Digital Camera World » Nikon D3100

Nikon D3200 vs D3100: how do they compare

jmeyer — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:09:00 +0000

Announced in April, the Nikon D3200 became the latest addition to Nikon’s DSLR range after refreshing the top end of its line-up at the start of the year with the Nikon D800 and Nikon D4. Bolstering the manufacturer’s beginner range, the Nikon D3200 was launched not to replace the ever-popular Nikon D3100; rather, it will sit along side the D3100 as a more premium option. Which begs the question… when you make a comparison of the Nikon D3200 vs D3100, which is the better camera for your money?

In this new video, Amy Davies from our testing team takes a look at a few of the key differences between the 24.2-million-pixel Nikon D3200 and the 14.1-million-pixel Nikon D3100.

If you liked this video, stay tuned, as we’ll also be comparing the Nikon D3200 vs the D5100.

Nikon Tip: how to set your Graphic LCD display

jmeyer — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:00:44 +0000

Here’s a Nikon DSLR tip you perhaps didn’t know… All Nikon DSLRs will show what aperture you’re using (‘F11’ or f/11 in the example above).

However, the Nikon D3000, Nikon D3100, D5000 and D5100 can also give you a graphical depiction of the aperture on their information displays.

If you’d like to see this, go to the Setup menu, select ‘Info display format’ and check Graphic. The diagram then shows roughly how wide the aperture is set and is a reminder that bigger numbers relate to small apertures.

For a more detailed explanation of what this Graphic reminder is showing you about your aperture, our infographic below explains some of the finer points of your lens. Simply drag and drop this graphic on to your desktop and save it for a handy reference!

New cashback offer on Nikon DSLRs

jmeyer — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:19:44 +0000

Nikon is offering up to £100 cash back on purchases of selected DSLRs from its range up through May.

The offer extends to purchases of the Nikon D3100, D5100 and D7000. Details of the Nikon cashback offer are as follows:

Nikon D3100
£30/€35 cashback when the customer purchases the D3100 body only or with any 1 new NIKKOR lens
£45/€50 cashback when the customer purchases the D3100 with any two new NIKKOR lenses

Nikon D5100
£50/€60 cashback when the customer purchases the D5100 body only or with any 1 new NIKKOR lens
£65/€75 cashback when the customer purchases the D5100 with any two new NIKKOR lenses

Nikon D7000
£80/€95 cashback when the customer purchases the D7000 body only or with any 1 new NIKKOR lens
£100/€115 cashback when the customers purchases the D7000 with any two new NIKKOR lenses

The Nikon cashback offer runs through 30 May 2012, and all claims must be received by 30 June 2012 in order to qualify, Nikon says.

The offer follows the announcement earlier this week that Nikon is revising the price of the Nikon D800 and D4 upwards in the UK and Ireland following an internal error.

For more information on the promotion and how to submit your claims, visit the Nikon website.

Nikon D3100: tips for using your digital camera

jmeyer — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:00:30 +0000

So you think you know how to use your digital camera? Like many of us, you may have a DSLR or compact system camera but tend to use only a handful of your its features.

In our ongoing review of some of the more popular current and ‘out of date’ digital cameras, we want to help you better harness the creative potential of your DSLR or compact system camera.

Call them camera tips, or call it a user’s guide to your favourite digital camera. The advice below comes from experts who have used the Nikon D3100 and know this DSLR inside and out.

If you have your own Nikon D3100 tips you’d like to share, post them in the comments below – or send them jeff.meyer@futurenet.com. What we want to build is an ever-growing user’s guide of Nikon D3100 tips that come not from a press release or a lab test, but from the photographers who shoot with this DSLR.

We want to inspire you to twist the mode dial and move beyond your favourite settings and functions and get more out of your Nikon D3100 starting today! So without further ado…

Nikon D3100 Tip 1: Find shortcuts
The D3100’s Guide menu is a good introduction to the camera’s capabilities, but it’s only an introduction. Once you get to know the camera, there’s nearly always a quicker way to get the settings you need.

Nikon D3100 Tip 2: Get Sporty
If you shoot in Close-up mode, you’ll find that the built-in flash will often activate automatically but is useless at really close range. A quick way to shoot close-ups without flash is to use Sports mode instead.

Nikon D3100 Tip 3: Settle for less
The D3100 can record full HD (1,920×1,280 pixels) video, but this will fill up most memory cards quickly. However, the intermediate (1,280×720 pixels) setting is more than good enough to play on an iPad, for example.

Nikon D3100 Tip 4: Go back to the start
If you’ve been exploring the camera and got a little lost, there’s a ‘Reset shooting options’ item in the Shooting menu. To completely reset the D3100 to its factory state, use ‘Reset setup options’ in the Setup menu.

Nikon D3100 Tip 5: Hold and twist
The Nikon D3100 doesn’t have an automatic exposure bracketing function, but you can still vary exposures very quickly by holding down the exposure compensation button and rotating the command dial.

Nikon D3100 Tip 6: Using studio flash
Some have asked us: “My Nikon D3100 doesn’t have a PC socket. Can I still use studio flash with it?” Almost any studio flash unit will accept a slave unit that can be triggered by the Nikon D3100’s built-in flash. Use manual mode, set a shutter speed of about 1/60sec and set the aperture using a flash meter. In the Shooting menu, set the flash to manual. Remember to turn down the power to stop the built-in flash interfering with the light from the studio flash units.

Nikon D3100 Tip 7: Shooting at Hi 1 and Hi 2 sensitivity
When shooting at Hi 1 or Hi 2 sensitivity settings on your Nikon D3100, image noise is likely to be clearly noticeable, especially when images are magnified in prints or on screen, as below.

Each time you double your sentivity rating – for instance from ISO 100 to 200, 400 to ISO 800 – you are effectively doubling the shutter speed for any lighting conditions when using the same aperture. This is true throughout the D3100′s ISO range (ISO 100-3200). As you go into the extended range, however, Hi 1 and Hi 2 are roughly equal to ISO 6400 and ISO 12,800, respectively.

However, these ratings are only nominal and not exact. As you can see, you can capture decent images at these settings, but don’t expect to get exhibition-size prints. You’ll find that blown highlights are more likely to occur and dynamic range will be poor. Generally you want to avoid these settings if at all possible, but the Hi 1 and Hi 2 sensitivity settings are great for when you need sufficiently fast shutter speeds for handheld night photography or you want to freeze the action of very fast-moving objects.

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