Coolpix 4100: 4 Megapixel Entry-level Nikon for Under $200
by Stephen Caston on March 11, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
General Image Quality
For these pictures, the camera was reset to its factory default setting. Then, it was set to its highest quality recording setting. The pictures were then taken in Auto mode unless stated otherwise. Portrait-style images have been rotated using Irfanview's "lossless operations". Click on a thumbnail to view the full-size image. All images are in sRGB color space.  Click to enlarge. |
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In the first sample above, the image is a bit grainier than what we would like and we noticed some subtle jaggies along diagonal lines. The second sample demonstrates a problem that we found throughout most of our pictures with the 4100. Although the camera can resolve a decent amount of detail, those details tends to be quite soft in appearance. Again, the image is also fairly grainy for a bright outdoor picture. In the third sample, we should note the soft details again as well as some obvious jaggies along diagonal lines.
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In the first sample above, the tree on the left demonstrates the camera's resolution limit with the appearance of jaggies throughout the fine lines of the limbs. In addition, we noticed some JPEG artifacts on edges in dark areas of the image along with the grainy image quality that we mentioned earlier. The second sample above is a great example of a typical shot with the 4100. Overall detail is decent, but the fine details are muddled with subtle JPEG artifacts, jaggies, and a grainy quality. In the last sample, we found that the 4100 is capable of taking decent macro pictures as close as 1.6" from the lens. However, it took us three tries to get this one in focus. With the other two attempts, the camera mistakenly focused on the background.
Overall, image quality with the 4100 is fairly decent for a point-and-shoot camera. The fine details are fairly soft and we frequently noticed subtle jaggies and JPEG artifacts. While we don't think any of these problems will be a concern for normal-sized prints (4"x6", 5"x7"), they may be noticeable with prints 8"x10" or larger. It's a shame that the Coolpix 4100 can't do a better job producing images with better fine detail, considering its good performance on our resolution chart. We were pleasantly surprised to see that purple fringing is not a major concern with the 4100. In addition, we noticed some very subtle corner blurring, but it was much better than what we expected for a compact digicam.
Night Landscape
 (Night Landscape, 1.1 sec.) Click to enlarge. |
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In Night Landscape scene mode, the Coolpix 4100 can take exposures up to 2 seconds in length. In our 1.1 sec. exposure above, there is quite a bit of grain visible throughout the frame. We also noticed vertical banding that is particularly visible in the dark sky. In addition, the image suffers from the same soft details that we had seen in our daylight samples. Overall, we are not too impressed with the night capabilities of this camera.
Movie Mode
 (640x480, 15 fps) Click to view. |
The Nikon Coolpix 4100 can record video with audio at 640x480, 320x240, or 160x120. With all three resolutions, the camera records video clips at 15 fps as QuickTime MOV files. The duration of a video clip is only limited by the remaining space on the internal memory or flash card. As our sample demonstrates, at 640x480, the quality of the video isn't very good as it is full of compression artifacts. Although this clip isn't the best demonstration, we also discovered that when "Continuous AF" is enabled, the sound of the auto-focus system is recorded in the video clip. To remedy this, you can always select "Single AF" to focus before recording begins. Although the optical zoom is unavailable, the digital zoom can be used. In short, we are fairly disappointed with the video functionality of the Coolpix 4100.
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lopri - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - link
[quote]we[/quote]g33k - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
A very thorough review. Thanks!cholm - Monday, April 18, 2005 - link
Pardons for continuing the OT thread..."Barf" is Farsi for "snow", and a popular brand of laundry detergent and shampoo available at any corner store in Iran. In the same vein, a "barfi" is the guy who shovels the snow off of your roof.
MrCoyote - Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - link
I was looking at Nikon, but bought a Kodak DX7440 instead. This gives you a good lens which has very little barrel distortion compared to all Nikon point and shoot. Plus manual settings for EVERYTHING and near instant shutter response, that Nikon's line lacks.The only bad thing about P&S cameras, are the 4:3 ratio of the pictures. I'd rather 35mm film ratio of 3:2, like all SLR cameras got.
stephencaston - Tuesday, March 15, 2005 - link
#10: Yep it's real, but I can't remember what country it's from ;-)Jigga - Monday, March 14, 2005 - link
BARF detergent powder? Where do you get that--please tell me its a novelty gag and not an actual brand!!!skrivis - Monday, March 14, 2005 - link
Camera reviews...Epinions is worthwhile sometimes, and as someone else mentioned, dcresource is good. Another one I found valuable is Steve's Digicams (http://www.steves-digicams.com/)
skrivis - Monday, March 14, 2005 - link
The Canon A75/A510 and A85/A520 were models I had considered, and I was all set to purchase an A85 after the 520 was released and the prices on the A85 dropped significantly.However, the Nikon Coolpix 5400 was just too good a deal to pass up. :-)
Magnesium case, 5.1 MP, ED lens, flash hotshoe, LCD screen that swivels, diopter adjustment for the viewfinder... it's a level above any of the Canon 75/85/95 etc. models.
There are only two drawbacks to the 5400 (and some other Nikons).
One is that it takes a Li-ion battery pack. You can also use a standard Lithium disposable battery in an emergency. The good thing is that other companies make replacement packs that are cheaper than Nikon's. I was against this type of pack and wanted a camera that takes AA cells. I decided I can bend a little since the 5400 has so much else to offer.
The other drawback is the lack of an auto-focus helper light for low-light conditions. It hasn't proved to be a problem yet, and I plan to get a cheap LED pointer and use that if needed.
AtaStrumf - Saturday, March 12, 2005 - link
hoppa here is one review of Canon A510/520 I have been able to dig up:http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_...
I seems that A520 is a total waste of money since quality is not improved and due to larger files it is a bit slower and it even has more noise, so it's A510 all the way. I bought one and I am very happy with it. LOVE the all manual controls and it's very snappy.
Even movies are much better than I expected from 320x240@15 FPS up to 3 mins. Perfectly OK for goofying around, since this is primarily a still and not a movie camera. Even so it still puts this Nikon to shame.
Lens is a bit soft in corners at wider apertures, so I use Aperture Value at 5.5 to 7.1 and the quality is great.
Overall I think it is _the_ best camera for the money, I'm just having some strange problems when the camera refuses to shoot with flash and then tells me to change the batteries and turns off even though the batteries are far from depleted and even new fresh from the charger don't help. It happened twice in two weeks since I have it and is very annoying, since it comes out of the blue and disappears as mysteriously as it appears. Thankfully I bought it at a local camera shop so RMAing it will be easy.
hoppa - Saturday, March 12, 2005 - link
Thanks for the review. You guys should really review the new Canon A510/520. From what I've seen they (at least the 510) blow everything else in the price range away. Compared to the entry-level Nikons, they offer full manual controls, longer lenses and much sharper pictures. Certainly seems like a better choice to me.