Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100
Entry-level DSLR Entry-level DSLR
August, 2010

Summary Nikon D3100

Prices Price
Body only Unknown With 18-55mm lens $447 - $740
all D3100 prices
Score Snapsort rank
Within its price range #n/a of 1 Among similar cameras #n/a of 15
details details
Specifications Key specs
Sensor size Help APS-C 23.1x15.4mm Screen resolution Help 230k dots
Megapixels Help 14.2 MP Movie format Help 1080p @ 24fps
Screen size Help 3.0" Light sensitivity Help 3,200 ISO
see all specifications
Lenses Lenses
Browse all Nikon D3100 lenses at LensHero
Nikon D3100Nikon D3100

Replacement

Nikon has replaced the D3100 with the D3200.

Nikon D3200
Nikon D3200 announced March, 2012
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen

Compare the new Nikon D3200 vs the D3100

reviewsWhat are people saying about the D3100

"It's almost impossible to pick up without your hand falling into a sensible position with the key controls at your fingertips."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's button-layout
"Thanks to its lineage the D3100 remains one of the most pleasant to hold cameras in its class."
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's feel
"High ISO performance is substantially improved over the D3000, to the extent that images shot at sensitivities as high as 3200 are eminently useable"
dpreview.com | talking about the camera's iso-noise

Videos

Nikon D3100 - best entry-level...

Nikon D3100 Guide - Basic Phot...

Canon 550D vs Nikon D3100
Nikon D3100 - best entry-level DSLR?
  • Review
  • Image quality
 Nikon D3100 Guide - Basic Photography Tips
  • Tutorial
  • Photography
 Canon 550D vs Nikon D3100
  • Tutorial

Browse all Nikon D3100 videos

Pros

The Nikon D3100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

Startup delay Short startup delay Help
400 ms startup delay
Movie continuous focus Movie continuous focus Help
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Thickness Thin Help
2.9"
Weight Light Help
505 g
Popularity Very popular Help
Among snapsort users
Supports 24p 24p movies Help
For that film look
Lens availability More lenses available Help
169 lenses
Size Quite small Help
Prosumer size 124x96x73 mm
Lowest price Inexpensive Help
$399.00

Cons

The Nikon D3100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

Screen resolution Very low resolution screen Help
230k dots
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
Viewfinder size Small viewfinder Help
0.51x
Weather sealed No weather sealing Help
Need to shelter it from weather
Autofocus Contrast detection autofocus Help
slower focusing
Shutter lag Longer shutter lag Help
279 ms shutter lag
Cross type focus points Fewer cross-type focus points Help
1
HDR Lacks in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Doesn't take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Announced Old Help
August, 2010
Fastest shutter speed Slow shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Overall image quality Low overall image quality Help
67.0
Dynamic range Narrower dynamic range Help
11.3 EV
True resolution Lower true resolution Help
14.2 MP
Light sensitivity Very poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
3 fps
Screen flips out Fixed screen Help
Less flexible
Panorama Lacks in-camera panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
Viewfinder coverage Below average viewfinder coverage Help
95%
Light sensitivity (boost) Low boost light sensitivity Help
12,800 ISO
Lens focus motor No focus motor Help
Won't autofocus with all lenses

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Appearance

front photo of the Nikon D3100back photo of the Nikon D3100angle photo of the Nikon D3100

Discussion What do you think about the Nikon D3100?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of this camera here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

Showing 25 comments

Avatar for Pensrfun Pensrfun (5:34 PM, May 08, 2013)
The Nikon wu-1a works on the D3200. Will it also work on the D3100?
 
Avatar for Maxim Mayone Maxim Mayone (1:20 PM, April 16, 2013)
What battery grip and external mic Do you use?
 
Avatar for Muneharu Ota Muneharu Ota (2:42 PM, March 25, 2013)
Excellent explanation. 'Nikon': Why do Americans pronounce this manufacturer 'naikon'? It is called 'nikon' (like Nivea, a skin cream manufacturer) in Britain and Japan (the company's home country).
 
Avatar for Valliappan Aravind Valliappan Aravind (6:22 AM, February 17, 2013)
plse some body suggest me. whether.nikon d3100 or canon t2i rebel among these wich one is best in iso..light sensitivity?
 
Steven white (2:52 PM, November 25, 2012)
I picked one of these up in Spain earlier this year for 410 euros with 4gb sdhc card 18-55 & 70-210 lenses & carry pack for the money I simply can't fault it. Easy to use light & fast...just what the wife wanted to replace her old film Minolta!
 
maria2310 (6:35 PM, August 04, 2012)
 HI am going to buy my first slr. I am between Canon eos 600 and nikon 5100. which one do you suggest?
 
Michelle Singh (3:05 PM, May 14, 2012)
Which is better the Canon T3 Rebel or the Nikon D3100
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (4:51 PM, April 03, 2012)
I am glad we could help. If you liked Snapsort you might also like our new site Sortable.com, you can search and compare a lot more than just cameras.
 
Avatar for caio1982 caio1982 (4:46 PM, April 03, 2012)
I've bought a D3100 already but this page made me to realize I got it just right as my first DSLR. Wonderful camera, I only wish it had an external mic jack in its body and that Nikon could release a compatible SDK for this little beast. Anyway, for my next camera I'll surely come back to Snapsort! I've just stopped by to say how great it is :-)
 
Avatar for Crysania Crysania (4:33 PM, March 21, 2012)
 Lots of people care for Sony.  Sony makes great cameras.  I just got their A580 and it's amazing.
 
holowackuck (0:18 AM, March 04, 2012)
like this cam
 
Z E C T E R (3:01 PM, February 12, 2012)
D3100, the AF not to fast. trying to shot a skateboarder and almost of all the photos is out of focus. continous AF in vid mode? not helping that much, because the AF is really slow lol
 
roy (6:01 PM, February 06, 2012)
You know, it has been one year since I asked about the D3100, and I had since acquired it. And the verdict? I love it! Simple to use/getting used to and yet it provides stunning images! 
Definitely a very good starting point if one was to look for a proper entry-level DSLR. My transition from the plain ol' Point-and-Shoot to DSLR was pretty smooth. The only drawback that I see for now is that one would have to stick to AF-S lenses, which is a bit pricey compared to the AF (at my place, not sure about others).

Again, I would really like to thank Snapsort in assisting my decision-making process, you guys have been a great help!
 
Haralisa (8:49 AM, January 12, 2012)
Hi.I want to buy a dslr camera to use it for travelling but i don't know whether i should choose this nikon d3100 or the canon eos 1100d.Can someone give me some suggestions?And please also state the price cos im searching for dslr that cost around rm1500++.Thank you.
 
Yanks13 (2:29 PM, December 23, 2011)
Okayyy guys. i had a choice between d3100,5100 and canon counterparts, it was pretty obvs for coz nikon is better on paper than 1100d , and was on a tight budget as well. Nevertheless D31000 was fairly easy on pocket and now it has been a week with it and its AMAZING! there is nothing you will get fussy about, its simple to use. no cheap plasticky build & the retouch menu is lovely. Nikon Transfer 2 (the CD pack contains all) is faster than you think. i would say, just go for it. (Y)

P.S- Speculation is that the red color D3100 might get white color lenses as standard. Ummm...
 
Scierwo001 (10:36 PM, December 13, 2011)
Kurewski aparacik, W SAM RAZ DLA TZWELI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Sudharsan ravikumar (11:58 PM, December 08, 2011)
D3100 if u hav low budjet else go for canon 7d :)
 
Ikazanne (3:19 AM, December 07, 2011)
Erm is canon 40d good???
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (2:58 PM, December 01, 2011)
You should not get stuck on megapixels, most people only need a few megapixels unless you are blowing your photo up to billboard size. 
The T3i, D3100 and D5100 are all good cameras, I do not think you will be disappointed with any of them. You can check out our comparison of the T3i vs D5100 or T3i vs D3100 and lastly the D5100 vs D3100.
Good luck.
 
Salp8 (4:59 AM, December 01, 2011)
I am new to the digital camera world and was wondering why some Canons are 18 mp but cost almost the same as a Nikon with 14 or 16 mp?  I am looking for a digital camera that takes good clear pictures of people, portraits and candid, mostly candid, captures colors excellent and allows me to be creative and have fun with the camera and lenses.  I am fairly experienced with film cameras but not a professional and I do like to play with the aperture and shutter speed to create some fun photographs.  I would appreciate any advice on which camera might be best for me.  I am looking at the Canon eos rebel T3i and the Nikon D3100 or D5100. Please help. Thank you very much
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (2:26 PM, November 30, 2011)
You got yourself a good camera.
 
Chookbrown (2:02 AM, November 30, 2011)
just got mine delivered but was second guessing myself as i thought i wanted the canon t1 but was persuaded by husband to go nikon. glad the reviews for the 3100 are good!
 
N Raptored90 (10:37 PM, November 28, 2011)
i compared my nikon d3100 to canon 600d......i was pretty impressed with the image quality of canon......i'm a bit confused.....many ppls suggest me that i would had bought a canon.....and the operation in canon was a bit easier than nikon .... so is it that its a improved level dslr??.....i have never tested my nikon with a canon 1100d....
 
Vaibhavg39 (9:02 AM, November 27, 2011)
Hello :))
I am planning to buy my first Dslr but im dead confused between the Cannon D1100 & the Nikon D3100.
Plz help
 
Avatar for Snapsort Snapsort (2:30 PM, November 24, 2011)
Thanks, glad we could help!