Nikon D3100 vs Nikon Coolpix L610

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D3100 and the Nikon Coolpix L610, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon D3100 was introduced in December 2010 and Nikon Coolpix L610 was introduced in August 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D3100 over Nikon Coolpix L610.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix L610 over Nikon D3100.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon D3100 and Nikon Coolpix L610 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 230k dot and 460k dot resolutions respectively.

Optical (pentamirror) Viewfinder on Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder. It has a 95% coverage and 0.80x (0.53x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon Coolpix L610.

Nikon D3100 features a 14 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.1 x 15.4 mm and a total area of 355.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode. Nikon Coolpix L610 features a 16 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 125 - 3,200.

Nikon Coolpix L610 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Nikon D3100 is equipped with EXPEED 2 processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3072 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3456 x 2304, 2304 x 1536 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Nikon Coolpix L610 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution.

Nikon Coolpix L610 has an image stabilization.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D3100 comes with EN-EL14 battery pack with battery life of 550 shots and Nikon Coolpix L610 comes with 2 x AA battery pack with battery life of 120 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D3100 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D3100, and up to 1/6000 sec on Nikon Coolpix L610. Nikon D3100 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D3100 has 11 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Nikon Coolpix L610 has . Nikon D3100 has detection range from -1 to +19 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D3100 ranges from 0 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon D3100 and ±2 range on Nikon Coolpix L610. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D3100 and exposure bracketing on Nikon Coolpix L610.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D3100. Nikon D3100 also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon D3100.

Nikon D3100 body has dimensions of 124 x 96 x 75 mm (4.88 x 3.78 x 2.95") and Nikon Coolpix L610 body has dimensions of 108 x 69 x 34 mm (4.25 x 2.72 x 1.34"). Nikon D3100 weighs 505 g (1.11 lb / 17.81 oz) and Nikon Coolpix L610 weighs 240 g (0.53 lb / 8.47 oz).

Nikon D3100

Nikon Coolpix L610

124 mm

96 mm

108 mm

69 mm

96 mm

69 mm

75 mm

34 mm