Nikon DSLR D3100 -Entry Level DSLR Camera 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens–Review

Time is now to upgrade your tiny little digital camera that you got for your sixteenth birthday which you forever got stuck with and jump into the world of amazing photography and Full HD videography on steroids.

Nikon DSLR are a trusted name in the photography industry and they mean it.

With the Nikon DSLR  d3100 you have been awarded a chance to serve your inner photographer with a gift that might ultimately lead you to a world of opportunities yet unimagined by you.Now you will get a weapon to fire at your local photography contest that you were ignoring all these time. Capture the moments with your friends and families . Go on a vacation and bring back vivid memories using photography. All that and you can boast for something freely.Give your memories the quality of a DSLR. let be this your first DSLR .

Capture Impressive semi-professional quality  14 mega-pixel images and Full 1080p HD videos on 24 frames per second cinema style.
Afraid of all the technicality.. the in-camera Nikon interactive guide will help you get the perfect shot ,be it a red sunset,portrait or background blurring etc .it will suggest you the correct settings to turn you into a pro.
Interchangeable lenses…if you dreamt of it ..now you can have it…Buy additional lenses to suit your need. Capture sports with high zoom 300mm lenses.Experiment with fish eye lenses. limitless possibility. Included kit lenses of 18- 55 mm is equivalent to your 4x-5x zoom or you can buy a 18-135 mm model . Check this link to see what your needs will be.
So Are you struggling with blurs under low light..well no more as high ISO-(light) sensitivity will take care of it. Allowing you to use flash much less as possible. Although included pop up flash can handle things quiet fantastically or add your own hot shoe flash.
 Experiment with your creative limit. Manual control of almost any aspect inside the camera in manual, programming ,priority modes..Take HDR photos,..etc etc you will get to it sooner or later
Videos with Auto Focus and Manual focus ensures your videos are always in focus. Professional quality videos.Start your own YouTube channel or a local channel, a talk show maybe ..Nikon d 3100 will handle it.

Buying links

with 18-55mm lenses:     NewEgg               Amazon

with 18-200mm and 18-55mm lenses         Amazon

Split-second shutter response eliminates the frustration of shutter delay, so you’ll never miss any special moment. Six automatic exposure scene modes ranging from landscape to portrait automatically delivers stunning results under challenging conditions. The D3100 is also equipped with a live view function that allows you to frame images in the 3-inch monitor, and the D-Movie function that provides support for Full 1080p HD movie recording. Fast 11-point autofocus system delivers razor-sharp pictures.

While the D3100 offers authentic digital-SLR camera performance, it is also an extremely lightweight digital-SLR camera from which even beginners can expect beautiful images that accurately reflect their shooting intent. It also comes with an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR Image Stabilization lens at a price you’ll appreciate.

  • newegg Nikon-developed CMOS Image Sensor and Image Processing EngineA newly developed DX-format CMOS sensor with 14.2 effective megapixels works in tandem with new EXPEED 2 image processing engine to produce highly detailed images containing rich tonal gradations and faithful color. This combination also helps produce beautifully defocused backgrounds – a hallmark of quality digital SLR cameras. In addition, a maximum ISO of 3200 (expandable to ISO 12800 equivalent) delivers exceptional results, even in the most challenging low-light situations.
  • newegg Guide ModeTaking Great photos 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.
  • newegg Full 1080p HD Cinematic Video with Full-time Autofocus and SoundThe D3100 is equipped with the D-Movie function that enables recording of high-definition videos with sound by simply pressing the movie-record button. View recorded videos on the large 3-inch LCD monitor and perform simple editing tasks like trimming scenes before or after a designated point and extracting still images. HDMI connectivity lets you connect D3100 to an HDTV with playback managed by the TV’s remote control (HDMI CEC-compatible TVs only).
  • newegg 18-55mm Zoom-NIKKOR VR Image Stabilization LensFeaturing legendary NIKKOR optical quality, and fast, accurate autofocus and Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization, the lens helps capture dramatically sharp, blur-free pictures with vivid color, striking contrast and crisp detail.
  • newegg Active D-LightingActive D-Lighting optimizes high contrast images to restore the shadow and highlight details that are often lost when strong lighting increases the contrast between bright and dark areas of an image.
  • newegg Picture Control – Customizing images before the shot Expand creative expression with Picture Control. Six settings – Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape – let you determine the look of photos and full HD movies before you shoot. In addition, sharpness, contrast, brightness and saturation can be adjusted to customize settings.

Technical specifications

.
General
Brand
Nikon
Model
D3100
Color
Black
Image Sensor
Image Sensor
CMOS
Image Sensor Size
23.1 x 15.4mm
Gross Pixels
14.8 MP
Effective Pixels
14.2 MP
Dust Cleaning System
Image sensor cleaning
Airflow Control System
Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 software required)
Resolution
DX-format
(L) 4608 x 3072
(M) 3456 x 2304
(S) 2304 x 1536
White Balance
White Balance
Auto
Incandescent
Fluorescent (7 types)
Direct Sunlight
Flash
Cloudy
Shade
Preset Manual
All except preset manual with fine tuning
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type
Eye-level pentamirror single-lens reflex viewfinder
Coverage
95% horizontal
95% verticalApprox.
Magnification
0.80x (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity; -1.0m¯¹) Approx.
Eyepoint
18mm (-1.0m¯¹)
Dioptric Adjustment
-1.7 to +0.5m¯¹
Focusing Screen
Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark VII screen
Mirror
Quick-return type
LCD Monitor
LCD
3.0″ 230k
Focus
Focusing Modes
Single Area AF
Dynamic-area
Auto-area AF
3D-tracking (11 points)
AF Points
Can be selected from 11 focus points
Focus Lock
Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF)
Focus can be locked by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
Exposure
Exposure Control
Auto modes ( auto, auto [flash off])
Scene Modes
Programmed Auto with flexible Program (P)
Shutter-Priority Auto (S)
Aperture-Priority Auto (A)
Manual (M)
Exposure Compensation
±5 EV in increments of 1/3EV
Metering System
TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor
ISO Sensitivity
ISO 100 to 3200 in steps of 1 EV
Can also be set to approx. 1 EV above ISO 3200 (ISO 6400 equivalent) or to approx. 2 EV above ISO 3200 (ISO 12800 equivalent
Auto ISO sensitivity control available
Expanded ISO Sensitivity Options:
1 EV above ISO 3200 (ISO 6400 equivalent)
2 EV above ISO 3200 (ISO 12800 equivalent) Approx.
Auto ISO sensitivity control available
Shutter
Shutter Type
Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane
Shutter Speed
1/4000 to 30 sec. in steps of 1/3 EV
Bulb
Self-timer
2 sec.
10 sec.Timer duration electronically controlled
Flash
Flash Mode
Auto
Auto with red-eye reduction
Fill-flash
Auto slow sync
Auto slow sync with red-eye correction
Rear curtain with slow sync
Flash Control
TTL: i-TTL ballanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR using 420-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash adn SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, or SB-400 (i-TTL balanced fill-flash available when matrix or center-weighted metering)
Auto aperture: Available with SB-900/SB-800 and CPU lens
Non-TTL auto: Supported flash units include BS-900, SB-800, SB-80DX, SB-28DX, SB-28, SB-27, and SB-22S
Distance-priority manual: Available with SB-900 and SB-800
Flash Exposure Compensation
-3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3 EV
Function
Scene Modes
Portrait
Landscape
Child
Sports
Close-up
Night Portrait
Playback
Full frame
Calendar
Thumbnail (4, 9 or 72 images)
Zoom
Movie Playback
Slideshow
Histogram display
Highlights
Auto image rotation
Image Comment (up to 36 characters)
Highlight point display
Recording System
File Format
NEF (RAW)
JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx 1:4), normal (approx 1:8), or basic (approx 1:16) compression
NEF (RAW) + JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Recording Media
SD / SDHC /SDXC Card
Movie
Movie Format
MOV
Max. Recording Resolution
1920 x 1080 (24p): 24 fps (23.976 fps)
1280 x 720 (30p): 30 fps (29.97 fps)
1280 x 720 (25p): 25 fps
1280 x 720 (24p): 24 fps (23.976 fps)
640 x 424 (24p): 24 fps (23.976 fps)
Lens
Compatible Lenses
AI-P NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
AF-S, AF-I: All functions supported
Non-CPU: Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster
IX Nikkor lenses cannot be used
Electronic Rangefinder usable with lens with maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster
Type G or D AF NIKKOR not equipped with an autofocus motor: All functions supported except autofocus
AF-NIKKOR for F3AF not supported
Other AF NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D color matrix metering II
Type D PC NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and some shooting modes.
Lens Mount
Nikon F bayonet mount
Interface
USB
Yes
HDMI
Yes
Power Source
Battery
EN-EL14 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
Feature
Features
14.2 Megapixel DX-format CMOS Image Sensor
Includes 3x 18-55mm Zoom-NIKKOR VR Image Stabilization Lens
Full 1080p HD Cinematic Video with full-time autofocus and sound
Compact and Lightweight Design
Easy-To-Use—Featuring Nikon’s Guide Mode
Split-second Shutter Response
Fast 11-point Autofocus System
ISO sensitivity 100-3200, expandable to ISO 12800 equivalent
3-in. monitor with One-Touch Live View shooting and movie capture
Scene Auto Selector
EXPEED 2
Scene Recognition System
6 Automatic Exposure Scene Modes
Active D-Lighting
Picture Control
Automatic Image Sensor Cleaning
Built-in pop-up flash
In-camera Image Editing
Manufacturer Warranty
Labor
1 year limited
Parts
1 year limited
in focus