Movie Recording | Video compression: H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding |
| Movie Recording | Audio recording format: Linear PCM |
| Movie Recording | Audio (Sound): Monaural microphone built in. Can be set to on or off. |
| Movie Recording | Metering: TTL exposure metering using main image sensor |
| Monitor | 3-in. (7.5cm)., approx. 230k-dot TFT LCD with brightness adjustment |
| Playback | Full-frame playback; Movie playback; Thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar) playback; Slide show; Histogram display; Highlights display; Auto image rotation; Image comment (up to 36 characters) |
| Retouch functions | D-Lighting, red-eye correction, trim, monochrome, filter effects, color balance, small picture, image overlay, NEF (RAW) processing, quick retouch, straighten, distortion control, fisheye, color outline, perspective control, miniature effect, edit movie |
| USB | Hi-Speed USB |
| HDMI output | Type C HDMI connector |
| Accessory terminal | Remote cord: MC-DC2 (available separately); GPS unit: GP-1 (available separately) |
| Supported languages | Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish |
| Battery | One rechargeable Li-ion EN-EL14 battery (supplied) |
| AC adapter | EH-5a AC adapter; requires EP-5A power connector (available separately) |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | Approx.124 × 96 × 74.5 mm (4.9 × 3.8 × 2.9 in.) |
| Weight | Approx. 505 g (1 lb. 1.8 oz.) with battery and memory card but without body cap |
| Durability | Body and shutter unit both durable up to approximately 100,000 cycles. |
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