Pros: Good pictures, compact, well-featured, excellent macro, sometimes on special, stylish, comes with rechargeables in Oz
Cons: Edge effects, weak flash, easy to bump on/off, lens distortion, battery door, small card
The Bottom Line: A fun camera which radiates style and takes very good pictures. On special it's great value, but don't buy until you look at the Canon A60 as well.
Clive_Conway's Full Review: Nikon COOLPIX 2100 Digital Camera
This is obviously a rather dated review. Latest digital camera articles are posted first at http://eebahgum2.blogspot.com/2004/10/eebahgum-on-digital-cameras.html
I was never going to buy a digicam. Happy as Larry, I was, with my old Nikon SLR. Except for the fact that I never used it because it was too expensive to pay for prints/film etc.
But I am a technology addict, and I started researching digicams for work, and bought a Nikon 4300, and when that was stolen, a Canon G3. The Nikon was good and the Canon outstanding.
And this taught me two things. Firstly, I wanted a digicam of my own as soon as possible. And secondly, I would not be happy unless I had a really good one, with all the features of my old SLR plus some. Only problem was that I could not afford a digital SLR.
Then I realised that 95% of the shots I was taking with the 4MP G3 were being reduced in size for use anyway; That a 2MP camera would be good enough for all but the most demanding applications, for which I could use my SLR until I saved for a digital one.
Then I saw a Coolpix 2100 going out for $300 Australian with rechargeable NiMh batteries thrown in. Spent hours playing with it and all its competitors, reading reviews on-line and comparing images. And I came to the conclusion that the little Nikon is currently the 2nd best 2MP camera out there, and at that price it was an obvious choice.
The camera is extremely compact and stylish, and whilst small, has bulk to it which makes it pleasant to hold. The little hand grip on the right is excellent. The 2100 has no manual features to speak of (despite the manual setting which doesn't let you change aperture or shutter speed--my definition of manual), but has a range of scene modes (14 in all) which enable you to quickly set up for portraits, landscapes etc. Also an excellent macro mode which focusses down to 4 cm.
In good lighting, this camera takes nice sharp pictures with excellent colour balance. Colour look realistic in normal lighting, not overcontrasty and reddish like some digicams I have used.
In bad lighting it's a different story. It can be slow to focus (no focus assist) and the flash is on the weak side.
The only problem on most photos is that the images have a slightly over-processed look at times, and you can clearly see edge effects in areas where one colour meets another contrasting one. All the Nikons I have used have this problem, and none of the Canons.
A strong point of many Nikons is the macro mode, and this 2100 is no exception. Excellent close focussing with great detail, as long as there's enough light.
With small size and lightweight comes great portability, and couple it with the tiny but spacious Tamrac 5690 camera bag and you have a very compact kit indeed. The downside of that is a small light camera can be a bit fragile and fiddly, and to some extent this applies to the 2100. The battery door looks like it will break eventually, and the power switch gets bumped on and off all the time, especially when putting it away.
By the way, anyone who has used a Canon will find this Nikon a little odd, as the power switch is where Canon put their zoom controls. Still fools me occasionally when I use the office camera and switch back.
So what is the best camera in this category? I think it's the Canon A60. It has a sharper lens at the edges, and very little of that edge effect I discussed earlier. It also has a stronger flash than the Nikon. Pluses for the Nikon, though are that it is much smaller, has better macro, and is often better value.
And that's the crux isn't it? On special, my 2100 was 30% cheaper than the Canon, and it came with rechargeable batteries (as it does in Australia). Nikon could have dine better than the 8 MB memory card they give you as standard here though.
Now that I have been using the little Nikon for a couple of weeks, let me add a few additional observations.
Likes:
* When trying to get that 'quick shot' the camera is great. The handy grip means I can whip it out of the case fast, feel for the on switch and power up in one movement and be shooting very quickly.
* The in-built lens cap/visor system also saves valuable seconds, and eliminates the embarrassment we've all felt when turning on a camera and forgetting to take off the lens cap. I am sure this system will let in more dust though.
* Mode dial selections, and most other navigation functions become very intuitive with use.
Dislikes:
* It's too easy to bump both the power switch and the mode dial when going in or out of the case. I understand that the dial setup has been changed in the forthcoming Coolpix 2200, perhaps with this in mind.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 190 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
2-megapixel sensor creates 1,600 x 1,200 images for prints up to 8 x 10 inches 3x optical zoom One-touch upload to PC; 14 scene modes Includes 16 MB S...More at Amazon Marketplace
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