Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Nikon D7100 vs D3100: What is the difference?

Your might have the Nikon D3100 and you are looking to move on to a more advance camera. Here the Nikon D7100 might be one of the cameras that you are considering. Look here to see what you get extra (and what you loose).

You should know that the Nikon D7100 is a completely different camera that is targeting the more advance photographers than the Nikon D3100. One of the main differences is the handling where you have to make more choices yourself and don't get predefined modes like you have in the Nikon D3100. and you don't get the quick shooting modes as you get in the Nikon D3000, so you should be prepare to make more choices yourself about how to take the pictures.

Here is what is better in the Nikon D7100:
  • The sensor is a great improvement from the Nikon D3100. You get a 24 megapixel sensor vs a 14 megapixel sensor in the Nikon D3100. You can expect great improvements in every cateory. The bigger sensor means you will have to deal with larger image files, so you need bigger memory cards and you need larger storrage to keep the files. The improvement in the sensor is important factor if you might decide to upgrade
  • The autofocus system is among the best you can get in the Nikon D7100, which is same as the Nikon D300s, so you will have a great chance of getting a sharp picture and it will autofocus very quickly. Along with the sensor improvements this just might be one of the most important features in switching to Nikon D7100.
  • You get an option to do more cropping at the time you shoot the picture as the Nikon D7100 has a 1.3x crop factor (as an extra layer on top of the standard 1.5x crop factor that you get with DX formats camera), where it is the center of the sensor that is used. This is great for wildlife. If you are shooting wildlife this is an important factor.
  • The Nikon has two memory card slots and uses the same memory card standard as the Nikon D3100. The second card slot can be used to store more pictures/movies as you shoot or it can be used to great a backup just as you are taking the picture. This is nice to have feature, but most people can live without it.
  • The viewfinder in the Nikon D7100 is larger and with full frame coverage, so it be real pleasure for you to take pictures by using the viewfinder. This is great to have, but not that important feature
  • You have in the Nikon D7100 a camera with much higher frame rate. The Nikon D7100 can shoot at up to 6 frames per second which is the double of the Nikon D3100 and it has a larger buffer, so you can keep up the frame rate for a bit longer.
  • The Nikon D7100 can autofocus with older non AF-S lenses, so you have a larger option of lenses that you can use which works just as well as the AF-S lenses. If you have older lenses this can be very important to you.
  • The Nikon D7100 gives you an extra step in shutter speed, so you can use 1/8000 second. Not really important as many doesn't even get to this speed.
  • The metering in Nikon D7100 is better, so there is a greater chance of a picture with the right exposure. This is important if you take a lot of pictures in hard light situations.
  • The Nikon D7100 has bracketing functionality which can be a great tool to have if you shoot pictures in hard light situations, where you are not sure of the correct exposure and want to have picture taken at different exposures when you get back from taking pictures
  • The ISO level can be pushed to ISO 25600 which is 1 stop higher than the Nikon D3100. This is a really important factor for those that want to take pictures without flash in dark situations
  • The build quality of the Nikon D7100 is a lot better and you can feel the quality as you pick up the camera. 
There are other changes than those mention above, but those are minor factors.

The Nikon D7100 gives you some great extra features compared to the Nikon D3100, where you have a lot more control over the camera, so it is also a camera that demands more from the person that is using it. In the Nikon D3100 you get a lot of predefined shooting modes, where you just have to push the trigger. If you have improved your photography skills then the Nikon D7100 might just be the perfect choice for you.

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