Beginner Nikon D100 Question?

Barry L.

Barry L.

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Sorry for what might seem a silly question. I have recently purchased a Nikon D100 (rather long in the tooth I know) and tried to connect it to my (Windows 8) PC but the PC does not recognise it. Is this because I have no memory card in the camera as I am awaiting delivery of one.

PS
I am a complete beginner guys.

Sorted: All I need is a card reader........Doh!
 
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Anyone still using this camera, I would love to hear from you.
 
There's no real reason to connect the camera to your computer, once you have a memory card, the PC should read it as an external drive, but I'd recommend buying a card reader anyway.

And welcome to TP.
 
Must be the only one left with this camera? :tumbleweed: :)
 
Hi Barry. In my opinion it's a good camera for a beginner. Be careful when putting the CF card in and out so as not to damage the pins that the card locates on that are in the camera. Good luck with your new hobby and enjoy.
 
Barry L. said:
Must be the only one left with this camera? :tumbleweed: :)
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The thing about photography forums is they're often mistakenly used as 'equipment forums' where people more interested in gear than photos get together. The downside is that encourages continuous upgrades. So there'll not be a lot of users of old digital gear.

The irony? You seem to have joined to talk about your camera :(

Go take some pictures, it's not about the gear. ;)
 
Still use my (almost as old) D70 occasionally.

Never plugged it in to any computer, even those which support the camera - I use a card reader.
 
Phil V said:
The thing about photography forums is they're often mistakenly used as 'equipment forums' where people more interested in gear than photos get together. The downside is that encourages continuous upgrades. So there'll not be a lot of users of old digital gear.

The irony? You seem to have joined to talk about your camera :(

Go take some pictures, it's not about the gear. ;)
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Far from it Phil, joined the forum to ask questions on photography as everyone does and if we just all said just " go take some pictures" there would be no point to having this forum as looking at most of the threads equipment questions take up most of the threads. Of course the pictures come first but a little help with the camera for a newbie is important to.:)
 
charlychuckchuck said:
Hi Barry. In my opinion it's a good camera for a beginner. Be careful when putting the CF card in and out so as not to damage the pins that the card locates on that are in the camera. Good luck with your new hobby and enjoy.
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Thanks mate, as you say I am a (54 years old) beginner and only used to point and shoot. All of this is totally alien to me..........so many buttons.:runaway::thinking::LOL:
 
Barry L. said:
Far from it Phil, joined the forum to ask questions on photography as everyone does and if we just all said just " go take some pictures" there would be no point to having this forum as looking at most of the threads equipment questions take up most of the threads. Of course the pictures come first but a little help with the camera for a newbie is important to.:)
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Keep asking questions, there's some great help here - but it's not really about the camera*.
Most of the minutiae of your camera's functions are completely unimprtant as far as photography is concerned. Just read up on all the beginner FAQ's about focussing and exposure to get the basics.

My one tip.

You can use full Auto (P) mode, but don't let the camera choose the focus point. It'll have a good guess about the correct exposure, but it'll never know what you want to be in focus.

*An oft quoted truism :)
Beginners think it's all about cameras
Enthusiasts think it's all about lenses
Photographers know it's all about light.
 
Barry L. said:
Phil how do u choose the focus point? :)
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Page 63 on in your manual.

If you haven't got the Manual it's here for download - and if you have a phone or tablet I suggest you keep it there so it's handy to look back on when you're confused.
 
Cheers Phil.(y)

So the preferred setting should be manual?
 
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Barry as a matter of interest Which lens did you get with the D100?
 
Barry L. said:
Cheers Phil.(y)

So the preferred setting should be manual?
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No.

I can't remember the Nikon terminology now and I've closed the manual , the preferred option is where you select the focus point.
 
Barry L. said:
Got the Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 DG Macro.
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That lens covers a lot of photographic opportunities. I suggest going on You tube and look up exposure, depth of field, the effects of different apertures on depth of field etc. It will soon drop in place.
 
Here is a little more information for my use of the camera. I am mainly going to be using the camera as a bird record and identification tool as I am also new to the world of Birding, so help with settings etc for my hobby would also be appreciated.
 
Phil V said:
Just that?
You really ought to get a standard lens too. There's plenty to go at without spending a fortune.
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totally agree - i have a kit Nikon 18-55 AF-S VR but recently added a 35/1.8 DX to my D300
a great lens - apart from the temptation to use it at f1.8 all the time...:)
 
Barry L. said:
Here is a little more information for my use of the camera. I am mainly going to be using the camera as a bird record and identification tool as I am also new to the world of Birding, so help with settings etc for my hobby would also be appreciated.
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Hi, Barry. The 70-300 you already have will get you reasonably close to your feathered friends but you'll probably want something longer and faster if the bug really bites! As for settings, have a look at the Birds area on this site and see what settings have been used. I'm the first to admit that birds aren't really my area of expertise (if indeed I have ANY area of expertise!) but I do snap at them when they're in range. I usually just set the camera to a stop or 2 down from wide open (if practicable and it leaves me with a fast enough shutter speed to hand hold) and let the camera decide on the shutter speed. However, my current camera lets me use high ISOs to get the shutter speeds and the D100 gets rather noisy at 800 and higher.

The more you read the manual and play with the camera, the less alien all the buttons will become! I usually set the parameters that are more than a couple of clicks away from the home screen before a session then just use the more familiar (to a 53 year old ex film user) controls like aperture rings (now superseded by one of the wheels on the body) and shutter speed dial (again, now a wheel on the body!) I am usually in P mode (as mentioned above) which lets the camera make a snap decision about the settings BUT allows you to both move away from the suggested settings (yup, using one of those pesky wheels again) while keeping the exposure as set by the camera (have a Google for the exposure triangle) and adjust the actual exposure value by dialling in some under or over exposure as needed (again, a button press and a wheel...)

There are usually local beginners/introduction courses to digital photography at colleges and the like - probably worth asking in your local camera shop, they should know of any such courses.
 
Thanks Nod, really trying to get to grips with this and yours and others advice has been superb.
 
Barry L. said:
Sorry for what might seem a silly question. I have recently purchased a Nikon D100 (rather long in the tooth I know) and tried to connect it to my (Windows 8) PC but the PC does not recognise it. Is this because I have no memory card in the camera as I am awaiting delivery of one.

PS
I am a complete beginner guys.

Sorted: All I need is a card reader........Doh!
Click to expand...

Hi Barry, I am new to this group but have been into photography for several years, and actually own the lens you've got. I think it's a great budget lens and have taken some wonderful pictures of my kids with it, among other things. Re the Nikon D100 I'm considering grabbing one from eBay for my daughter to use as she loves photography and is currently using a Nikon bridge camera but wants to move up to shooting manually... (she's 10 bless her). These old DSLR's still have bucket loads of use as long as you're not a megapixel hunter. I subscribe to the theory that for home printing and the kind of shooting you do as a beginner these old dinosaurs are an invaluable (and great value for money) tool to teach budding photographers the art of photography rather than the now often practised art of gear gathering. I really hope you stick with it and that you have many happy years shooting birds in the only manner they enjoy and that this is just the beginning for you. All the best mate. Wes
 
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