Overview
The Nikon Coolpix 4100 is a 4 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. It is a standard point and shoot digital camera, so you won't find any problems getting started. Once you have loaded the batteries and memory card you can start taking pictures with the Nikon Coolpix 4100.
The camera is a little smaller than other cameras with a similar specification, so if you are looking for a camera that can slip into your pocket easily this is something that you may wish to take into consideration.
Overall this digital camera will appeal mainly to the casual photographer who is looking for a camera that they can use to take snaps at all the usual social functions such as wedding, parties and general gatherings. It will also take care of all your holiday snaps.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
4
3x
1.6 inches
88 x 65 x 38mm
140g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
4cm
No
No
AA
SD Card
Image Quality
The Nikon Coolpix 4100 scores takes good quality photographs. One of the most important aspects of a camera is the quality of its lens. Nikon are one of the leaders in the field in this area so it is no surprise to find the images that this camera takes clear and sharp.
All of our key tests were passed by the Nikon Coolpix 4100 and it did well with indoor shots too. This is an area where digital cameras often struggle.
Features
The most noticeable feature of the Nikon Coolpix 4100 is the number of different pre programmed scene modes that it has. The pre programmed scene modes are camera settings that help you to take the best possible picture in different and sometimes difficult lighting and composition situations. The Nikon Coolpix 4100 has the following ones, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night Portrait, Party, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Fireworks Show, Night Landscape, Close up, Museum, Dusk/Dawn, and Back light. That is a very comprehensive list.
For composing pictures you can choose between the 1.6" LCD screen or the viewfinder. Cables are supplied so that you can connect the camera to a television set or computer to see your photos on a larger screen.
You can shoot short movies up to a maximum length of three and a half minutes. Movies are recorded at a rate of fifteen frames per second. Twenty second voice memos can be added to still images and for when you would like to appear in the picture yourself there is a self timer with a ten second delay. Small copies of pictures can be made. These are ideal for sending by email.
For close up photography there is a macro facility that allows you to get as close as five centimeters. You can also add a black and white or sepia effect to your photos.
Shutter speeds range from 4 seconds to 1/3000 seconds. Aperture size from f2.8 to f5.6 and ISO sensitivity from 50 to 200.
Once you get used to using the Nikon Coolpix 4100 you may wish to try out the exposure compensation and white balance controls.
If you want to you can simply turn the camera on and start shooting in automatic mode. In fact I am sure that many, many owners will always use automatic mode and be very happy with the resulting pictures.
A step up from automatic mode, the Nikon Coolpix 4100 has what I would describe as a semi automatic mode with a number of pre programmed scene and assist modes.
The scene modes are Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk, Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up, Museum, Fireworks Show, Copy, Back Light and Panorama Assist. The available assist modes are Portrait, Landscape, Sports and Night Portrait.
The pre programmed modes do the hard work for you as the camera has been set up to take the ideal picture. Say for example you take a picture on a snowy day using the Beach/Snow scene setting. The camera optimises the exposure to play down any glare and reflection from the snow that might otherwise spoil the shot.
The assist modes are similar to scene modes, but take the concept further. For example to help you to take portraits the Nikon Coolpix 4100 lets you specify if the subject is standing to the right, left or centre and if you are taking a portrait of couple. Once you have told the camera the type of portrait you are taking it sets up the best possible exposure and focusing for you.
As well as the scene modes you can also adjust the settings for White Balance and Exposure Compensation. There are also Colour Options including Black and White and Sepia. The Nikon Coolpix 4100 also has Best Shot Selector and Continuous Shooting features. The Best Shot Selector is quite an advanced feature for a camera in this bracket.
If you like the idea of taking short movies on your digital camera then the Nikon Coolpix 4100 takes colour movies with sound.
For when you want to appear in the picture too there is a 10 second self timer. One more useful feature is that you can add up to 20 seconds of audio commentary to each picture that you have taken.
Ease of Use
When you first get your hands on the Nikon Coolpix 4100 you can switch the camera into automatic mode and start taking pictures. It doesn't get much easier than that. As you get to know the camera you will find the menu system easy to work through. Nothing stands out as being particularly difficult to understand or get to grips with. There are a number of features that you will need to find in the manual to work out how to take advantage of them, but this is to be expected. Overall this is a straightforward digital camera.
Cost
At the time of writing you can buy the Nikon Coolpix 4100 at around £200. In my opinion it is very fairly priced.
Style
The Nikon Coolpix 4100 is a good looking digital camera. It is a bright, shiny, silver model. It is relatively small, although you can find smaller cameras, if that is vital to you. Its dimensions are 3.5 x 2.6 x 1.5 inches (88 x 65 x 38mm) and it weighs in at 140g. That is lightweight compared to other cameras.
Batteries / Memory Cards
Two AA batteries or a single CRV3 battery provide power to the Nikon Coolpix 4100. Although many advances have been made recently batteries still run down quickly. Therefore purchasing some rechargeable AA batteries and a charger is a good idea.
There is 14.5MB of internal storage in the camera. Taking four megapixel shots or shooting movies will soon fill this up and I would describe buying a high capacity memory card as a must. The Nikon Coolpix 4100 uses SD (Secure Digital) cards.
Conclusion
The Nikon Coolpix 4100 is a solid, dependable digital camera. Its as if you know exactly what you are going to get. There are though a lot of digital cameras to choose from in this category. All in all the Nikon Coolpix 4100 is a pretty standard digital camera that offers good value for money.
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
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Related Pages
Nikon Coolpix 4100 Review Nikon Coolpix 4100 Specification Nikon Coolpix 4100 Sample Images
