Nikon D3100

APS-C, 14.2 MP, 3.0"
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        Summary Nikon D3100

        Prices Price
        Body only $285 With 18-55mm lens $370 - $430
        all D3100 prices
        Score Snapsort rank
        Within its price range #n/a of 0 Among similar cameras #n/a of 19
        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

        "There's no doubt that the D3100 is one of the best entry-level SLRs available, offering very good image quality coupled with speedy operation and straightforward handling - at least for conventional eye-level use."
        dpreview.com | talking about the camera's overall-performance
        "In addition to these buttons and switches the D3100 has also gained a proper rubber grip, rather than the rubberized coating that featured on the D3000"
        dpreview.com | talking about the camera's build-quality
        "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

        Pros

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        The Nikon D3100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

        Movie continuous focus Movie continuous focus Help
        Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
        Size Quite small Help
        Prosumer size 124x96x73 mm
        Thickness Thin Help
        2.9"
        Lowest price Very inexpensive Help
        $284.99
        Startup delay Short startup delay Help
        400 ms startup delay
        Lens availability More lenses available Help
        205 lenses
        Weight Light Help
        505 g
        Popularity Very popular Help
        Among snapsort users

        Cons

        Report a correction

        The Nikon D3100 vs other recent entry-level DSLRs

        Movie format Full HD Help
        1080p @ 24fps
        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
        True resolution Lower true resolution Help
        14.2 MP
        Weather sealed No weather sealing Help
        Need to shelter it from weather
        Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
        3 fps
        Panorama Lacks in-camera panoramas Help
        You could stitch photos in post
        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
        Fastest shutter speed Slow shutter speed Help
        1/4000 of a second
        Overall image quality Low overall image quality Help
        67.0
        Dynamic range Very narrow dynamic range Help
        11.3 EV
        Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
        3,200 ISO
        Screen flips out Fixed screen Help
        Less flexible
        Autofocus Contrast detection autofocus Help
        slower focusing
        Focus points Fewer focus points Help
        11
        External mic jack Lacks an external mic jack Help
        Limited to the in-camera mic
        Announced Old Help
        August, 2010
        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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        DXOMark

        Appearance

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

        Discussion

        Nikon D3100
        D3100
        Nikon

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        Showing 25 comments

        Avatar for Zeeshan Haider Zeeshan Haider (3:12 AM, December 23, 2013)
        you ship in pakistan....?????????????
         
        Avatar for Denise Clark Futch Denise Clark Futch (4:43 AM, December 20, 2013)
        I do a lot of photographing at my grand daughters soccers games and I have been very pleased with my camera.
         
        Stefan (8:26 PM, November 26, 2013)
        What about the image quality in high ISO?
         
        Avatar for Michelle Michelle (3:47 AM, August 23, 2013)
        I'm thinking of buying my first DSLR. If anyone knows of good camera that takes great pictures/video (video is very important to me!) please let me know! . I'm thinking the Nikon D3100 or the Canon T3 because they are the cheapest I could find and they take decent video/pictures. I'm trying to stay within the $300-400 range. I would really appreciate your help, thanks :)
         
        Avatar for Alex Deschamps Alex Deschamps (1:23 AM, June 13, 2013)
        Should I take D3100 with one lens 50-200 mm OR(WHERE) D5100 with the basic lens???
         
        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