The Nikon D3100 is a 14.2-megapixel DX format DSLR Nikon F-mount camera announced by Nikon on August 19, 2010. It replaced the D3000 as Nikon's entry level DSLR. It introduced Nikon's new EXPEED 2 image processor and was the first Nikon DSLR featuring full high-definition video recording with full-time autofocus and H.264 compression, instead of Motion JPEG compression. It was also the first Nikon DSLR to provide high-definition video recording at more than one frame rate.[4]

Nikon D3100[1]
Nikon D3100 with the Nikon 18-55mm zoom lens.
Overview
TypeDigital single-lens reflex
Lens
LensInterchangeable, Nikon F-mount
Sensor/medium
Sensor23.1 mm × 15.4 mm Nikon DX format RGB CMOS sensor, 1.5 × FOV crop, 4.94 μm pixel size
Sensor makerNikon[2]
Maximum resolution4,608 × 3,072 (14.2 effective megapixels)
Film speed100–3200 in 1/3 EV steps, up to 12800 as boost
Recording mediumSecure Digital, SDHC and SDXC compatible
Focusing
Focus modesAF-A (Auto-servo AF); AF-S (Single-servo AF); AF-C (Continuous-servo AF); MF (Manual focus).[3]
Focus areas11-area AF system, Multi-CAM 1000 AF Sensor Module
Exposure/metering
Exposure modesAuto modes (auto, auto [flash off]), Guide Mode, Advanced Scene Modes (Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Close-up, Night Portrait), programmed auto with flexible program (P), shutter-priority auto (S), aperture-priority auto (A), manual (M), (Q) quiet mode.
Exposure meteringTTL 3D Color Matrix Metering II metering with a 420-pixel RGB sensor
Metering modes3D Color Matrix Metering II, Center-weighted and Spot
Flash
FlashBuilt in Pop-up, Guide number 13m at ISO 100, Standard ISO hotshoe, Compatible with the Nikon Creative Lighting System
Flash bracketing2 or 3 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 or 2 EV
Shutter
ShutterElectronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Shutter speed range30 s to 1/4000 s in 1/2 or 1/3 stops and Bulb, 1/200 s X-sync
Continuous shooting3 frame/s
Viewfinder
ViewfinderOptical 0.80x, 95% Pentamirror
Image processing
White balanceAuto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Preset
General
LCD screen3.0-inch 230,000 pixel TFT-LCD
BatteryNikon EN-EL14 rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery
WeightApprox. 455 g (1.003 lb) without battery, memory card or body cap
Made in Thailand
Chronology
PredecessorNikon D3000
SuccessorNikon D3200

Use is assisted by two Guide Modes: Easy Operation and Advanced Operation tutorial. On April 19, 2012, the D3200 superseded the D3100 as Nikon's entry-level DSLR.[5]

Features

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  • Nikon's 14.2-megapixel Nikon DX format CMOS sensor with 12 Bit Resolution.
  • Nikon EXPEED 2 image processor.
  • Active D-Lighting.
  • Automatic chromatic aberration correction.
  • Sensor cleaning and airflow control system.
  • 3.0-inch 230,000-dot resolution fixed TFT LCD
  • Continuous Drive up to 3 frames per second.
  • Live view mode. Live view AF modes: Face priority, Wide area, Normal area, Subject tracking
  • Full High Definition video recording (1080p for 10 minutes at 24 frames per second in H.264 codec), additionally 720p30/25/24 and 480p24
  • Full-time autofocus in movie mode.
  • 3D Color Matrix Metering II with Scene Recognition System.
  • 3D Tracking Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with 11 AF points.
  • ISO sensitivity 100 to 3200 (6400 and 12800 with boost).
  • Nikon F-mount lenses.
  • i-TTL flash exposure system without built-in, but support for external wireless flash commander.
  • Extended In-camera retouching: D-Lighting, Red-eye reduction, Trimming, 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
  • File formats: JPEG, NEF (Nikon's raw, 12-bit compressed)
  • Compatibility with SDXC memory cards

Like Nikon's other consumer-level DSLRs, the D3100 has no in-body autofocus motor, and fully automatic autofocus requires one of the currently 162 lenses with an integrated autofocus-motor.[6] With any other lens, the camera's electronic rangefinder can be used to manually adjust focus.[7][8]

Can mount unmodified A-lenses (also called Non-AI, Pre-AI or F-type) with support of the electronic rangefinder and without metering.[9]

Optional accessories

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The Nikon D3100 has available accessories such as:[10]

  • Nikon GP-1 GPS Unit for direct GPS geotagging. Third party solutions partly with 3-axis compass, data-logger, bluetooth and support for indoor use are available from Solmeta,[11] Dawn,[12] Easytag,[13] Foolography,[14] Gisteq[15] and Phottix.[16] See comparisons/reviews.[17][18][19]
  • Battery grip third party solutions are available.[20][21]
  • Nikon CF-DC1 Soft Case.
  • Third party solutions for WLAN transmitter are available.[22]
  • Various Nikon Speedlight or third party flash units[23] including devices with Nikon Creative Lighting System wireless flash commander or support for SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander.
Third party radio (wireless) flash control triggers[24] are partly supporting i-TTL,[25][26] but do not support the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS).[27][28] See reviews.[29][30]
  • Common Optional Lens: AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8D. Note: Lenses without an internal autofocus motor can only use manual focus on the Nikon D3100.
  • Other accessories from Nikon and third parties, include protective cases and bags, eyepiece adapters and correction lenses, and underwater housings.

Reception

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The D3100 has received many independent reviews[31][32] and image comparisons at all ISO speeds.[33]

The D3100 is the only known Nikon DSLR with an image sensor interface[34] integrating analog-to-digital converters not made by Nikon: The result is a dynamic range only at the level of competitors like the (higher priced) Canon EOS 600D;[35] lower than other current Nikon DSLRs.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nikon D3100". Digital SLR Cameras products line-up. Nikon Corporation. Archived from the original on 2011-03-21. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  2. ^ Full Frame DSLR Cameras Part I – Nikon vs Sony Archived 2019-05-21 at the Wayback Machine Chipworks
  3. ^ Winans, Moose. "Nikon D3100 Focus Modes and Focus Points" Archived 2012-12-27 at the Wayback Machine, CameraTips.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2013.
  4. ^ Laing, Gordon (November 2010). "Nikon D3100 Movie Mode". Nikon D3100 Review. CameraLabs.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2012. Previous Nikon DSLRs offered a best quality movie mode of 720p at 24fps, but now the D3100 offers the same resolution at the choice of 24, 25 or 30fps, while crucially adding a new Full HD 1080p mode at 24fps.
  5. ^ "Nikon updates entry-level DSLR with 24MP D3200 and optional WiFi". Digital Photography Review. April 2012. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  6. ^ "Specifications – Nikon D3100". Nikon Corporation. Archived from the original on 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  7. ^ "Nikon D3000 Lens Compatibility". Nikon Corporation. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  8. ^ Nikon D60 electronic rangefinder Archived 2012-11-27 at the Wayback Machine. Digital Photography Review. Retrieved on 7 September 2012.
  9. ^ John White's AI conversions for Nikon lenses Archived 2012-04-22 at the Wayback Machine Aiconversions
  10. ^ "D3100 accessories". Nikon USA. Archived from the original on 2011-02-17. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  11. ^ Solmeta Geotaggers Archived 2012-01-14 at the Wayback Machine Solmeta
  12. ^ Dawn di-GPS Products Archived 2013-03-14 at the Wayback Machine Dawn
  13. ^ EasyTag GPS and Wireless Bluetooth Modules Archived 2011-08-28 at the Wayback Machine Easytag
  14. ^ Foolography Unleashed Bluetooth Geotagging Archived 2011-08-08 at the Wayback Machine Foolography
  15. ^ Gisteq PhotoTrackr Plus for Nikon DSLR (Bluetooth) Archived 2011-08-25 at the Wayback Machine Gisteq
  16. ^ Phottix Geo One GPS Archived 2012-06-26 at the Wayback Machine Phottix
  17. ^ Nikon DSLR GPS Smack Down Results Archived 2011-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Terrywhite
  18. ^ Review: Geotagging with Easytag GPS module (Nikon GP-1 compatible) Archived 2013-07-31 at the Wayback Machine Trick77
  19. ^ Review: blueSLR Wireless Camera Control & GPS Geotagging Archived 2011-08-09 at the Wayback Machine Terrywhite
  20. ^ Battery Packs Archived 2011-10-23 at the Wayback Machine Phottix
  21. ^ Product search: Nikon D3100 Battery grip Google
  22. ^ Eye-Fi Wi-Fi network: how it works Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Eye-fi
  23. ^ Flash Units Compatible with Nikon's CLS including Wireless Master Archived 2013-08-02 at the Wayback Machine Dpanswers
  24. ^ Radio Triggers for Flash and Camera Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Dpanswers
  25. ^ Knight For Nikon Flashgun I-TTL Trigger Archived 2013-01-15 at the Wayback Machine Pixel
  26. ^ Radio Transmitters, Receivers and Accessories Archived 2013-08-03 at the Wayback Machine Pocketwizard
  27. ^ The Nikon Creative Lighting System: Wireless, Remote, Through-the-Lens Metered (iTTL) Flash! Archived 2012-10-26 at the Wayback Machine Imaging Resource
  28. ^ Guide to Nikon TTL Flashes Archived 2011-07-30 at the Wayback Machine photo.net
  29. ^ Pixel Knight TR-331 and TR-332 TTL Radio Triggers Archived 2013-06-21 at the Wayback Machine Dpanswers
  30. ^ Pixel Knight TR-331 Review Part III Archived 2014-04-18 at the Wayback Machine Inside the Viewfinder
  31. ^ Digitalcameratracker: Nikon D3100 reviews, ratings, sample photos Archived 2013-01-21 at archive.today Digitalcameratracker
  32. ^ "Nikon D3100". Digital Camera Views. Archived from the original on 2012-04-29. Retrieved 2011-03-30.
  33. ^ Imaging Resource Comparometer Archived 2013-02-28 at the Wayback Machine (needs Javascript enabled)
  34. ^ "Nikon Hacker: Camera Matrix". Archived from the original on 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  35. ^ "Dxomark: Nikon D3200 and others: Compare cameras side by side". Archived from the original on 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
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