HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Your New Nikon D3100
December 22, 2010 by Radhika Marya on MashableThis post is part of the Mashable 10, Mashable’s gift guide of the 10 hottest gadgets that our editors think should be on everyone’s wish lists this holiday season. If you were lucky enough to receive one of those gifts, our handy quick start guides should get you up and running. To view the entire gift guide, click here.
So you received — or think you’ll be receiving — a Nikon D3100 for the holidays. If this is your first DSLR of any kind, chances are that you’ll be looking into some accessories and tips for how to use your camera.
We’ve compiled some resources and suggested products for you below. Keep in mind that some of these suggestions could come in handy for any camera brand or, if nothing else, other Nikon models, like the D5000.
The How-To Guides
Fancy lenses, flashes and filters shouldn’t be the first thing on your mind when you’re new to the DSLR game. Your main objective should be to learn how to shoot. Spend some time studying your camera’s functions, and try to learn more about shooting in manual mode. You should take a look at your instruction booklet to get a better sense of the Nikon D3100′s particular specs, but you might want to turn to some other sources to understand more about working with your camera. There are tons of photography sites out there where you can get inspiration, and some even offer accompanying tips with their photos. (The Guardian’s Eyewitness page is a photojournalistic example; photographs are typically accompanied by a “pro” tip explaining how they were captured).
Of course, there are a couple of other sites where you can learn the absolute basics of DSLR shooting:Photo.net has a “learning” section, where you can access an online textbook that teaches you about light, lenses and exposure. You can even learn about different shooting environments like the street and studio.DPReview.com is also an excellent resource for well-researched camera reviews and news.
It might also be worth your time to check out the photography section of B&H Insights. B&H, a popular New York City store that’s been selling photography equipment and more since the 1970s, uses this blog to post different views on everything from photo composition to which monopod you should use with your camera. It’s worth taking a look at the latest entries from time to time.
Storage: From Memory Cards to Camera Bags
As you use your camera more often, you’re going to need storage — for your photos and your equipment itself. It’s a good idea to invest in some larger memory cards, which are selling for much cheaper prices than they used to back in the day. I personally use an 8GB SanDisk SDHC card with my Nikon D5000, but a 16GB card — or larger — can also be quite handy. Nikon has a list of approved memory cards that it has deemed compatible with the D3100, so the choice is ultimately yours.As far as purchasing a camera bag, it might not be necessary for you to invest in one right away, depending on the options you have available. But you want to make sure your camera is well-protected, especially if you find yourself on the go with it a lot.
There are some budget options out there: Nikon has a starter SLR camera case for $27.95 on Amazon, andLowepro sells a variety of bags and cases that may fit your needs. For a more aesthetically pleasing (if pricier, at nearly $200) look, the Billingham Digital Hadley bag might be right for you. Most of these bags have space for an extra lens or two, but you’ll have to decide what’s best for you as your equipment expands.
If you’d like to toss your camera into a large purse or backpack instead of an actual camera bag, you may want to consider the Nikon CF-DC1 Semi-Soft Case, compatible with the Nikon D3100, for a little added protection. This particular case will hold the camera body, along with a lens up to the 18-135mm Zoom-Nikkor. Lens pouches can also always be purchased for your other lenses.
Lenses and Flashes
Let’s say you’re ready to try working with some new lenses — and possibly even a flash. We’ve got some basic suggestions for you. TheNikon 35mm f/1.8 lens (roughly $200 or more) is a prime lens, which won’t let you zoom, but it will allow you to take some great low-light pictures. And you’ll also have more artistic freedom with depth of field. It’s definitely worthwhile to have at least one prime lens in your collection.If you want more zoom options and you’re still somewhat new to the DSLR, you should probably avoid an intense telephoto lens. However, you may want to consider something like this 55-200 mm f/4-5.6Glens. If you’re willing to spring for something pricier, with a longer zoom range, the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G lens (list price: $849.95) may be what you want. But as one of my more experienced photographer friends points out, the longer the zoom range, the more complicated the optics — so the image quality may be a little more distorted.
In addition, you may want to consider getting a lens hood and/or a UV filter (“multi-coated” to minimize impact on image quality) to protect your lens.
As far as flashes are concerned, the Nikon SB-400 is a compact piece that’s a good step up from your built-in flash, if not the most serious flash out there. As your flash requirements grow beyond this little one, you could consider units like the SB-600 or higher — both flashes mentioned here are compatible with the D3100.
Editing
You’ve been shooting photos to the best of your ability, but now you’d like to be able to edit them. There are multiple ways to go about that. For quick, budget editing, you can use Adobe Photoshop Express online apps. Of course, if you’re looking for more advanced features, try springing for Photoshop software — Photoshop Elements 9 or Photoshop CS5 — itself. I’ve been using Adobe Bridge in conjunction with Photoshop to stay organized, but Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is great too.
The workflow is a little less cumbersome with Lightroom, even though original-recipe Photoshop is still useful for certain touchups or heavy-duty compositing. That said, with Lightroom, photographers have the ability to organize and touch up photos in a more intuitive fashion — color correcting, filters, photo optimization and great RAW support are all part of the package. You can even use Lightroom to export to online sharing sites like Facebook.
Online Hosting and Sharing Services
Speaking of online sharing, you’ll probably want to share your photos once you start taking more of them. Facebook’s great for sharing with friends, but you may want to consider a few other options too. There are obvious choices like Flickr (with 300 MB of uploads per month for free) and Picasa, which offers 1 GB of free storage. Kodak Gallery is another possibility.
For paid services that allow you to customize your themes, along with some other features you might not find on the aforementioned sites, check out SmugMug and Zenfolio. The latter features a couple of cheaper pricing options than SmugMug does, but both are worth investigating depending on your needs.
There is plenty more that you might want or need as you spend more time with your D3100 (such as a tripod or monopod for certain photography adventures), but it’s best to get to know your camera and build up your equipment from there. We hope these resources will be helpful in the meantime, and if you have any relevant suggestions of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments below.
