Nikon D3100 User's Guide

© 2010 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

Nikon D3100.
Initial Set Up
As I go through the menus, I set these away from their defaults:
PLAYBACK MENU (top blue tab) top
Display Mode
Detailed photo info > check RGB histogram and Data > DONE > OK.
Transition effects > OFF > DONE > OK. By default, there are some time-wasting animations as you move among your
photos
Be sure to select DONE and click OK, otherwise your Display Mode preferences won't be saved.
SHOOTING MENU (next green camera tab)
Set Picture Control
Standard > +2 Saturation > OK. (used for people.)
Vivid > +3 Saturation > OK. (use for places and things.)
Be sure to press OK after changing or selecting either, otherwise your Picture Control changes won't be saved.
Image Quality
Basic.
BASIC JPGS look the same as FINE or NORMAL JPGs, but take up only 1/2 to 1/4 the space.
White Balance
Auto > click right to A3 > OK.
This gives warmer (more Amber) images. Adjust this to your personal taste; it is one of the biggest changes you can
make to your images.
ISO Sensitivity Settings
Auto ISO Sensitivity > ON.
Min. Shutter Speed: leave at 1/30 for still subjects. Set to 1/125 for moving people. Set to 1/8 for wide-angle or VR
lenses. Set to 1/60 with VR teles, or 1/125 with non-VR teles.
I leave the Max ISO at its default of 3,200 and the standard ISO at its default of 100.
Active D-Lighting
This lightens shadows and controls washed-out highlights.
I set it ON.

Auto Distortion Control

This keeps straight lines from curving, if caused by lens limitations.
I set it ON.

AF Area Mode
This controls how the D3100 uses its 11 AF sensors.
Default is MENU > SHOOTING > Viewfinder > Auto-Area AF, which is perfect for most things, and especially if you
hand your D3100 to a non-photographer to take a picture.
If I'm photographing something more difficult, like moving kids or subject behind other things, I set [ 3D ] > OK. Now
you select an AF point with the big rear control, and if the subject moves, the D3100 moves the AF point to track the
motion of either the camera or your subject!

Movie Settings
By default, the D3100 makes large 1080/24p HD files. For more reasonably-sized files, use the 640x424 quality
setting.

SETUP MENU (orange wrench tab) top

Format Card
I do this every time I insert a card. It erases all the previous images, and gives me a clean, orderly card on which to
record more with the least risk of data corruption.

Info Display Format

This controls the look of the rear Info LCD that we see when setting the camera.
I prefer Classic Blue.

Auto Info Display

I set this OFF.
If ON, the rear settings screen on the LCD (a.k.a. the Info Display) turns on every time you tap the shutter halfway.

Image Comment
I set this to record my © name, website and phone number in the EXIF of every shot.
It's easy to do this: first select Input Comment, and enter what you'd like to have added to every file's EXIF. Then click
Attach Comment, and then remember to click DONE and OK, otherwise the D3100 will forget everything you just
entered.
Beep
I set this OFF.
It is rude to beep when you're in public, and it doesn't tell us anything anyway.
Professional cameras default to OFF, while the D3100 defaults to ON.
Rangefinder
This is a bar-graph on the bottom of the viewfinder when focusing lenses manually.
I set this ON.
File Number Sequence
Set this ON. It defaults to off due to a firmware defect.
If left OFF, files will start at 0001.JPG every time a card is formatted, or a blank card is inserted.
If left off, as time goes on you will have a hundred files with the same number, like DSC_0024.JPG on your hard drive,
and never be able to search or catalog them properly.
By setting this to ON, the D3100 numbers files up to DSC_9999.JPG, and only then does it repeat. This prevents too
much file name duplication on your hard drive, or on your online galleries.
Buttons
I prefer my Fn button to set the white Balance.
I prefer my AEL-AFL button only to lock auto exposure, not focus.
I set AE lock OFF, since I prefer to lock it with the AEL-AFL button when needed.
I let the camera focus and lock, then point the camera as needed for proper exposure and hold the lock button, if
needed.
Picture Controls top
I can't find a Manage Picture Controls menu option, and it may not be in the D3100's simplified menus,compared to
more complex Nikons.
Therefore, you may alter any of the preset STANDARD, NEUTRAL, VIVID, B&W, PORTRAIT or LANDSCAPE Picture
Controls to your liking, but you cannot save, recall and rename them as you can on other more complex Nikons.
I photograph products that need accurate color reproduction in the STANDARD picture control, I photograph people in
the STANDARD picture control with +2 saturation, and photograph other things in the VIVID picture control with +3
saturation.
Movies top
Flick the lever (around the red dot) to the right.
The screen lights, and the viewfinder goes black.
Press the lower left < i > button, select the focus modes on the right, press OK, and select AF-F, for continuous focus.
Press < i > to get back to the picture on the screen.
If you leave the focus at its default, the D3100 will focus a movie only as you hold the shutter button, and leave it fixed
the rest of the time.
Press the red button to start and stop.
Flick the lever to the right again to get out of the movie recording mode. The screen turns off and the viewfinder is
working again.
Playback top
Nikon uses a new trick to allow us to select other images during Image Review right after shooting, but prevent
inadvertent dial-motion from resetting our shooting settings.
If we want to see a previous image while a just-shot image is on the LCD, first tap the left or right button on the big rear
control switch, and then the dial and /or that switch will let us change to the other images.
If you fail to tap left or right, the dial is ignored during image review, which prevents inadvertent settings changes.
You may hit Zoom and it works, but if you hit Zoom first, the dial will be locked until you come out of zoom and hit left
or right to activate the rear dial. (Hitting left or right during zoom scrolls around the image, instead of selecting another
image.)
M: Manual Mode

Once upon a time, long before digital cameras and program modes, there was manual mode. In those days it wasn't
called "manual mode" because there were no other modes. It was just photography. In fact, many photographers cut
their teeth on completely manual cameras. Let's face it—if you want to learn the effects of aperture and shutter speed
on your photography, there is no better way to learn than by setting these adjustments yourself. However, today, with
the advancement of camera technology, many new photographers never give this mode a second thought. That's truly
a shame, as not only is it an excellent way to learn your photography basics, but it's also an essential tool to have in
your photographic bag of tricks.
When you have your camera set to Manual (M) mode, the camera meter will give you a reading of the scene you are
photographing. It's your job, though, to set both the f-stop (aperture) and the shutter speed to achieve a correct
exposure. If you need a faster shutter speed, you will have to make the reciprocal change to your f-stop. Using any
other mode, such as Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority, would mean that you just have to worry about one of these
changes, but Manual mode means you have to do it all yourself. This can be a little challenging at first, but after a
while you will have a complete understanding of how each change affects your exposure, which will, in turn, improve
the way that you use the other modes.
When to Use Manual (M) Mode
 When learning how each exposure element interacts with the others (Figure 4.12)

Figure 4.12 The camera was set to Manual so I could set the amount of desired
underexposure to emphasize the storm clouds.
 When your environment is fooling your light meter and you need to maintain a certain
exposure setting (Figure 4.13)

Figure 4.13 Beaches and snow are always a challenge for light meters. Add to that the desire
to have exact control of depth of field and shutter speed and you have a perfect scenario for
Manual mode.
 When shooting silhouetted subjects, which requires overriding the camera's meter
readings (Figure 4.14)

Figure 4.14 Although the meter was doing a pretty good job of exposing for
the sky, I used Manual mode to push the foreground elements into complete
silhouette.
Setting Up and Shooting in Manual Mode
1. Turn your camera on and then turn the Mode dial to align the M with the indicator line.
2. Select your ISO by pressing the i button on the lower-left portion of the back of the camera
(if the camera's info screen is not visible, press the info or i button).
3. Press up or down on the Multi-selector to highlight the ISO option, then select OK.
4. Press down on the Multi-selector to select a higher ISO setting, then press OK to lock in
the change.
5. Point the camera at your subject and then activate the camera meter by depressing the shutter button halfway.
6. View the exposure information in the bottom area of the viewfinder or by looking at the display panel on the rear
of the camera.
7. While the meter is activated, use your thumb to roll the Command dial left and right to change your shutter speed
value until the exposure mark is lined up with the zero mark. The exposure information is displayed by a scale
with marks that run from –2 to +2 stops. A "proper" exposure will line up with the arrow mark in the middle. As the
indicator moves to the right, it is a sign that you will be underexposing (there is not enough light on the sensor to
provide adequate exposure). Move the indicator to the left and you will be providing more exposure than the
camera meter calls for. This is overexposure.
8. To set your exposure using the aperture, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated. Then,
while holding down the Exposure Compensation/Aperture button (located behind and to the right of the shutter
release button), rotate the Command dial to change the aperture. Rotate right for a smaller aperture (large f-stop
number) and left for a larger aperture (small f-stop number).
Remember that when you are using Manual mode, it is up to you to decide what is the most important thing to worry
about. Do you need a fast shutter; do you want narrow depth of field? You decide and then you take control. It's really
one of the best ways to learn how each change affects your image.