Nikon Coolpix S3100

Nikon's Coolpix S3100 arrived in February 2011 as an entry-level ultracompact built around one straightforward idea — make it easy, make it slim, make it colorful. The Smart Portrait System handled portraits automatically: detecting up to twelve faces, firing the shutter when someone smiled, warning about blinks, and softening skin tones without a single manual setting. Available in seven colors from citrus yellow to classic black, it represented the tail end of the dedicated compact camera era — the last moment when manufacturers genuinely believed bright colors and smart automation could hold the line against smartphones.

NO FILTER: SHOT ON S3100

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THE LOOKS

In black, the S3100 strips back the personality of its brighter siblings into something clean and understated — smooth aluminum surfaces, no visible texture, just a slim rectangular slab with the lens sitting flush when off. It's one of seven color options alongside silver, red, yellow, purple, blue, and pink. At 94 × 58 × 18.4mm and 118g, it disappears into a jacket pocket without complaint and looks properly composed doing it.

THE SPECS

14-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor, ISO 80–3200. 5× Zoom-Nikkor 26–130mm equivalent, f/3.2–6.5, electronic VR image stabilization (4-way). EXPEED C2 processor. 2.7-inch LCD (230k dots). 720p HD video at 30fps, one-touch recording. Smart Portrait System: Smile Timer, Face-Priority AF (up to 12 faces), Blink Warning, Skin Softening. Best Shot Selector, 19 scene modes, filter effects including Miniature, Fisheye, and Selective Color. SD/SDHC/SDXC storage. 220 shots per charge.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• 18.4mm body with 5× zoom: Nikon fit a 26–130mm zoom range into a body thinner than most 3× competitors from the same year — the headline engineering achievement of the S3100.
• Smart Portrait System with Smile Timer: The shutter fires automatically when the camera detects a genuine smile — a feature that sounds like a gimmick until you've watched it work at a birthday party.
• EXPEED C2 processor with Best Shot Selector: Up to ten frames captured per shutter press, sharpest one saved automatically — a practical hedge against camera shake and blinking that entry-level shooters actually needed.

THE VERDICT

The S3100 is the entry-level compact done with genuine conviction. The 18.4mm body with a 5× zoom was a real achievement at the price, the EXPEED C2 processing kept image quality honest at base ISOs, and seven color options made the whole package feel considered rather than generic. Electronic VR has its limits and noise climbs fast above ISO 400 — but for casual daylight shooting in black or any of the other six colors, it delivered exactly what it promised.