The beginner-targeted 14.2-megapixel D3100 updates the best-selling D3000 and introduces Full HD video capture to Nikon’s range – in MPEG-4 format and a frame rate of 24fps. All this for £500 too, if you opt for body only. Alternatively, it’s £579.99 if choosing the 18-55mmm VR (Vibration Reduction) lens kit provided with our review unit. A sensible choice as Nikon doesn’t feature body-integral anti-shake.

The camera feels well built despite its smaller size, though it’s a squeeze to fit three fingers around the handgrip. Response times are fast; we were up and shooting as fast as our forefinger could locate the shutter release button. The 11-point AF system locates a target and determines focus and exposure in an instant. Less impressive is a modest 3fps burst rate, but that’s not unexpected at the entry level.

Nikon is making a show of video capture by giving the D3100 its own camcorder-like record button, though Live View mode (for using the rear screen as a viewfinder) has to be selected first. This also has its own button, avoiding the need to drill into menu screens to enable it. Still, while the accent is on ease of use, the D3100’s video-making process doesn’t feel quite as streamlined as on Sony’s instantly responsive A33.

There are 13 options crammed around the camera’s shooting mode dial, the most prominent of which is a Guide mode. This outlines the camera’s features and functions in terms of the type of shot the user might be trying to achieve. The relevant settings can then be selected from within this mode as a shortcut. The rest of the shooting mode options include auto, program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual, plus pre-optimised settings for common subjects such as night portraits, close-ups, action shots, children, landscapes and portraits.

Nikon enables users to further tweak the look of images via Picture Control functions, with standard, natural and vivid settings. Most cameras now feature a dynamic range-enhancing mode and Nikon provides its D-Lighting system, which copes reasonably well with tricky exposures, preserving detail in both shadow areas and highlights. Overall, the D3100 makes it easier and faster for the amateur to achieve professional-looking pictures, which is all you can ask of a DSLR in its class.