'Picky Details' for the Nikon Coolpix 3100 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Nikon Coolpix 3100:
NOTE: My qualitative characterizations of camera performance below (that is, "reasonably fast," "about average," etc.) are meant to be relative to other cameras of similar price and general capabilities. Thus, the same shutter lag that's "very fast" for a low-end consumer camera might be characterized as "quite slow" if I encountered it on a professional model. The comments are also intended as only a quick reference: If performance specs are critical for you, rely on the absolute numbers to compare cameras, rather than my purely qualitative comments.
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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Coolpix startup screen appears and lens extends forward.
Slower than average.
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| Shutdown |
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Lens retracts. Average to a bit faster than average.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. Faster than average.
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| Record to play |
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Time to display a large/fine file after capture. Faster
than average.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. Somewhat faster than average. (Average is 0.9-1.1) |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button.
A good bit faster than average. (Average is 0.2-0.3 seconds)
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| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
4.83 |
First numbers are for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. The camera displays an auto review of each shot, which cannot be canceled. First two images in large/fine mode captured with interval of 2.1 seconds, next image takes 7.4 seconds. (Two-frame buffer memory?) Small/basic images all show the same cycle time of ~4.8 seconds. |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution |
(1.0/1.5 fps) |
First pair of numbers is for large/fine, second set for small/basic files. Numbers beneath are corresponding frames per second. In large/fine mode, captured 3 frames before forcing a wait of ~11 seconds for the buffer to empty. In small/basic mode, captured ~65 frames, then takes ~76 seconds to clear. |
Overall, the Coolpix 3500 is a fairly fast little camera, coming out a bit
faster than average on most measures, apart from the somewhat leisurely startup
time. Shutter lag is slightly faster than average. (I do consider the average
shutter lag of digicams to be *much* too slow, but the 3100 is slightly better
than most.) Cycle times are competetive for the first two shots snapped in
rapid sequence, but slow quite after that unless you wait a few seconds for
the memory buffer to clear. Continuous-mode cycle time is OK at about 1 frame/second,
but many full-sized cameras are three times that fast. All in all though,
decent performance figures for a compact digicam.
Power
The Coolpix 3100 can use a pair of rechargeable NiMH AA batteries, one
CRV3 lithium battery or two LR6 AA nickel manganese batteries for power.
The table below shows the Coolpix 3100's power consumption in various modes,
and approximate run times for each, based a pair of NiMH batteries with a
(true, not advertised) 1600 mAh capacity.
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(@4.2 volts on the external power terminal) |
(2 true 1600 mAh capacity NiMH AA cells) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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83 |
| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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4 days (!) |
| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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83 |
| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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105 |
| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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138 |
The Coolpix 3100's battery life is a bit better than average for a compact
digicam. (And my projected run times shown above are a little conservative
these days, given that they're based on rechargeable AA cells with a true
capacity of 1600 mAh - Cells are currently available with true capacities
as high as 1800 mAh.) The extremely low power drain in record mode with the
LCD turned off is particularly welcome, although the optical viewfinders on
most digicams aren't accurate enough to rely on them for critical framing.
As always, I highly recommend picking up a couple of sets of high-capacity
rechargeable batteries, and keeping a spare set freshly charged at all times.
Click here
to read my "battery shootout" page to see which batteries currently
on the market are best, or here
for my review of the Maha C-204F charger, my longtime favorite.
Storage Capacity
The Coolpix 3100 stores its photos on CompactFlash memory cards, and a
16MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying
at least a 64MB card, preferably a 128MB one, to give yourself extra space
for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored
on the included 16MB card at each size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card |
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| 2,048 x 1,536 | Images (Avg size) |
10 1,600KB |
19 821KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 12:1 | |
| 1,600 x 1,200 | Images (Avg size) |
- | 31 512KB |
| Approx. Compression |
- | 11:1 | |
| 1,024 x 768 | Images (Avg size) |
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230KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Images (Avg size) |
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111KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Download Speed
The Coolpix 3100 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading
files to a dual 1 GHz PowerMac G4 (OS X, version 10.2.3), I clocked it at
425 KBytes/second. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s,
cameras with fast ones run as high as 600 KB/s.)
3100 Test Images
3100 Specifications
3100 "Picky Details"
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