Coolpix 4100: 4 Megapixel Entry-level Nikon for Under $200

Recording Features

In all recording modes, the Coolpix 4100 records images as JPEG files. The resolution/quality options are below:

Resolution (pixels)	Quality
2288x1712	High
2288x1712	Normal
1600x1200	Normal
1024x768	Normal
640x480	Normal

The Mode Dial offers 6 different modes for still image recording: Auto, Scene, Portrait assist, Landscape assist, Sports assist, and Night portrait assist. Auto mode is designed to be used as a general purpose shooting mode while the other options are more for specific situations. By pressing up on the multi-selector, you can select one of five available flash modes. Although, the options will vary depending on the recording mode, we will discuss them as they appear in Auto mode. The options are Auto, Auto w/red-eye reduction, Off, Fill, and Slow sync. If set to Auto, the camera will fire the flash if it decides that there is not enough light to produce an appropriate exposure. When Auto w/red-eye reduction is selected, the camera will fire a pre-flash before the actual flash. This is done to contract your subject's pupils in order to reduce the red-eye effect. The Fill flash option forces the flash to fire even if there is adequate light for an exposure. This is commonly used to counter strong backlighting and/or to fill in shadows on your subject on a bright day. The Slow-sync option can be used to achieve natural-looking flash pictures in low light. The camera will fire the flash and keep the shutter open longer to expose the ambient lighting. The result is a well-balanced image with both flash and natural illumination. By pressing left on the multi-selector, you can choose to enable the 10-second self-timer. Also, by pressing down on the multi-selector, you can enable the 4100's macro mode, which can focus on objects as close as 1.6" from the lens.

In Auto mode, the following options will be displayed when the Menu button is pressed:

Menu (Auto mode)
Image mode	4M* High (2288+), 4M Normal (2288), 2M Normal (1600), PC screen (1024), TV screen (640)
White balance	Auto, White bal. preset, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight
Continuous	+/- 2 stops in 1/3 stop increments
Drive mode	Single, Continuous, Multi-shot 16
BSS	Off, On
Color options	Standard color, Vivid color, Black-and-white, Sepia, Cyanotype

When "Single" is selected from the Continuous menu, the camera will only take one picture when the shutter button is depressed. When "Continuous" is selected, the user's guide indicates that the camera can take up to 7 frames at 1.5 fps at the highest resolution and quality setting. With the Multi-shot 16 option, the camera will take 16 consecutive images at 1.5 fps when the shutter is depressed. The images are saved automatically as a single JPEG image (Normal, 2288x1712) as four rows of four. BSS stands for "Best Shot Selector" and will take up to ten pictures for as long as the shutter button is held down. Then, the camera saves only the picture with the most detail to memory. This is a very useful feature when taking pictures in low light where camera shake might cause blurring.

The Scene mode setting offers 11 preset options as listed in the table below:

Party/Indoor	Museum
Beach/Snow	Fireworks Show
Sunset	Copy
Dusk/Dawn	Backlight
Night Landscape	Panorama Assist
Close up

To select a scene mode, simply press the Menu button, select the desired scene, and press "set". Each Scene mode is designed for specific circumstances. For example, Beach/Snow mode will apply a positive exposure compensation to expose a bright scene properly and Museum mode will enable BSS and disable the flash. In Portrait Assist mode, the camera will use a large aperture in order to capture sharp subject detail while blurring the background. With Landscape Assist, the camera will use a small aperture to keep both the foreground and background in focus. In Sports Assist mode, the camera will use the fastest shutter speed possible in order to capture fast moving subjects. Finally, Night Portrait assist will enable a slow-sync flash in order to capture foreground and background details. Because of the slow shutter speed, we recommend using a tripod to prevent blurring.

Movie mode on the Coolpix 4100 offers three resolutions from which to select: 640x480, 320x240, and 160x120. All resolution options will record video and audio at 15 fps as QuickTime (MOV) files. The duration of the clips is only limited by the remaining space on the flash card/internal memory. By pressing the Menu button in movie mode, there are two menu items that will appear:

Movie menu
Movie options	TV movie 640, Small size 320, Smaller size 160
Auto-focus mode	Single AF, Continuous AF

The camera can be set to Single or Continuous AF. When Single AF is selected, the camera will lock the focus when the shutter button is half-pressed. If Continuous AF is selected, the camera will continue to focus while recording a video clip. While recording, the optical zoom is unavailable; however, the digital zoom can be used.

The final mode on the Mode Dial is "Set up". Below, we have outlined the options available in Set up mode:

Set up menu
Welcome screen	Disable Welcome, Nikon, Animation, Select an image
Date	Date (and time), Time Zone
Monitor settings	Show info, Hide info, Framing grid, Monitor off
Date imprint	Off, Date, Date and time, Date counter
Brightness	5 increments
Sound settings	Button sound (Off, On), Shutter sound (1, 2, 3, Off), Start-up sound (Off, On), Volume (Loud, Normal, Off)
Blur warning	Off, On
Auto Off	Auto Off (30s, 1m, 5, 30m), Sleep mode (Off, On)
Format card	No, Format
Language	Select
USB	PTP, Mass storage
Video mode	NTSC, PAL
Reset all	No, Reset
Battery type	Alkaline, Coolpix(NiMH), CR-V3
Firmware version	E4100 Ver.1.0

The Welcome screen can be selected as a default Coolpix logo or animation. You can also specify a custom image to use for the welcome screen.

Show info

Hide info

Framing grid

The Monitor settings let you adjust the information that is displayed on the LCD monitor. The default "Show info" setting will display the image resolution/quality, flash, number of frames available, camera shake warning, recording medium, record mode, macro, and self-timer. When "Hide info" is selected, the bottom information bar is removed as well as the Macro indicator. When "Framing grid" is selected, all information is cleared from the screen other than a 3x3 grid, recording medium icon, and camera shake warning. It is a shame that the display options are buried in the Set up menu. It would be much more convenient to have a "Display" button on the back of the camera that would cycle through the options.

The "Blur warning" refers to an interesting feature of the Coolpix 4100. If this is enabled and a blurry picture is taken, the camera will prompt "Picture is Blurred. Save Picture? No, Yes". Although this is a useful feature, it is nice to know that you can turn it off if it gets too annoying. The "Auto Off" option refers to how long the camera should wait to disable the LCD monitor after a period of inactivity. If "Sleep mode" is enabled, the camera will enter sleep mode if it does not detect a change in subject brightness after 30 seconds (when Auto off is set to 30s or 1m) or 1 minute (when Auto off is set to 5 or 30m). The "Reset all" option will reset the camera to its factory default settings and reset the file numbering system. We assume that the "Battery type" option allows the camera to measure more accurately the remaining charge of the installed batteries.