Also need help with camera choice

Cmike2780

lol. We're all just a bunch of addicts.

Image quality, when you enter the world of DSLR, has more to do with technique and controling how much light enters the camera. Lighting is key to any great picture. Controlling that light is what makes a DSLR so different from most point and shoots. There is too much info to really start comparing lenses here, plenty of info on the web.

Some basics:
Focal length: It's that ??mm on the lens. Zoom lenses will have a range like 18-55mm for example. The lower the number, the wider the angle. Fixed lenses, a.k.a. Prime lenses have a fixed focal point.

F-Stop: That's the f/? number on the lens. F-stop controls how big an opening light passes thru the lens. The lower the number, the bigger the opening and vice-versa. Also, the wider the aperture, the smaller the depth of field, and the smaller the aperture, the larger the depth of field.

Shutter speed: Measured in seconds or fractions of a second, controls how long to keep the shutter open. A fast shutter speed freezes movement and low shutter speed blurs it. The longer you leave it open, the more light reaches the sensor.

ISO: It's like film speed. It lets the sensor know how sensitive to light it should be. Higher ISO like 800 or higher will let you take fairly clear pictures in low light without a tri-pod. The only downside is it creates noise in the image the higher you go. Leave the ISO to the lowest possible. Raising it should be a last resort.

Hint: To take really sharp pictures, use a tri-pod, mono-pod or anything to steady the shot when you can. Leave the ISO low and use the timer or a remote trigger.

All SLR Lenses will let you focus manually. For starters, I suggest purchasing the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. It's a "prime" lens, meaning it's fixed (not a zoom). It's really cheap for a sharp lens at about $130 new, even cheaper used. The "fast" f/1.8 f-stop lets you take pictures in low light without a flash or raising the ISO too high. At f/1.8, you can take close-ups of objects/people that leave a nice bokeh (back blurry, but subject is in focus). The D3100 is a DX-format camera, as oppose to the full frame FX-format. The only problem with this lens is that its not the newer DX-format lens with internal autofocus. The Auto-focus will not work for the D3100 but the lens will still work. If you wait a little longer, Nikon will soon bring out a DX-format Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G that will let you have Auto-focus sometime next month. They also have a DX-format Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G that's available now, but its a wider angle. Thoses two will cost around $200 each. 50mm is considered a normal lens, meaning it's seeing roughly the same focal lenght as your eye (not zoomed in or wide angle).

Another Hint: Don't use the built-in flash on any camera! It's a gaurantee for "ordinary" looking pic's.

Here's a pic I took with the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D on a D90.

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