Gadget Addict

ByCameron Thiel

If you are in the market for an SLR camera, it's worth checking out the Nikon D3100 SLR which has outstanding performance at a reasonable price. This is a great model for beginners and seasoned amateurs alike, and the image quality is first-rate. In addition to taking digital stills, the Nikon d3100 comes with 1080p HD video for creating impressive cinematic videos.

Here are some of the key product features of the Nikon d3100 digital SLR camera:

Photos can be blown-up to more than 30x20 inches with the 14 MP DX image sensor. The DX image sensor (APS-C format) measures 23.1 x 15.4 mm and is capable of a picture angle of 1.5X. The advantage of a larger image sensor is a larger percentage of the image area is recorded, giving the appearance of a photograph shot with a shorter focal length.

The camera comes with a nice 18-55 mm lens, f/3.5-5.6 and a 3X Nikkor Zoom with 11-point autofocus, resulting in vivid colors, sharp contrast and razor fine detail. VR image stabilization helps to keep photos and videos looking crisp. The true enthusiast can swap out this lens for prime Nikon lenses (sold separately) for additional performance and optimization.

There are many handy features on the Nikon d3100 which reduce the need for tweaking to optimize photo quality, including auto iso, auto white balance, auto distortion correction and auto chromatic aberrations, as well as program mode, exposure compensation, and flash sync mode.

The full 1080p HD video (1920 x 1080 pixels) has autofocus and sound, and delivers cinematic quality. The external memory card slot can take SD, SDXC, or SDHC formats with up to 64 gigabytes of storage (note the card itself must be bought separately). Compared with some DSLRs, this unit is very lightweight (just about 1 pound) and has a solid, easy grip; this makes it great for those extended photo shoots or bringing it with you on the road.

The D3100 SLR offers an ISO range from 100 to 3200 which can be extended to 12800 if desired. One consideration for this camera is that it moves the ISO to 3200 when the auto flash is turned on in low light conditions. But, these images at high ISO can still be enlarged to at least 8x10 with no issues, and the ISO settings can be adjusted when using the flash in manual mode if needed. Another item to note is the camera comes with rechargeable Li-ion batteries and it's worth considering buying an extra battery pack (sold separately) so you're never caught without enough juice.

Summary of Features for the Nikon D3100