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

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.

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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.

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.