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

Final Words

The Nikon Coolpix 4100 offers quite a bit for its price. It features a 4 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, and a good array of recording modes. Although there are no advanced exposure controls, metering options, or ISO settings, the 4100 does offer exposure compensation and manual white balance. In our regular lineup of tests, the Coolpix 4100 puts in a mixture of performances. For example, the camera takes 4.02 seconds to start up and take a picture, which is fairly slow compared to the competition. We weren't very impressed by its cycle times either. With the flash disabled, it can shoot with a mediocre 1.90 seconds between frames. When the flash is enabled, the camera takes an average of 12 excruciating seconds between frames. Although the camera is slow to start up and take pictures, the 4100 has very impressive shutter lag/focus times. In addition, the camera features an AF-assist lamp to aid in focusing in ultra-low light environments. The Coolpix 4100 also did extremely well in our battery test and has the advantage of using affordable AA batteries.

In our assessment of image quality, the Coolpix 4100 falls a bit short. For example, we noticed a grainy quality throughout almost every picture taken with the 4100. Also, despite a good performance on our resolution chart, the 4100 produces images with a slightly soft/muddy appearance. Smaller than average file sizes are usually an indicator of over-compression and we were disappointed to find that this is the case with the 4100. With an average file size of 1.34 MB, we found some subtle JPEG artifacts as well as jaggies along diagonal lines in our sample photos. So, don't expect pristine 8"x10" prints with this camera, but it will certainly do a good job on smaller prints or for web use. The Coolpix 4100 can currently be found for ~$160. However, for about $100 more, the Nikon Coolpix 4200 offers a larger sensor (which should reduce grain), metering and ISO options, and a slightly smaller body.

Pros	Cons
- Good resolution performance - Fast shutter lag - Very impressive battery life - Very accurate colors in sunlight - AF-assist lamp	- Yellowish cast with Auto WB in tungsten light - Very slow Shot to Shot w/Flash - Soft and grainy images - Slow startup time - No options to adjust ISO setting - Low quality movie mode

Thanks again to Newegg.com for loaning us the Nikon Coolpix 4100 for review.