Nikon Coolpix S3100 Digital Point and Shoot Camera Review

I love documenting my experiences and taking photos for my writing and websites but never really had the money for the big professional cameras and never had the knowledge of lighting and cameras to take great pictures but this little pocket-sized camera that I got at Walmart for less than $100 takes great pictures without having an advanced knowledge of f-stops, apertures, lighting, exposure, and all of those other esoteric photography terms.

The S3100 is a 14 megapixel camera with a pretty good zoom, a bright easy to see screen, and just enough features to confuse people but I’ve found that I really don’t have to mess with the settings much. I take most of my pictures with the auto mode where the camera takes care of lighting, controlling the flash, and the focus and they usually end up being pretty good.

Outside of the auto mode I really only use the 720p video mode which makes decent videos but because of the little built-in mic usually picks up too much noise and background sound for serious video work and the macro mode for taking detailed close-up photos. One of my favorite things to do is go the public library and take macro photos of things I want to explore later while reading magazines. Then when I get home I grab the photos using iPhoto on my laptop, add the photos to Evernote, do a bit of research and then document my finding in my notes with the photos.

For the money the S3100 has been a great purchase for my limited photography needs and my limited skill set but as I get better at framing my shots and learn a bit about the more advanced modes and settings I may end up getting a more capable camera and it’ll most likely be another Nikon because they just really great products and from I can tell they’re simpler to use than Canon’s.

If you need a simple to use camera for documenting your next trip around the world or even just your kids growing up this is a good purchase that won’t break the bank.