Review of the Nikon D3100. View Nikon D3100 body
Nikon D3100 is a wonderful amateur DSLR camera. I am often asked what good and not expensive Nikon SLR camera I would recommend to buy - I almost always I recommend Nikon D3100. In this review you can find information only about Nikon D3100 Points - that is, only about the camera itself without a lens. Nikon D3100 usually comes with an inexpensive lens kit, such a kit is called a 'kit kit'. Nikon D3100 with lens Nikkor 18-55mm F3.5-5.6VR is the most common option. If the complexity of an SLR camera is scary - do not be afraid, a special explanatory GUIDE mode is built into the camera, which will tell and tell everything. If the whale lens is not satisfactory, then at the end of this review, I give some tips for choosing good and inexpensive lenses.
View of Nikon D3100 from different sides
Nikon D3100 has excellent featureswhich are wired into a very light and small camera body. It has everything you need, from a 14.2 MP matrix, to the ability to shoot video in Full HD quality 1920 × 1080.
Key Features of Nikon D3100
1. The first thing to remember is that APS-C a camera in which, in comparison with the classic 3 mm film, the matrix is reduced. The matrix area of this baby is 5 times smaller than that of professional giants such as Nikon D800 or Nikon D3s. And at the same time, the area of the matrix (matrix value) same as for more advanced cameras Nikon D7100, D300s, D7000 и D5200... The matrix is the heart of a DSLR. The quality of photographs depends very much on its value. Therefore, picking up Nikon D3100, you can be sure that you can get photos from it no worse than on a very expensive professional Nikon D300s.
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D40 size comparison
2. The Nikon D3100 sensor has crop factor in 1.5x. If you decide to use a cropped digital SLR camera, then you should understand that when using full-frame lenses, the viewing angle will be less than on Full Frame cameras. This is neither bad nor good. On the one hand, the TV range automatically increases, and on the other hand, the wide angle becomes a luxury. If you haven’t shot a film or a full frame before, then this remark about crop factor you can’t take it to heart.
Sample photo on Nikon D3100
3. Yes, the small Nikon D3100 has as many 14.2 Megapixels... This is really a lot, and if you megapixels are importantthen the Nikon D3100 will be just right. More megapixels, at the moment, only at Nikon D5100, D7000, D3x, D4, D800,D800E, D3200, D5200, D600, D610, D810, D4, D4s. If someone wants to be happy for the little Nikon D3100, then know that 14,2MP give 4608 x 3072 more pixels than expensive professional Nikon D3s, Nikon D3, Nikon D700, Nikon D300s etc. But, in fact, the number of megapixels does not affect the image so much. Their huge number is most likely just a marketing ploy. You can read my little note on the topic Battle of Megapixels.
Sample photo on Nikon D3100
4. ISO limits. Nikon D3100 can change its value ISO 100 to 12.800... Although, in fact, only from 100 to 3200, the values 6400 and 12800 are a kind of software cheat, even in the camera settings they are denoted by a tricky one - ISO HI1 and ISO HI2. I strongly advise against shooting at high ISO values. For comparison, Nikon D90, Nikon D300, Nikon D300s has an ISO 6400 ceiling.
Sample photo on Nikon D3100
5. Everyone is probably interested in the noise of the matrix. Understand correctly, any matrix will make noise at high ISO, even Nikon D4 with its ISO 204.800. There is only one question here - to what extent this or that noise level is acceptable for a person. With a camera for amateur shooting, it is quite possible to shoot at ISO up to 3200. Considering that this is an amateur camera, I have no complaints about the noise level at high ISO. Here sample photo without processing at high ISO, no noise reduction enabled, exported directly from RAW at ISO 3200 - View Example.
Example photo on Nikon D3100
6. 3 frames per second. Speed is enough for many types of shooting. I recommend always thinking, but do you need more than 1 frame per second? Yes, there are sports photographers, wedding photography and many other commercial areas of photography, where speed plays an important role, but you should not demand a high rate of fire from an amateur camera. It is unlikely that anyone will be filming a serious report or wedding on the Nikon D3100. I have enough head speed of 2.5 frames per second on my favorite Nikon D40, and the same 3 frames per second on Nikon D80.
Nikon D3100 - sample photo
7. Autofocus. Focus system consists of 11 points. This is very good news for all Nikon D1 users. D1h, D1x, D100, D40, D40x, D50, D60, D70, D70swho are planning to upgrade. Focusing with 11 points is very convenient. Focus points as many as cameras Nikon D90, D5000, D5100, D200, D80, D2hs, D2x, D2xs, D2h. Nikon Multi-CAM1000 is responsible for focusing. I had this focusing system on Nikon D90, there is no doubt about the quality of her work. You can read more about focusing systems on Nikon cameras here.
Nikon D3100 - sample photo
8. Display. 3-inch display, large, beautiful, contrasting, the same size as the Nikon D5000, Nikon D5100. The only thing is that he has only 230.000 points displaying information. More advanced cameras have over 900,000 points.
9. Video. Yes, Nikon D3100 can shoot Full HD 1920 × 1080 video. I am not a specialist in video quality. A nice innovation is the factor that the D3100 has autofocus when shooting video. For example, Nikon D90, D3s, D5000 does not auto focus when shooting movies. Autofocus is activated when the shutter button is pressed halfway, or is always on in mode AF-C... You can shoot at lower quality to save memory. The Live View button is combined with the start / stop button for video recording - it's very convenient. In video mode, aperture control is not available, to change the aperture values, you must first turn off Live View, set the desired aperture value, then turn Live View back on and start shooting.
Nikon D3100 - sample photo (ISO 12.800 - in EXIF somehow not impressed)
10. The camera uses SD Flashcards. You can also use very high-capacity SDXCs. My device handles 32GB well SD HC Class 10. This is an important parameter; the speed of the camera depends on the speed of the card. A regular RAW file weighs on average 11-15 MB, 1 minute of FULL HD video weighs on average 150 MB. A JPEG L photo weighs on average from 3 to 8 MB.
11. The camera has a nice menu. The menu is made in the classic Nikon style. Everything is clear and accessible.
Photo on Nikon D3100
12. The camera is very compact and light. Weight is very important for the average camera user. The weight of the camera is one of the smallest among all DSLRs at Nikon. Nikon D3100 is even lighter for Nikon D40. Weight is very important, for example, when take pictures on a hike. The battery also holds a charge well, and without a flash it works out about 1000 frames.
Nikon D3100 has many other useful things:
- dust matrix cleaning system
- fast processor expeed 2
- auto adjustment distortions
- airflow control system to prevent matrix contamination
- Live View Focus Mode
- many tips on the menu and during shooting
- good built-in flash
- excerpt from 30s to 1 / 4000s
- outputs for connecting to a computer and TV, port for GPS
- Active D-lighting (which is either on or off).
- Frame buffer puts 13 RAW files. Oddly enough, but the buffer is more than advanced Nikon D90, which has only 11 frames in the buffer for RAW. With this buffer, you can shoot continuously for more than 4 seconds in high-speed mode.
Example photo on the Nikon D 3100
Disadvantages
This is an entry-level amateur Nikon digital SLR camera, therefore, it is not worth demanding anything more from it. But still, by the camera no focus motorthat will not allow the use of autofocus with cheap non-motor optics, for example, with the legendary Nikon 50mm F1.8D. At the camera no quick flash sync, minimum is 1 / 200s. Also, there is no flash control command mode, additional monochrome display. The camera does not know how to work with manual (old, without a microprocessor) type lenses AI-S. RAW files are available only with 12 bit color depth and with automatic compression. There is no rotary display and many other useful things.
Very often there is a choice of the first SLR camera among models Nikon D3000, D3100, D3200. Of course, everything new is always better than the old one, here is a comparative plate of the main parameters of these three cameras:
| D3000 | D3100 | D3200 | |
| Exit time | December 2009 | December 2010 | July 2012 |
| Matrix | CCD | CMOS | CMOS |
| RAW color depth | 12 bit | 12 bit | 12 bit |
| Number of megapixels | 10,03 | 14,2 | 24,06 |
| Burst Speed | 3 fps | 3 fps | 4 fps |
| Maximum ISO | 1600,00 | 3200,00 | 6400,00 |
| Maximum Extended ISO | 3200 (Hi1) | 12.800 (Hi1) | 12.800 (Hi1) |
| Video length | No | 10 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Video | No | 1920 x 1080 24p | 1920x1080 30p |
| Display | 3.0 inches, 230.000 points | 3.0 inches, 230.000 points | 3.0 inches, 921.000 points |
| Focus module | Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 | Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 | Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 |
| Number of Focus Points | 11,00 | 11,00 | 11,00 |
| Measurement exposure | 420-segment RGB sensor | 420-segment RGB sensor | 420-segment RGB sensor |
| Matrix cleaning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Memory cards | SD,SDHC | SD, SD HC, SDXC | SD, SD HC, SDXC |
| Weight without battery, g | 485,00 | 455,00 | 455,00 |
| Color Depth * (dxomark) | 22,30 | 22,50 | 24,10 |
| Dynamig Range * (dxomark) | 11,1 | 11,50 | 13,20 |
| Low-Light ISO * (dxomark) | 563,00 | 919,00 | 1131,00 |
It can also be noted that the Nikon D3100 uses a pentaser mirror, a cheaper version of the pentaprism with 95% frame coverage. The camera does not support remote control, no bracketing and the camera has a new battery, not like in D3000That does not allow to combine batteries and chargers.
Example photo on the Nikon D 3100
Personal impressions
The camera is very, very similar to its predecessors. The design looks a lot like Nikon D60, D3000. The only thing added a Live View button and a convenient switch of the shooting method. To the left of the camera there are cracks for microphone. The camera is really very light and small, almost the same as a baby Nikon D40. I recommend Nikon D3100 to anyone who wants an inexpensive DSLR with video function.
Example photo on Nikon D3100
Important Note
If you choose your first DSLR, pay attention to the fact that the quality of photos depends very much on other parameters than on the camera. I wrote in more detail in my article - It is important how to take pictures, and not by what means. I note that I'm still shooting on the simplest Nikon D40.
At low ISO, the image itself depends little on the camera - the whole photo, its dynamics, color, tonal transitions, etc. very much depend on the lens and on camera shooting mode (saturated, portrait, etc.). Here sample image at ISO 3200 original resolution.
Recommendations
If there is free money, it would not be bad to buy a pretty fast lens, it could be Nikon 35mm F1.8AF-S и Nikon 50mm AF-S F1.8, in order to unleash the potential of the camera. The whale lens that comes with the kit can be used as a good option to achieve a wide viewing angle. If you have a lens Nikon 18-105mm f / 3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S DX Nikkorthen they can shoot anything. What if 18-200mm - then this is one of the best options for all occasions.
Also, you can configure the Fn programmable button on the camera, I configure it to choose ISO. Before photographing set the shooting mode correctlyfor example, setting VI (saturated) for sharp and vibrant photos.
The camera has a super trick. When working with optics in manual focusing mode, the Rangefinder function can be used. The function helps you focus through the optical viewfinder. I am a big fan of manual optics, such as Helios-81H, therefore, along with Live View, this is an indispensable thing for improving manual focusing. But, as it turned out, Rangefinder does not work with manual optics, so it upset me a lot.
Example photo on Nikon D 3100
Prices for modern Nikon cameras in popular stores can look at this link.
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Conclusions
Nikon D3100 great camera for beginner photographers and for people who just need a good photo without unnecessary problems. Also, the camera shoots Full HD video with autofocus. Nikon D3100 is a compact, inexpensive and functional camera. It is enough to turn on the camera, remove the lens cap and press the shutter button and the sophisticated DSLR will do its job with a bang. Recommend.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
Hello! Please advise some suitable Soviet camera lenses? and really need a good Soviet portraiture!
Thanks earlier for all those who responded)
Have a good mood
damn, lazy people! there are several articles on the site specifically about Soviet common lenses, and three dozen WITH REVIEWS of them.
READ, E mo-e!
not lazy, but simply asked advice, maybe someone has already picked up a good Soviet portrait painter and will advise .. I re-read the articles, so I decided to ask the "professionals"
and in general guys, I’m good, and you are so much negative in the message, then there’s nothing more to do
advice is asked subject ..
And you, as a schoolgirl, in the lesson “I read the paragraph, but I don’t know anything, tell me what you need?”
You have one level of communication, I have a different ... advice to ask this is not a big deal, if schoolchildren asked teachers, then development in our countries would probably be much better, but you have nothing to do or have nowhere to drive away negative emotions and energy. ...
my communication with you will end, I wish you well and see only good around!
On the site, everything is already chewed into gruel.
Start your study with Helios-81N, Kaleinar-5N, Jupiter-37A
Thank you very much for your advice!
let your day be clear, sunny and kind)
Thanks, you too! :)
A good Soviet portrait photographer is simple, open the nearest photo flea market (in Avito or VKontakte group) in your city and see what is there cheaper :) As a guide, you can take the amount of your daily spending on food, transport, gasoline, etc. This is the lens you buy. It can be an Industar 50-2 or some of the Helios 44. Then do not forget to order a lensless adapter in China.
Arkady, about the electronic rangefinder - the instructions say that it does not work only in the manual shooting mode, since in this mode the scale shows the deviation from the correct exposure.
Arkady thanks for the site! I periodically look at your reviews. I have been the owner of the d 2 for more than 3100 years. After the whale 18-55 VR, I got a fix of 35 / 1,8. The picture is fascinating! However, for work (interiors) is needed beyond width. The choice fell on the samyang 10 mm f / 2.8 ed as ncs cs nikon f. The question is, how will this tandem work together?
There is very little information on the net. Mostly examples are given with NIKON 5100 + samyang 10 mm f / 2.8 ed as ncs cs nikon f
D3100 should work similar to d5100
I’ll be sluggish, so please tell me, as I’ve scanned old photos for the help of D3100
Search the search engine for the phrase 'film resizer' and you will get several solutions to your question.
For a good result, there are two options: either isolate the space between the negative and the lens from highlights, or shoot in complete darkness, where the light source is the one that shines through the film.
In the first case, you need macromech (or a home-made analog), in the second case, you can do without it.
Dakuyu Vv i Sergiyu! I will try
The camera works fast - good - not expensive…. in general, a must have for those who do not process photos, I sold without regrets and half a year has not passed ... I did not come across the worst matrix in terms of the gravity of the rav from Nikon - even 10MP SSD - d60 ... d80 stretched better ... even from the basic ISO 100 - it stretches worse than Canon's - and this is already a zap!)
Hello.
Kindly help on the following question:
There is a nikon d3100, lens 55-105, priority for shooting - subject, less often portrait.
What do you recommend the Soviet lens (s) based on your goals? And will there be nuances in working with the flash (if so, how can they be circumvented)?
Thank you in advance.
55-105 - what kind of tricky lens?
Why do you need a Soviet fix for subject shooting? Usually, Soviet light-strong optics are taken because of the “pattern” and beautiful bokeh, for blurring the background when shooting portraits. More often for subject shooting you need a lot of depth of field and detail.
What does not suit existing optics?
A flash with Soviet optics will work only in manual ('manual') mode, fixable with the help of 'Lushnikov's dandelion'.
Thank you, that's exactly the bokeh and you need in the background) With a sharp and clear image of the subject. Is that possible?
High-aperture fix, from 50mm. Well, the background should be appropriate - a monochrome background will be boring and monotonous.
Thank you.
With the lens, a typo is 18-105.
I’ll torment you a bit)
With what camera settings, light temperature (and other process components) can I get a similar photo?
Darina, for such photos, first of all, you need umbrellas or softboxes. Also an interesting background. Blur can be obtained with almost any lens.
The room should be dark, the background is also dark; you need to use a directional light source - a softbox with honeycombs (or, at least, with “shutters”), and little depends on the camera and lens. Since the background is dark, what's the point of blurring it? A similar photo can be taken at 18-105.
Thank you for the informative answers.
Helios-81H 2/50?
That is, a very dark background and a clear image of the subject.
Two years ago, on your advice, I took the d3100. An absolutely enchanting camera, used it in the studio, on the street, in the woods and in the basement, while traveling. As in prof. purposes, and in amateur. Once used at a wedding (here, of course, it seemed to me not enough). In general, this camera is universal, for the first SLR I would recommend it to everyone. For 2 years of use, I never learned to use auto mode, as I bought it, immediately switched to M))
But I would like to speak out about the shortcomings that infuriated me for a long time.
1) The viewfinder adjustment is not enough. With my -2 vision, it doesn’t fully compensate for the minus, so sometimes I just don’t see if the focus missed the target.
2) The low resolution of the built-in screen sometimes does not allow you to see the shoals of the photo at once, and then on the big screen you see something completely different. Especially if you use manual lenses - together with the first drawback, it is a complete disaster.
3) At the wedding, a little synchronization of exposure with an external flash appeared.
4) Inconvenient arrangement of focus points and the absence of guides in the viewfinder. More than once I drove the horizon stupidly due to the fact that it can be difficult to navigate quickly, and there are no guides like in the d300.
5) It subjectively seemed to me that he was crookedly catching the exposition, but with experience you just got used to it and took the necessary lead.
As a result, I switched to the old d300 and now I get unforgettable pleasure from the absence of all these shortcomings and a bunch of manual settings: 3 And thank you for your project, I learned from us almost all the photo theory I know.
1. Alas, many DSLRs. treated with an eyecup with diopters.
2. In most cases, even a 3 ″ -3,3 ″ screen with a couple of million dots is just as insufficient. He is still more likely to assess than to reconcile everything at once.
3. without high-speed synchronization in almost all DSLRs, it is 1 / 180-1 / 250.
4. alas.
5. his dynamic range is rather narrow and he periodically knocks out light, especially when shooting outdoors and on high contrast scenes.
Hello
I would like to consult here I can not understand what and how
acquired Nikon D3100 and kit 18-55 (before that I used a soap box) and no matter how tormented I can’t get sharpness at a distance
blur the background please the portrait turns out wonderfully but still it seems that there is a lack of sharpness and details it seems like I’ve tried a little blurry tried a bunch of modes and can anyone tell me where to go to plan a trip and I would like to bring clear photos of landscapes
aperture to 11-16 close
Thanks, I will try
confused by the fact that even in the landscape modes it is still not that, you look at others and wow, but here ....
Hello! I want a wide-angle (preferably a zoom), please tell me which one is suitable for Nikon d3100?
I wanted to ask how to blur the background ... because it doesn't always work. Nikon 3100, 105 mm
if you have a fix then there are no comments% -0
if the zoom then the aperture is at maximum, the background is far away, the subject is closer
105 mm can’t blur the background ?! % -0
If this is your fix, then I'm shocked
if you zoom, then open the aperture to the maximum and the background away, and the subject is closer
Please tell me, I want to take a Sigma AF 3100-18mm f / 200-3.5 DC OS (Nikon) lens on my D6.3 model, it is Optical Stabilizer that interests me. Will this lens fit? or can you advise what else but with the tsabilizatorom.
Hello Arkady, thanks for the good review, the other day got a d3100 (in addition to the d200, for the sake of high ISO smos).
I think it's worth mentioning about this model such a feature that there is no manual balance adjustment in Kelvin (which was not pleasantly surprised, I thought all DSLRs have it)…. but otherwise I got what I expected ...
such a question, in the life-view mode when shooting there are two clicks - closing and with a delay the shutter opening (in normal mode there is no such thing) - is this how it should be ??
BB in kelvins starts from the 7000 series, and 3 000 and 5000 XNUMX as initial amateur ones are deprived of such a chip.
Hello. Tell me please. They are smart in the settings. The landscape is blurry. What should I do ???
Hello. If you specified the shooting parameters, the reason for the blur would have been clearer. I suppose: 1. slow shutter speed, 2. large aperture, 3. focus is not where I wanted to sharply. Shooting in mode A? Not in the green zone?
turn on autofocus! )))
Hello, tell me please, but is the Nikon 50mm f / 1.8G AF-S Nikkor lens suitable for the Nikon D3100? To buy or not?
Definitely suitable, take it boldly and feel the difference with whale optics.
buy better 35 / 1,8G much more will be.
and for portraits which is better than 35mm or fifty?
Portrait of a portrait of strife. I at one time preferred either 100 mm or 35, depending on the conditions.
Portraits are group, full-length, waist, shoulder and front portraits, which are you more interested in?
Please tell me how to treat a swollen rubber plug.
Try soaking the plug in Kalosha gasoline
And where can I get it?
Arkady! Thanks for the detailed characteristics, pros and cons of this model! I’ve been renting Nikon d3100 for more than 2 years! This is the first camera! I shoot more landscapes, everything about nature and the world around me! I am interested in shooting and try to learn to photograph people! Portrait shooting is for me a difficult thing, but interesting in its own way! Today I decided to ask what lens is better to get to improve the pictures and advance my skills in this business! I ask for advice!
Nikon 35 1.8G or Nikon 50 1.8G
Good afternoon Arkady! Do you advise 3100 for beginners who do not want to do photography in the future, and what do you advise to take for those who are just starting, but plan to seriously take photos? In order not to often change the camera, but only the lenses.
Take any camera a level higher, d7000 and beyond.
Thank you very much for the answer and your work.
Hello. Can I use a Helios lens with this camera through the adapter ring Link
Yes, of course you can.
Thank you!
Do I understand correctly that the d3100 is the only one of the whole series of all years who has no IR port for the remote control ??
To the attention of everyone who wants or has this camera. There is an unpleasant moment in terms of dust entering the viewfinder, through a slot in this place. How to eliminate, can anyone know or come across?
No way. This is on many cameras. If you close this gap, it will fall in another place, which could be even worse. Many lenses change their dimensions when zooming and even focusing - through which the same air must pass. Otherwise it will go through the bayonet or between the [lens. Worse still.
Poorly. Switch to D200 or what?)