HD film on D3100?

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum so much help would be appreciated!
Is there anybody who could give me a review on the D3100 filming capabilities.
I'm creating a short film for my final piece in media and was wondering if my D3100 would be any good?
I would probably hire (rent) out a mic setup, and will probably need a good prime lens (little help?)
Thank you!

The d3100 would be great for filming video; better than my d5000 anyway since it doesn't have auto-focus on video. I can't comment on the video quality since I don't actually own one.

You might want to invest in a steady cam to get some smoother looking video as well.

Hey Ryan,
The D3100 may meet your needs but definitely check the specs on the camera. I recently purchased the D3100 and I'm extremely happy with it. However the video capability was way down on my requirements list.

Here's a couple things you need to be aware of:

• Auto focus noise. The mic is right beside the lens, which means that any re-focusing of the lens will most likely be heard in your clip. The reason I bring this up, is that there is no input for an external mic.
• 10 minute movie length. The D3100 only shoots 10 minute clips. When you start filming, you'll see a 10 minute count-down in the upper corner.
• CMOS Sensor - If you're shooting and make quick lateral moves, you may end up with some of the "jello" effect.
• Lastly - 24 frames per second. I haven't really seen this as a detriment, but keep it in mind

The video on the camera seems to be more of a "me too" check-box feature. 1080p - check... etc.

Like I said, I'm extremely happy with my camera, however I didn't buy based on the video capabilities.

Good Luck!

Thanks Sunnyside, much appreciated, I'm considering renting an external mic setup, I wasn't exactly planning to use the AF mode as it isn't top notch with quick focussing and as you said, makes quite a bit of noise which is a pain.
If all else fails, I think that I'll unfortunately have to borrow one of the school's cameras which I dread using.. oh well.

My D3100 still does the trick for capturing beautiful shots!

Thankyou for your posts, muchly appreciated!

I wouldn't buy this camera for the video. Sunnyside is 100% correct on everything said. Takes great pictures though.