My thoughts on the Nikon Coolpix 3100 (Nikon Coolpix 3100)

Member Name: julie_ha_francis

Product:	Nikon Coolpix 3100
Date:	20/05/04 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small (Pocket sized) but not fiddly, Good instructions and easy to use, Excellent Pictures

Disadvantages: Batteries don't last very long but this is always the case with Cheap Digital Camera's

A few months ago my old APS camera had finally had it and after spending countless amounts of money each month developing my film when really all I wanted was a CD of the photo's so I could put them on my computer I decided it was time to invest in a digital camera. My two main specifications when choosing a digital camera were:

* Lightweight and small enough to fit into my pocket but not too small so that it would be fiddly

* Easy to use

After lots of searching I came across the Nikon Coolpix 3100.

I always go on first impressions and this obviously made a good impact - It looked funky, small enough to fit into my pocket, the specifications/technical information was simple to understand and sounded just what I was looking for.


It offered:

Small size and able to take it anywhere!

3.2 Effective Mega pixels and 3x optical Zoom-Nikkor lens plus digital zoom up to 4x magnification.

Simple and easy to use even for beginners

14 pre-set Scene Modes

Four Movie Modes, including movie clips as large as 640 x 480 pixels, or smaller clips in colour, B/W or sepia up to 40 seconds long.

Image editing functions including Photo/ Movie Trim, Date Imprint and Image filters for B/W, sepia and halo functions.

So yesterday morning I went onto a website and ordered my camera + Pixmania Case + CF 128 MB + Memory Card Reader (6 in 1) USB 2.0 and this afternoon it was delivered! (All the way from America!)

Here is a brief description of what was included with the camera:

The Camera (obviously!)

Two manuals: One Quick start guide and one manual with more in depth information both easy to understand.

Compact Flash card: I opted for an extra 128 MB memory but you get a 16 MB card with the camera

Rechargeable batteries and also battery charger and power cable

Camera Strap (very easy to put on and short enough so it doesn'
;
;t get in the way

USB interface cable and Video cable

Warranty

Envelope with all other important information and two CD's:

Nikon View CD-ROM that is software programme where you can transfer, browse, view and make minor adjustments to your digital images and also print or email output directly.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0

After looking through all this information I was eager to get started so I looked at the Quick start guide (v.helpful) and followed the instructions on how to charge the batteries, which took 2 1/2 hours.

By the time they were charged I had read up on the basics, which is a good idea if youâ??re new to digital photography like I am! The batteries were very easy to put in and it was very clear where and how to put them in. I spent the rest of the summer evening playing with the camera and taking photos of my little girl outside in our garden.
I played around with the video option, which they have and took about eighteen pictures. It was easy to view the photos and you could easily delete ones immediately after taking the photo if it wasn't any good. The pictures came out brilliantly and very clear!
My only niggle is that after 2 1/2 hours of using the camera the battery needed recharging again but I console myself in the fact that this is the same with most cheap digital camera's

All in all first impressions are good and it has everything I need and want.

Summary: