Nikon Coolpix S4100 vs S3100
The ultracompacts from Nikon provide you with a range of options to suite your needs. Two ultracompact cameras from Nikon are the Coolpix S4100 and S3100. The major feature difference between the Coolpix S4100 and S3100 is in their screens. The S4100 is equipped with a touch screen interface that allows you to do more quickly than if you used buttons to navigate menus. This also makes having a lot of buttons unnecessary.
The reduced number of buttons in the S4100 lets Nikon put in a larger screen in its place. Instead of the 2.7 inch screen of the S3100, the S4100 has a full 3 inch screen. This is not only beneficial in viewing and framing your subject, but is also quite essential in navigating the menus since you need to have adequately large buttons. The S4100 also includes a number of in-camera editing features that let you change the look of the images you took without needing to go to a computer.
A more important feature that the S4100 has over the S3100 is image stabilization. This feature eliminates the jittering in the image caused by camera shake. This is very common among ordinary people, especially those who have shaky hands and gets worse with increased zoom factor. The S3100 cannot counteract the said effect and some blurring may occur in the image if it gets worse.
On the downside of the S4100 is the added weight. Even though the S4100 is not that much bigger than the S3100, it is significantly bigger at close to double the weight. This is not really an issue for most people since they are both quite lightweight cameras.
The choice between the S4100 and S3100 is really a matter of features versus weight and price. The S4100 is certainly the better option between the two if only because of image stabilization; everything else is just an extra. But if you do not feel comfortable with touchscreen interfaces, then the S3100 is a good camera to use as well.
Summary:
- The S4100 has a touch screen while the S3100 doesn’t
- The S4100 screen is larger than that of the S3100
- The S4100 has in-camera editing functions while the S3100 doesn’t
- The S4100 is equipped with image stabilization while the S3100 isn’t
- The S4100 is much heavier than the S3100