Nikon Coolpix S3100

CONDITION: 9.5/10

THE CAMERA IS IN LIKE NEW CONDITION WITH NO VISIBLE WEAR. THE BLACK BODY IS FLAWLESS WITH NO SCRATCHES, MARKS, OR SIGNS OF USE. THE 2.7-INCH LCD SCREEN IS PERFECT AND CLEAR. THE LENS IS PERFECT AND CLEAR. ALL FUNCTIONS WORK PERFECTLY INCLUDING SHOOTING, ZOOM, IMAGE STABILIZATION, SMART PORTRAIT FEATURES, AND ALL BUTTONS. INCLUDES BATTERY AND USB CHARGING CABLE. AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THIS EARLY-2010S ULTRACOMPACT.

Nikon's Coolpix S3100 arrived in early 2011 as an entry-level ultracompact designed around one simple idea—make it easy, make it slim, and give people enough camera to actually enjoy taking photos. The Smart Portrait System handled everything automatically: detecting faces, triggering the shutter when someone smiled, warning about blinks, and even softening skin tones. Available in seven vibrant colors from citrus yellow to purple, it represented the tail end of the dedicated compact camera era before smartphones made colorful point-and-shoots feel redundant.

NO FILTER: SHOT ON S3100

Coming soon

THE LOOKS

The S3100 came in seven colors including black, silver, red, yellow, purple, blue, and pink—Nikon wanted this camera to be fun. In black it takes on a more understated, classic look with smooth aluminum surfaces and clean lines. At 94 × 58 × 18.4mm it's roughly credit-card sized when closed, and the lens retracts completely flush with the body when powered off.

THE SPECS

The S3100 uses a 14-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor with ISO range from 80 to 3200. The 5× optical zoom lens offers a 26-130mm equivalent range with electronic VR stabilization across four different modes. The 2.7-inch LCD has 230,000-dot resolution. Video recording maxes out at 720p HD at 30fps, and the camera includes 19 scene modes plus Best Shot Selector that captures multiple frames and saves only the sharpest.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• Color variety for personalization: Available in seven vibrant colors from citrus yellow to purple, the S3100 let buyers match their camera to their personal style.
• Ultra-slim profile at 18.4mm: Nikon managed to pack a 5× zoom into a body thinner than many 3× zoom competitors from the same era.
• Smart Portrait automation: Smile Timer, Blink Warning, Face-Priority AF, and Skin Softening all worked together to handle portrait shooting automatically.

THE VERDICT

The DSC-S3100 is a straightforward, affordable ultracompact from Nikon's entry-level S series. The combination of 14-megapixel resolution, 5× zoom in an 18.4mm-thick body, and Smart Portrait features made it a practical choice for casual photographers who wanted something pocketable with enough capability to grow into.