Nikon COOLPIX S3100 Pro Reviews

The S3100 is as well put together as one would expect a Nikon camera to be. The main improvements over its predecessor are a broader focal range, a couple of million extra pixels in terms of headline resolution, and High Def video rather than standard definition - all of which are worth having. Its metal shell, respectable zoom range and quick response times for the most part leave us with little to grumble about. Having said that, this Coolpix had us again wondering about how slim is too slim for practical use. Nevertheless, in summing up, the Nikon S3100 is one of the slicker budget-priced point-and-shoots out there. And, whilst not perfect in every single regard (what is?), for just over £100 there's the sense that for such an outlay you can't go far wrong.

Image quality is impressive on the whole, and A3 prints are possible at the lower sensitivity settings. The Auto mode does an excellent job in a range of conditions and images from the S3100 are vibrant and attractive.

While the S3100 doesn’t offer extensive controls and the image quality most certainly isn’t for critical work, the camera does deliver what it sets out to: it looks the part and is affordable. The variety of colours available means there’s a model to suit anyone, the 26-110mm range is perfectly decent and relatively wide-angle too, meaning point-and-shoot fanatics should have their majority of snaps covered. Perhaps a better looker than performer, and the image quality is far from decent, but the S3100 offers plenty for its price.

One of the best pocket-sized zoom snappers at this price

At this price point you can't really expect a digital camera to be anything other than basic and functional, an expectation that the Nikon Coolpix S3100 happily surpasses. The main improvements over its predecessor are a bigger zoom, a couple of million extra pixels, and HD video rather than standard definition. That being said, this is not the type of low cost camera that would have someone seriously consider moving from one generation to the next; hopefully existing S3000 owners will set their sights higher for their next upgrade, and for those users a high performance compact like Nikon's equally new Coolpix P300 or its rival in the Panasonic DMC-LX5 would be a better if more expensive bet.

A stylish ultra-slim camera at an attractive price, but image quality is simply appalling.

The Nikon Coolpix S3000 scored eight out of ten when we tested it back in July 2010 and the Coolpix S3100 builds on this by offering a longer zoom lens, more megapixels and HD video recording. Noise performance isn't as good as the Coolpix S3000 but this is likely to be due to the higher resolution and macro mode is also pretty poor. Overall, the Coolpix S3100 is capable of taking good pictures for an extremely reasonable price and with its slim body and fantastic auto modes the Nikon Coolpix S3100 will please many a compact user.