Just recently, Nikon launched its most current dSLR camera, the Nikon D3100. Positioned to offer a middle-low dSLR camera, Nikon D3100 price is quite affordable. This may occasionally cause a person to wonder, "What concerning the features/technologies and also gratifaction of this great camera?" It might be a valued dSLR camera, but user will still be prepared to obtain a high-quality camera. Moreover, this edition is claimed to be the successor of Nikon D3000, an incredibly successful product which brought Nikon to closing the gap with Canon. This short Nikon D3100 review is designed to answer the easy question "Is Nikon D3100 price worth what it gifts?"

To be able to answer that question, this article will provide Nikon D3100 reviews in three main points, the "what went well", "what needs to be improved" and "who needs it probably the most."

What went well?

High quality photos - Photos quality caused by Nikon D3100 is spectacular, even under ISO 800 setting. People might even get better photos by adjusting the ISO settings up to ISO 3200. The color reproduction is quite excellent and no over saturation noticed.

Picture sharpness - Picture sharpness greatly relies on the lens quality used. Unfortunately, Nikon D3100 coming with a highly reliable 18-55mm VR kit lens. Professional photographer may opt for 28-300mm VR kit, with which the picture sharpness will be lifelike. However, less-professional ones will find the bundled lens is more than enough.

The video recording capability is amazing. In the position to record a Full HD 1080p video at both 24 and 30 fps (frame per second) is quite exceptional for a dSLR camera. In addition to that, user can also do simple editing within the camera (ie. deleting scenes, saving particular frames, etc).

Guide Mode - Nikon Guide Mode is a user-friendly guide mode embedded in the camera itself and full manual controls in video capture. The guide mode will be exceptionally helpful for families, which are inexperienced with dSLR camera before, to learn more about photography as well as the full features of Nikon D3100.

What needs to be improved?

Small viewfinder - Body of Nikon D3100 is quite small and compact. User will find no difficulty in carrying it around, however, the downside is that the viewfinder is quite small. Even though it has no significant impact and eventually user will get used to it, it's worth to be noted.

Slower camera performance - The power on and shooting time is between 0.4 - 0.6 seconds, relies on the light conditions. The shot-to-shot timing for taking JPEG images is between 0.6 - 0.9 seconds. Albeit is usually a distraction for professional photographer, it may not actually affect the less-professional photographer. After all, if you're a professional one, you won't go for Nikon D3100.

Who needs it the most?

Hobbyist Less-professional photographer User searching for the best dSLR camera with limited budget

Conclusion: As you can see in the above review, Nikon D3100 i's not a perfect dSLR camera. It is indeed a fantastic one, but not perfect. I might love to explain more things about this camera, but do not have enough space to do that here.

Technical Details

14.2-megapixel DX-format CMOS image sensor; 3-inch monitor with One-Touch Live View shooting and movie capture

Includes 3x 18-55mm Zoom-NIKKOR VR Image Stabilization lens Full 1080p HD Cinematic Video with full-time autofocus and sound Easy-To-Use Nikon Guide Mode with intuitive controls and on-board assistance Capture images to SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards (not included)