Nikon D3100 Overview
The Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera is an affordable, compact, and lightweight photographic power-house. It features the all-purpose 18-55mm VR lens, a high-resolution 14.2 MP CMOS sensor along with a feature set that’s comprehensive yet easy to navigate – the intuitive onboard learn-as-you grow guide mode allows the photographer to understand what the 3100 can do quickly and easily. Capture beautiful pictures and amazing Full HD 1080p movies with sound and full-time autofocus. Easily capture the action other cameras miss with a fast start up time, split-second shutter release, 3 frames per second shooting and 11-point autofocus. Capture pictures and make movies in near darkness with an ISO range of 100 to 3200 (expandable to 12800-Hi2).
EXPEED 2, Nikon’s new image processing engine, assures breathtakingly rich image quality, managing color, contrast, exposure and noise. One-touch Live View and movie recording lets you see the action on the 3″ monitor and the Scene Recognition System automatically chooses the ideal settings. You can also select from 6 Automatic Exposure Scene Modes- Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-up or Night Portrait for stunning results in otherwise challenging conditions.
Active D-Lighting restores picture-enhancing detail in shadows and highlights. A built-in pop-up flash is ready for those times when there just isn’t enough light and in-camera image editing allows creative freedom and effects, without the need for a computer.
- 14.2 Megapixel DX-format CMOS Image Sensor
- Delivers beautiful photographs and prints well larger than 20 x 30″
- 3x 18-55mm /3.5-5.6G Zoom-NIKKOR VR Lens
- With legendary NIKKOR optical quality and fast, accurate autofocus for vivid color, striking contrast and crisp detail and VR image stabilization to ensure the sharpest hand-held pictures and movies.
- D-Movie – Breathtaking full HD 1080p movies with Sound and Full-time Autofocus
- Discover the difference a digital SLR makes when shooting movies. A wide selection of NIKKOR lenses gives you freedom to explore different angles and obtain lovely defocused backgrounds while D3100’s advanced imaging system assures outstanding quality. And for action sequences, new Subject-tracking AF keeps subjects properly focused. After the shoot, view movies on the large 3″ LCD monitor and perform simple editing tasks like trimming scenes before or after a designated point and extracting still images. Via the HDMI mini-pin connector, connect D3100 to an HDTV with playback managed by the TV’s remote control.
- Compact and Lightweight Design
- Beautifully styled-Ready to go wherever life takes you.
- Help Function – One-touch Access to In-camera Assistance
- When viewing menu items and you don’t understand a function, just press the help button. A description of the currently selected item will be displayed while the button is pressed. Release the button and the previous screen appears. A truly handy function that makes it easy for even first-time D-SLR users to operate D3100.
- Easy-To-Use Guide Mode
- An enchanting portrait against a softly defocused background, or a radiant couple surrounded by sparkling lights. Taking photos like these is easy with D3100’s Guide Mode – in-camera guidance that shows you step-by-step how to change camera settings. Just select a Guide Mode setting that matches the scene then let Guide Mode assist. Not only will you obtain the desired results, you’ll understand how you achieved them. Guide Mode even displays sample photos so you’ll know what to expect from each setting.
- 18 Guide Mode Shooting Options
- Easy Operation: Auto, Close-ups, Landscapes, No flash, Sleeping faces, Portraits, Distant subjects, Moving subjects, Night portrait
Advanced operation: Soften backgrounds, Freeze motion (people), Show water flowing, Bring more into focus, Freeze motion (vehicles)
Use a timer/ quiet shutter: Single frame, Continuous, 10-second self-timer, Quiet shutter release
- Split-second Shutter Response
- Eliminates the frustration of shutter delay, capturing moments that other cameras miss.
- Fast 11-point Autofocus System
- D3100’s precision high-speed autofocus responds immediately to changes in scene or composition, maintaining tack-sharp focus to capture fleeting expressions and fast-moving sports. The all-important central focus point features a cross-type sensor while the new superimposed display achieves a clear, uncluttered viewfinder. Various autofocus modes cover nearly any situation, including auto-area AF that automatically selects the subject on which to focus, and 3D-tracking (11 points) that maintains focus on a subject regardless of changes in composition as long as the shutter-release button is pressed halfway.
- Advanced White Balance Control
- The Improved Scene Recognition system offers outstanding auto white balance performance that nearly rivals the precision of the D3s, Nikon’s flagship camera. White is reproduced more faithfully while maintaining stable color balance regardless of light source.
- ISO Sensitivity 100-3200, Expandable to ISO 12800
- Equivalent delivers exceptional results, even in the most challenging low-light situations.
- Large 3″ Monitor: Live View with AF Modes
- Live View gives you an intuitive, familiar way to photograph playful pets or children on the move. Just flip a switch and you’re ready to go. When Live View is activated and new full-time-servo AF (AF-F) is selected, the camera keeps subjects in focus without having to press the shutter-release button – convenient for photos and movies. There is also new face-priority AF that locks focus on faces, even on people not directly facing the camera. Live View makes D3100 as easy to use as a compact camera.
- Easy-to-view Finder – New Superimposed Indicators for a Better View
- During autofocus, D3100’s superimposed indicators and BriteView Clear Matte Mark Ⅶ screen provide a cleaner, less cluttered view from corner to corner.
- Rangefinder – Quick and Easy Focusing
- When focusing manually, the electronic rangefinder helps you quickly achieve proper focus. It is especially useful when shooting in dimly lit settings.
- AF Mode for Live View and Movie Shooting
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- Full-time-servo AF (AF-F): Autofocus automatically begins after Live View is activated, tracking the subject continuously without having to press the shutter-release button.
- Single-servo AF (AF-S): Great for stationary subjects. Focus locks when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway.
- Manual focus (MF): Focus manually.
- AF-area Modes for Live View and Movies
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- Normal-area AF: Offers pinpoint precision when focusing on a small area – ideal when using a tripod.
- Wide-area AF: A good all-round choice for a variety of subjects, both moving and stationary. It is especially well-suited for handheld shooting.
- Face-priority AF: The camera can recognize up to 35 faces at a time then focus on the face that is determined to be nearest. Even if people in the frame move, the camera continues tracking and focusing.
- Subject-tracking AF: D3100 ‘memorizes’ a subject then automatically tracks it even if it moves. Should the subject momentarily leave the frame, the camera starts tracking again once it re-enters. By using this with AF-F (full-time-servo AF) you can also maintain focus on the subject while tracking. This is a great way to photograph active children and pets.
- Info Display Format – Choose the View That’s Right for You
- D3100 gives you a choice of two formats – classic and graphic – for the info display. Graphic format includes both a numerical and descriptive illustration of shutter speed and aperture settings, making these concepts easier to grasp. Both formats display the current Scene Mode using easy-to-understand icons that change as the mode dial is rotated, letting you concentrate on the composition. Three background color variations are available for each format. In addition, the orientation of the info display automatically changes horizontally or vertically to match that of the camera.
- Scene Auto Selector
- Lets the D3100 decide the best mode to match the shooting situation when using Live View.
- EXPEED 2
- Nikon’s new image processing engine assures breathtakingly rich image quality, managing color, contrast, exposure, noise and speed.
- Scene Recognition System
- Nikon’s Scene Recognition System utilizes a 420-pixel RGB sensor to analyze a composition immediately before you take the shot. It then automatically optimizes exposure, autofocus, and white balance, allowing you to obtain beautiful photos without the hassle of making complicated camera adjustments yourself. Face detection also benefits from Scene Recognition System, exhibiting improved recognition accuracy and definition as well as enabling instant zoom-to-face in playback mode.
- 6 Automatic Exposure Scene Modes
- Just set the Mode dial to Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close-up or Night Portrait for stunning results in otherwise challenging conditions.
- Scene Auto Selector
- D3100 automatically selects the Scene Mode that matches the shooting situation and subject. During Live View shooting with the Mode dial on Auto or Auto (flash off), Scene Auto Selector automatically activates Portrait, Landscape, Close up or Night portrait modes depending on the scene. For added convenience, an icon appears in the top-left corner of the LCD monitor that shows the selected mode.
- Active D-Lighting
- Restores picture-enhancing detail in shadows and highlights.
- Picture Control
- Lets you choose from Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, or Landscape to apply a personal look and feel to your pictures.
- Automatic Image Sensor Cleaning
- D3100 is equipped with Nikon’s Integrated Dust Reduction System. This solution includes a special Airflow Control System that redirects dust away from the low-pass filter located in front of the image sensor. Additionally, when powering the camera on or off, the filter automatically vibrates at precise frequencies to release image-degrading dust that may adhere to it.
- Built-in Pop-up Flash
- When the light gets low or you find yourself shooting in tricky backlit lighting, use the built-in pop-up flash to brighten the scene. It activates automatically when needed depending on exposure mode, or can be enabled manually. In addition, support for i-TTL flash control increases exposure accuracy.
- Continuous 3fps Shooting
- D3100 can shoot approximately 3 frames per second – great for capturing dynamic motion and elusive facial expressions that are a challenge for any photographer. Simply rotate the release-mode selector and shoot away.
- Eye-Fi Support – Transfer Photos and Movies Wirelessly
- Support for optional Eye-Fi SD cards lets you transfer photos and movies from the camera to a PC via wireless LAN. This eliminates the need for removing the memory card or USB connections to transfer data. The camera can be used to turn Eye-Fi cards on and off, but may not support other Eye-Fi functions. As of June 2010, the following cards can be used: 2GB SD Eye-Fi cards in the Share, Home, and Explore product categories, 4GB SDHC Eye-Fi cards in the Anniversary, Share Video, Explore Video, and Connect x2 product categories, and 8GB SDHC cards in the Pro x2 and Explore x2 product categories. Eye-Fi cards are for use only in the country of purchase. Be sure the Eye-Fi card firmware has been updated to the latest version.
- Date Imprint – Stamp Photos with Shooting Date
- Know the exact date you took a photo. The position of the date changes automatically depending on camera orientation.
- In-camera Image Editing
- Allows creative freedom, without the need for a computer, offering easy editing functions. Including:
- Miniature effect: Makes pictures appear as if they are photos of miniature scale models; especially effective when shooting landscapes from above.
- Color outline: Converts a photo into an outline image, which can be printed then hand-colored.
- Perspective control: Corrects the perspective of shapes (like buildings) for a more natural look.
- Color balance: Adjust color balance over the entire image with the multi selector.
- Monochrome (Sepia): Create monochrome photos with a classic feel.
- Fisheye: Create surreal photos that look as if shot with a fisheye lens.
- Filter effects (Cross screen): Add starburst effects to light sources.
- Soft filter: Produces images similar to ones shot with a soft filter.
- NEF (RAW) Processing: Now, convert images saved as RAW data to JPEG images in-camera. Change image quality, image size, exposure compensation and other settings while retaining the original RAW data.
- Playback Functions
- Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images or calendar), playback by date, playback with playback zoom, movie playback, slide show with transitions, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, and image comment (up to 36 characters).
- Long-lasting Lithium-ion Battery – Plenty of Stamina for Plenty of Photos
- The Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL14 delivers up to approximately 550 frames on a single charge. Now you can focus on getting the shot rather than worrying about battery power.
- Supported Languages
- Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- ViewNX 2 software – Your Imaging Toolbox & Smart Image Management
- ViewNX 2 is the convenient way to manage images, providing functions for storing, browsing, editing and sharing photos as well as movies. You can also attach labels to images to facilitate searches. This bundled software offers a wide range of editing functions, including rotate, re-size, crop, straighten, auto red-eye correction and more. Movie editing functions include the ability to delete scenes. ViewNX 2 integrates seamlessly with my Picturetown for simple, drag-and-drop uploads and online browsing.
- my Picturetown – Free Image Sharing and Storage
- Nikon’s own image sharing website allows you to easily store, manage and share images with family and friends worldwide. Membership is free and permits storage of up to 2GB of photos and/or movies. (Pay an additional fee and get up to 200GB of storage). The service supports MOV and AVI movie files in addition to JPEG and RAW (NEF, NRW) still image files.
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