Just Bought a Nikon D3100 - Now what?

[Princess Bette]

I just purchased my first DSLR and am wondering now - what was I thinking?! I have no experience or knowledge of a dslr. I have been practicing with it at home on auto. But I would like to do more. I'm not sure about the settings...should I shoot in RAW or JPEG or both. And what about all the other settings? I am so confused...I have done some research on the internet and there are so many opinions. Yes, I know, I am asking for more opinions here! We are leaving this week for a trip to Sea World and then on a 5 day cruise on the Disney Dream! I would like to be able to understand it a little better before then! Oh, I only have the kit lens. Thanks in advance!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I was a little overwhelmed too when I first bought my D5000. First, relax, you can shoot in Auto mode until you're more comfortable with the other controls. Also, look into Nikon School classes in your area. They are wonderful and I learned so much, the best was to not be afraid to get off Auto and how to use under/over exposure. Unless you plan to do a lot of post production, don't rush into RAW. Again, JPEG is fine until you get more comfortable. I find that I only shoot RAW when I am on vacation and shooting scenery, otherwise, I just shoot JPEG for everyday events.

 

[ukcatfan]

I do not think you should shoot just RAW right now because you should probably concentrate more on how to use the camera now instead of also throwing in how to post process. You might consider doing RAW+JPG and just keep those RAW files for the future if you get into RAW and ever want to go back and try to get more out of them. As for learning, I would say to go ahead and stick with auto if you have less than a week to learn. You might go as far as Program mode so that you can adjust ISO, flash, compensation, etc. but then the aperture and shutter speed are still up to the camera. One last word of advice, do not expect too much from the kit lens. It is not bad, but it is not made for dark rides or anything like that. For those I suggest sitting back and enjoying the ride. If you want to do fireworks then get a tripod of some sort.

 

[traylorc]

The best bit of advice I can give you is to sit down and read your camera manual. In addition, you may want to consider picking up some 3rd party books that provide specific guidelines and instructions for your particular camera. Like the Nikon 3100 for Dummies by Julie Adair King (I have read a couple of her Dummies books in the past and she does a good job). Some folks prefer to read the 3rd party books instead of their manuals. The manuals tell you how to turn on or use this function or that mode, the third party books sometimes do a better job of explaining why you use a certain function or mode. IMHO the number one mistake new DSLR owners make is not taking the time to read their manual.

I would also recommend bringing your manual / book with you when you travel. That way you can refer to it if you have questions.

Good luck!

 

[d3mckinl]

I too was a bit overwhelmed with my new DSLR but reading the manual and watching videos online about the basics of photography, aperture, ISO, Shutter speed. I started to understand. then I went to some of the Parks in Orlando area and asked the photo guys questions. Busch gardens photographers on the safari rides shoot in full auto and these are the pics they expect you to pay $20 a piece for. that little tidbit made me realize that people way smarter than me programed the auto settings and for rapidly changing lighting the speed of full auto is nice. With my D90 I have found that I prefer to use "sports" mode more than full auto because it uses shutter speeds that can still be handheld in lower light situations.
Have fun with your upcoming trip and your new camera!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

The book I found most useful for my camera was the Magic Lantern series for my specific camera. When I first read my manual, it seemed that it assumed I knew something about photography! The Magic Lantern book was written in such a way that even I could understand. After that the manual started to make sense.

 

[plyeng2ff]

One thing that help me learn how to use my camera better was to download and print out the owner manual. Then I would take out one or two pages out at a time and work on just that setting, function, etc. It was less overwhemling that way.

 

[WDWFigment]

Check out Understanding Exposure. Seriously a great book for learning photography. For specific equipment recommendations and other detailed advice, check out the link in my signature!

 

[Princess Bette]

I was a little overwhelmed too when I first bought my D5000. First, relax, you can shoot in Auto mode until you're more comfortable with the other controls. Also, look into Nikon School classes in your area. They are wonderful and I learned so much, the best was to not be afraid to get off Auto and how to use under/over exposure. Unless you plan to do a lot of post production, don't rush into RAW. Again, JPEG is fine until you get more comfortable. I find that I only shoot RAW when I am on vacation and shooting scenery, otherwise, I just shoot JPEG for everyday events.

Thanks for the confidence booster! I'll check and see if I can find some classes - good idea!

 

[Princess Bette]

I do not think you should shoot just RAW right now because you should probably concentrate more on how to use the camera now instead of also throwing in how to post process. You might consider doing RAW+JPG and just keep those RAW files for the future if you get into RAW and ever want to go back and try to get more out of them. As for learning, I would say to go ahead and stick with auto if you have less than a week to learn. You might go as far as Program mode so that you can adjust ISO, flash, compensation, etc. but then the aperture and shutter speed are still up to the camera. One last word of advice, do not expect too much from the kit lens. It is not bad, but it is not made for dark rides or anything like that. For those I suggest sitting back and enjoying the ride. If you want to do fireworks then get a tripod of some sort.

Thank you! I like your idea about the program mode - think I'll try to figure that one out!

 

[Princess Bette]

The best bit of advice I can give you is to sit down and read your camera manual. In addition, you may want to consider picking up some 3rd party books that provide specific guidelines and instructions for your particular camera. Like the Nikon 3100 for Dummies by Julie Adair King (I have read a couple of her Dummies books in the past and she does a good job). Some folks prefer to read the 3rd party books instead of their manuals. The manuals tell you how to turn on or use this function or that mode, the third party books sometimes do a better job of explaining why you use a certain function or mode. IMHO the number one mistake new DSLR owners make is not taking the time to read their manual.

I would also recommend bringing your manual / book with you when you travel. That way you can refer to it if you have questions.

Good luck!

Thanks! I plan on bringing my manual - it's a must for me and hopefully will have some reading time on the plane and at night! I also will try to find the Dummy book - sounds like a good resource to have on hand also!

 

[Princess Bette]

I too was a bit overwhelmed with my new DSLR but reading the manual and watching videos online about the basics of photography, aperture, ISO, Shutter speed. I started to understand. then I went to some of the Parks in Orlando area and asked the photo guys questions. Busch gardens photographers on the safari rides shoot in full auto and these are the pics they expect you to pay $20 a piece for. that little tidbit made me realize that people way smarter than me programed the auto settings and for rapidly changing lighting the speed of full auto is nice. With my D90 I have found that I prefer to use "sports" mode more than full auto because it uses shutter speeds that can still be handheld in lower light situations.
Have fun with your upcoming trip and your new camera!

Thank you! I too have played some in the sports mode and like it as well. I have to learn about the basics of aperture, ISO, shutter speed etc. so that I can understand the manual! Time to get busy!

 

[Princess Bette]

The book I found most useful for my camera was the Magic Lantern series for my specific camera. When I first read my manual, it seemed that it assumed I knew something about photography! The Magic Lantern book was written in such a way that even I could understand. After that the manual started to make sense.

So glad it's not just me!! The manual seems so Greek to me at this point! I will check out the Magic Lantern series - sounds very useful!

 

[Princess Bette]

One thing that help me learn how to use my camera better was to download and print out the owner manual. Then I would take out one or two pages out at a time and work on just that setting, function, etc. It was less overwhemling that way.

Great idea!! But after I do more studying and research on photography!

 

[Princess Bette]

Check out Understanding Exposure. Seriously a great book for learning photography. For specific equipment recommendations and other detailed advice, check out the link in my signature!

Thank you! Sounds like a great resouce! I am going to check out your link also - thank you for being so helpful!

 

[Princess Bette]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my call for help!! I felt as if I had really taken on more than I could handle. But thanks to you wonderful disers, I have several great resources to help me! I am getting excited about learning this new hobby I have undertaken! Thanks again - you're the greatest!