I have a question i would like to put with some of the more experienced photographers out there...
My fundamental questions is this i also own a D3100 and its my first DSLR reading about it, the camera is supposed to be a Low end DSLR ? If i wanted to take photography up professionally, say as a wedding photographer, could i buy a reasonable lens and external Flash.....and of course alot of training, would it be possible to make professional photographs with a Low end DSLR But with a good Lens etc..........Or If one wants to take up Photography professionally has to buy an High end camera costing many hundreds of pounds more than the D3100??? Knowing that one had skills using Photoshop etc... I am just interested what the experienced photographers feel.. For one thing i certainly don't have a big budget to buy state of the art expensive lens and cameras, but wondered if its possible to get good results with even the most low end cameras, all being with some knowledge of photography thrown in too.. Sorry long winded question but i hope you understand my question!!
Hi Steve,
There are many with more experience than me here, but I will do my best to answer your question... You could start a thread in the D3100 forum if you want more answers as more people will se it.
My view, is that the D3100 takes great quality photos, in the right hands... Where it does fall down over the higher-end Pro models, is that it is not meant for the rigors of hard use. If a busy wedding phtographer used a D3100 as his main camera, he would soon be replacing it due to wear and tear. For an amateur / enthusiast, it will last for many years, but day-in-day-out, it would wear out (Especially the shutter and moving parts)
Also, the D3100 has no real weather or dust proofing - The happy couple still want photos even if it is raining, and a light shower could see a D3100 off after an hour or so in the damp, and weddings on a sandy beach with a bit of breeze....
Even when they have the pro kit, all serious Pro's have a backup camera, a selection of lenses, batteries, SD cards etc as they simply cannot afford the bad rep of holding their hand up at a wedding and saying "Sorry, camera's broken..... Can we do this another day when I got it fixed??"
So basically, you could go to a wedding as a guest, or professional's assistant, and get some good quality shots that the couple may well like and buy.... But rely on it for your income? Nope... it would be like using a pickup truck for a removals business!