Nikon Coolpix 2100 2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

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Product Details

Product Manual [6.91mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 inches ; 5.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00008J639
• Item model number: 2100
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,840 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 7, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review
The Nikon Coolpix 2100 is a good choice for digital photography beginners, offering a compact size, 2-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, and a bevy of automated scene controls that are customizeable.

The 2-megapixel CCD sensor captures bright images that can be printed up to 8 x 10 inches. However, 2 megapixels just doesn’t seem enough, especially when 3-megapixel cameras--like the Nikon 3100--are becoming so affordable. The movie mode captures smooth video up to 640 x 480 pixels for 7 seconds (or a more jaggy 15-second, 320 x 240-pixel videos), but it doesn’t offer any sound.

One of the most impressive features of the Nikon 2100 is its size. From the online pictures we originally viewed, we imagined it to be large and a bit clunky. While it’s a bit on the chunky side, the 2100 is surprisingly small. Plus, the rounded ergonomic hand grip rested comfortably and securely in our hand.

The Nikon 2100 offers a whopping 14 scene modes that automatically set the camera’s white balance, exposure, and focusing point for different situations. The easy-to-learn software system features large icons and text to guide you through your choices. And some of the modes even provide an "assist" feature, with outlines of figures or landscapes to help line up the shot.

We had fun playing around with the scene modes and snapping pictures that made the most out of the shooting environment. However, we felt we lost some spontaneity if we relied too much on switching through the modes.

The Nikon 2100 is an affordable choice for a point-and-shoot camera that offers sharp, bright images and brings a lot of flexibility to the party. It comes with a starter 16 MB memory card and alkaline batteries, and we recommend a higher-capacity Compactflash card and rechargeable AA-size NiMH batteries. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• Compact size, comfortable in the hand
• Customizeable scene modes
• 2-megapixel resolution for prints up to 8 x 10 inches

Cons:

• Scene modes can be a bit too customizeable, and distract you from the shot

Product Description
A compact, lightweight digital still camera with 2.0 effective megapixels and a powerful 3x zoom lens, the COOLPIX 2100 is an affordable, friendly and versatile model, even for those who are using a digital camera for the first time. The COOLPIX 2100 is ideal for people who want an easy-to-use digital still camera that offers great image quality, and who are looking to get more fun out of digital photography. The camera's compact body fits easily in a pocket for carry-anywhere portability.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Camera for the price, April 10, 2003

By A Customer

I upgraded this camera from a Canon A200. Operation wise, the menu system of the Nikon was much more intuitive and easier than the Canon. One thing I hated about the Canon is you have to install software drivers just to have the camera be recognized. However with the Nikon first thing I did was put in the batteries, CF card, took some shots, and plugged into my computer via the USB cable and I was able to see it as a removable drive, and then drag and drop my pictures onto the desktop. It is truly plug and play and you don't need to install any software for it to work. The battery life is also very very good with a 1600mA NIMH rechargebale, I already took 200 shots with LCD and have yet to recharge them. Anothing area where this camera excels is its lens, the Nikkor lens I found to be much much sharper than the Canon lens, which are known to have softness as one of its characteristics. The zoom lens adds a lot of versatility to the camera. One favorite thing I like was that there is only one connector for both the TV out and the USB upload, as they use the same interface on the camera. This is more efficient than having a separate hole for USB and another hole for TV out. Also this camera seems more efficient in utilizing Compact Flash space. For example, I can get 155 shots on a 64MB compact flash on Normal mode, when an average 1600*1200 picture is only around 400k, which is less than about 500k for other cameras. I've noticed this exists in other Nikon models as well from online reviews that I have read. All in all, to sum it up, this camera is relatively small, have sharp lens that display excellent detail and accurate colors, and is very easy to use. One more thing I like to point out is that even due to a lack of AF assist lamp, the camera does well in low light situations. Perhaps it doesn't need an AF assist lamp, which is why it was left out in the first place. It takes pictures in the night without flash as if it had night vision technology integrated, I was surprised how well night shots turned out for a relatively inexpensive camera. One thing I would improve for this camera would be user selectable ISO in manual mode, this would lessen a little bit of noise in low lighting situations, but however being a 2MP camera, the noise are not noticeable to the naked eye. I would recommend this camera to anyone on a budget, but demands sharp and true colored pictures.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little camera, November 8, 2003

By	LJC (Garland, TX USA) - See all my reviews

I had an old hand me down Kodak digital camera, and I mean old...the high res on it is like 150 pixels. It is fine for on-line pics, but I have been waiting til digitals came down in price to purchase one I thought would last me a long time.

After reading a lot, I decided on this camera. My only reservation was whether or not to spend the extra money for a 3.2 megapixel. It seemed for the money, this was a better choice than a low end 3.2 camera.

I have been very pleased with it. The menus are very intuitive, the delete is quick and easy to discard a shot.

There are enough settings on this to satisfy an amateur photographer. I am a gardener, and the macro did a great closeup on my roses.

Print wise, you will see no discernable difference on this camera on pics up to a 5X7 than off a traditional camera. I didn't find an 8 X 10 to be of a quality that I would want, but, then again, I didn't expect it to be. How often do you print 8 X 10's anyway? If that is what you need, you probably need to move to a 3.2 camera, but for snapshops and 5 X7's you will be thrilled with this one.

Some reviews (and the Nikon manual) say you should only use Lexar and Scandisk memory. I purchased a Viking 128 mg card Amazon had on special to go with this, and it is working perfectly fine for me.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, cute, and affordable!, October 13, 2003

By	J. Kao (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

OK, I admit it - I was first drawn to this camera because of how small and cute it is, and how it fits ergonomically in my right hand. At first I was considering the 3100 until ultimately, I decided 2MP was all I really needed. I'm only looking at pictures on my computer, emailing/posting them on the web, and printing 4 x 6. The $100 price difference was also a factor - It's not that I can't afford to spend more, it was more like...is it worth spending so much money on a point-and-shoot digital camera? Especially when you have to factor in an extra $150 or so for accessories. Plus, digicams are changing so rapidly, I'll probably want another one in a couple of years. (However, if you want more flexible printing options, you'll probably want a 3MP or higher).

Now that the price dropped, it makes the camera even more worth the price! I also considered other brands, but decided on the Nikon because (1) I've had other types of Nikons in the past that have captured memorable photos and are still clicking; (2) the Nikon digicams use the more common (and cheaper) CF memory cards; and (3) have the option of using two AA batteries.

I picked up some Duracell 2050 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries that came with a 30 min charger, and they work great. I was worried initially, because of all the negative reviews about battery power I've read about online. And it did seem to drain the batteries more on first use (maybe because it was charging the internal clock battery?). But now it works great. The features on the camera are also a plus - it's so easy to use. It took me just a couple minutes to figure out all the functions. Though you don't get shutter or aperture priority (just buy an SLR if you want that!) the modes more than compensate. I especially liked the macro feature and the white balance. And there doesn't seem to be a problem focusing in low light despite the lack of an AF assist lamp.

The only downsides I can think of (which are really minor) - maybe a little too small for a man's hands; not all the scene modes are really that useful; some parts of the body are a bit too plasticky (but who knows if this will be a problem in the future or not).

In short, great pictures, great features (that both the beginner and the amateur can appreciate), really easy to use, easy to transfer to my computer, and affordable!