Nikon D3xxx owners thread

*gold* said:
Hi everyone, i am on the edge of this thread just waiting to fall in when i part with my cash tomorrow, i am pretty much decided on the D3100 over the D5100, EOS 550 & 600D's, reason being i want to concentrate more cash on glass :D, after all, why splash extra cash when the D3100 seems more than capable for me who hasn't done any photography for 20yrs :o
Now, the choices are Nikon D3100 + 18-55mm VR Lens + 55-200mm Non VR Lens for £500 or Nikon D3100 with 18-55mm VR Lens for £400, is it feasable to fit a 2x converter to the 55-200mm to get 400mm (600mm in old money ?) or should i save the £100 and put it towards a decent tripod/memory card/bag/polarising filter for now and buy some decent glass at a later date. The areas that interest me most are nature/sports/macro and general portraits, now where is the confused smiley quick as i can feel the cash slipping out of my wallet :o
Any advice appreciated
Cliff
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Hi cliff

I'd go for the first option, although it's a half decent kit lens, you'll be craving more than just the 18-55mm within a couple of days! I certainly was and dipped into a 55-300mm Nikon VR lens as I felt I needed more range.

I find it's always better to have sone choice than no choice ;-)

For the likes of nature and sports you'll find you'll need more than the 55mm, as for the teleconvertor..... Can't help there I'm afraid :-(
 
or kit 2 with Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro ?????? grrrrrrrrr decisions decisions !!!
 
*gold* said:
or kit 2 with Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro ?????? grrrrrrrrr decisions decisions !!!
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I don't know if it's allowed on here so I won't quote the site but u can hire lenses relatively cheaply - a good way to try before u buy ( if u opt just for the one lens)
 
I'm in !!!! Just been and purchased the following:
Nikon D3100 twin lens kit inc 18-55 VR and 55-200 non VR lens
2x UV filters
8gb Extreme card
Screen protector
Spare Battery
Veldon DC-60 Tripod
Carry case for tripod
Camera and accesories bag
All for the jolly price of.......................£536.33, all brand new and boxed, dont ask but i'm :banana::woot:
 
Haha, I got the same kit as you when I got mine - have since changed to a sigma 18-250 for a do-it-all and a 35mm 1.8 which is awesome. I want to get a few more lenses for particular jobs but what I have does a good job. It's me that needs improving! Hope you enjoy the camera though. Is it your first dslr? (i kind guess it might be from the 20 year remark)
 
Yes it is :) I think I got an amazing dealx I will get the 35mm af s lens and hopefully something like the sigma 120-500 I think it is, I'm loving it so far but am learning the camera for now and believe it or not.... Reading the manual !!! :)
Cliff
 
I am saving for the sigma 150-500 as well :)

I didn't find the manual very helpful in telling me how to use the functions of the camera, or what effects the settings have. I git the book 'NIKON d3100 from snapshots to great shots' by Jeff revel which I found very good as a newbie to dslrs
 
The sigma 120-400 on the D3100 is hilarious.. The camera pretty much vanishes.
 
I'll second that book recommendation, I will also recommend understanding exposure, it helps explain how different balances between shutter speed and aperture can be used.

I'm hoping to get a tokina 11-16mm lens for my d3100.

I also picked up a redsnapper tripod which is excellent.
 
Come here for a rant - don't you get fed up of D90 owners recommending D90s to everyone? They are so insecure, they need to justify their huge, heavy ageing, investment. I can't face entering YET another thread to point out the not having the focus motor in the body is not a problem. Who wants to use old lenses without VR anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I realise the D90 is a fine camera - its just the owners - D7000/700 etc owners are fine.
 
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There are a few more features missing on the d3100 than that. The d3100 has some benefits, the d90 has others.

I might be tempted to upgrade my d3100 in a year or 2, but it will be a while yet.

As for the AF issue, it depends on the lenses you go for.
 
I just upgraded my D60 to a D3100 last month after lots of thinking. I loved my D60 except for the 3 point AF - i thought it was pretty pants tbh. After a couple of weeks with the D3100 I'm so in love with it...everything it does just seems sooooooo much more responsive than the D60. I think it was a good choice and i'm looking forward to using it more. When i figure out how to post pics here i'll put some up.
 
Dale_d3100 said:
There are a few more features missing on the d3100 than that. The d3100 has some benefits, the d90 has others.

I might be tempted to upgrade my d3100 in a year or 2, but it will be a while yet.

As for the AF issue, it depends on the lenses you go for.
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bracketing, or lack of on the d3100, is a pain for me. having to set up 3 (or more) shots with different exp comps manually :thumbsdown:

it is still a very usable camera though

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DOF preview is the one I'd like.

Its not limiting me at the moment, at the moment they are nice features I would like.

In some ways I like the way everything is adjusted on the LCD rather than on the D90 somethings are on the LCD and others are buttons. I forget which is where when trying to setup my mums camera. On the flip side I'd get used to it and it would probably be quicker.
 
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bl0at3r said:
bracketing, or lack of on the d3100, is a pain for me. having to set up 3 (or more) shots with different exp comps manually :thumbsdown:

it is still a very usable camera though
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Thats what I miss too - shame I didn't know about it when I bought the camera or I may well have looked elsewhere
 
Please don't flame me because I'm a newbie but if you shoot raw, do you need bracketing ????
Cliff
 
I'm not sure how useful bracketing is in photography as you can see your histogram and you can recover if you shoot in raw, its not as important as it used to be.

It is useful (I think) for HDR
 
true - maybe I want it because I'm still rubbish:'(
 
Hi Dale 3100. I upgraded from a D60 too. For me the biggest benifit of the 3100 over the D60 is the improved dynamic range. I could never quite believe how easy it was to blow out the whites on the D60. I've had my 3100 about a year now, and still loving it, still discovering things, and no intention to upgrade anytime soon.

This video was shot entirely on my 3100, watch it in 1080p full screen


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rq0SHmB7E4
 
I've just bought a D3100, waiting for the battery to charge at the moment.

Before I rip open the bags with the manual and CD, is it stuff I can download off the net anyway?

What size and grade memory card would be best? I'll be using a 2 gig Sandisk ultra at first

Cheers
Garry
 
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garry71 said:
I've just bought a D3100, waiting for the battery to charge at the moment.

Before I rip open the bags with the manual and CD, is it stuff I can download off the net anyway?

What size and grade memory card would be best? I'll be using a 2 gig Sandisk ultra at first

Cheers
Garry
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The manual you get in the box is pretty basic. You can download the full version from the Nikon Website.

I've got a couple of 4gb cards that I use with my d3100, one Sandisk Extreme and one Transcend.
 
Count me in, had the D3100 for a few months now. While I got around the "overcooked exposure" issue (as mentioned by me elsewhere in TP), it is a smart little camera - particularly the improved ISO handling.
It takes crackin' night time long exposure shots so it is having the effect of making me look forward to the darker evenings. :D
 
Can someone please tell me how to change the way the camera saves the images, what i mean is, it currently saves omages as DSC001 etc so when i save them to my laptop i always get the message, this file already exists because of a previous download from the card.
I need it to label them differently to avoid the annoying message and file names like DSC 001(5)
Any help much appreciated,
Many thanks
Cliff
 
Thanks Jez, I've changed the setting so see how I get on,
Best wishes,
Cliff
 
Hi friends, I have D3100 since last three month..... Wanting purchase tripod ( with less money) ... whats are your opinion for VELBON CX 440 tripod? or any other suggessions...??? Pls. ..... I am beginner in this field...
 
I've had my D3100 a week and so far, so good. Really happy with the choice I made.
 
manojbind2009 said:
Hi friends, I have D3100 since last three month..... Wanting purchase tripod ( with less money) ... whats are your opinion for VELBON CX 440 tripod? or any other suggessions...??? Pls. ..... I am beginner in this field...
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Stay away from velbon

Redsnapper is the way to go :-)
 
The redsnapper ones do look good but whatever you get just make sure you get one with the right height for you.

You want to get one where it holds the camera at eye level so you don't have to bend down to it and when in this position the apex of the tripod is as close to the camera as poss.

Many tripods have an extension piece to bring the camera up to eye level but it is very sensitive to vibration when used so if you are using a long exposure it can add blur to your shot.
 
It's just occured to me, in the box when I bought my D3100 there were some of those ferrite clamps for putting onto cables, but there weren't any cables at all in the box. Have I got something missing?
 
garry71 said:
It's just occured to me, in the box when I bought my D3100 there were some of those ferrite clamps for putting onto cables, but there weren't any cables at all in the box. Have I got something missing?
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No. There's a checklist in the quick start guide - the ferrite jobbies are for 3rd party USB cables.
 
garry71 said:
It's just occured to me, in the box when I bought my D3100 there were some of those ferrite clamps for putting onto cables, but there weren't any cables at all in the box. Have I got something missing?
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No cables are supplied. If you haven't already got a compatible cable, consider buying an SD/USB reader - £3 or thereabouts from Amazon.
 
I just plug the SD card into the computer anyway. I'll look out for a HD cable for going into the telly though.
Cheers
 
Bilko said:
I'm a bit disappointed I have to buy a cable to do a firmware upgrade.
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At least they are cheap and common as muck!

I was fortunate that I had one already from a different camera so it just stays plugged into the pc and I attach whichever camera I want :)
 
Does anybody know if the pop up flash can be used to remotely fire an off camera flash gun?
 
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