Considering used D-3100 - Thoughts?

pnomanikon

Senior Member
My wife just joined me in the "Retired" ranks, and we both like to travel and explore outdoors. I have been a hobbyist photographer (cheap therapy!) for 30+years, currently using a D-7200. She has expressed interest in getting a camera and doing photo trips with me. Up until now, she only took photos with her cell phone and a point and shoot. She does not like the weight of the D-7200.

I found a used "low mileage" (under 2K shots) D-3100 listed as like new condition. It looks like a good lightweight camera that she can start out on automatic and gradually use more of the features as she becomes more comfortable with it. We can also swap and share AF-S lenses, if I understand correctly. The specs look very good and I think it will more than serve our needs.

I might get a used (also "like new" condition) Nikon AF-S 18x55 VR lens for general use on the D-3100.

Any thoughts from D-3100 users? Thanks.


 

pforsell

Senior Member
My wife just joined me in the "Retired" ranks, and we both like to travel and explore outdoors. I have been a hobbyist photographer (cheap therapy!) for 30+years, currently using a D-7200. She has expressed interest in getting a camera and doing photo trips with me. Up until now, she only took photos with her cell phone and a point and shoot. She does not like the weight of the D-7200.

I found a used "low mileage" (under 2K shots) D-3100 listed as like new condition. It looks like a good lightweight camera that she can start out on automatic and gradually use more of the features as she becomes more comfortable with it. We can also swap and share AF-S lenses, if I understand correctly. The specs look very good and I think it will more than serve our needs.

I might get a used (also "like new" condition) Nikon AF-S 18x55 VR lens for general use on the D-3100.

Any thoughts from D-3100 users? Thanks.



I'm just musing my own thoughts, so you can give them exactly the value you paid for them. :D

If the size/weight is a primary concern, why not look beyond DSLR cameras altogether? There are great cameras that are not quite point & shoot, but instead have big sensors and top quality lenses, yet are compact and light. This is coming from a 6'5" guy weighing 217 lbs, and I regularly shoot a D5 with a AFS 400/2.8 VR hand held, so I am used to heavy gear. When I travel in non-photographic trips, I often take my Leica D-LUX (Typ 109) with me, and I think it is the same camera as a Panasonic Lumix LX-100. It has a four thirds sensor, very good Leica lens and offers both full auto and full manual and everything in between. It has been on the market quite a while, so the used prices are probably very affordable.

https://www.dpreview.com/products/leica/compacts/leica_dlux109

Sony and other manufacturers have similar size "advanced compact" cameras, so it might be useful, or at least interesting, to take a look at those.

Sorry, if I wasted your time. :)

-Peter
 

pnomanikon

Senior Member
Not a waste of time at all. I am open to suggestions. My main reason for looking at the D-3100 was the interchangeability with lens with my D-7200. Plus, the used D-3100 is less than $200. Budget is a concern. (I sold my motorcycle to buy my camera)

I will look at your link when I have more time. Just leaving the house now. Thanks.



I'm just musing my own thoughts, so you can give them exactly the value you paid for them. :D

If the size/weight is a primary concern, why not look beyond DSLR cameras altogether? There are great cameras that are not quite point & shoot, but instead have big sensors and top quality lenses, yet are compact and light. This is coming from a 6'5" guy weighing 217 lbs, and I regularly shoot a D5 with a AFS 400/2.8 VR hand held, so I am used to heavy gear. When I travel in non-photographic trips, I often take my Leica D-LUX (Typ 109) with me, and I think it is the same camera as a Panasonic Lumix LX-100. It has a four thirds sensor, very good Leica lens and offers both full auto and full manual and everything in between. It has been on the market quite a while, so the used prices are probably very affordable.

https://www.dpreview.com/products/leica/compacts/leica_dlux109

Sony and other manufacturers have similar size "advanced compact" cameras, so it might be useful, or at least interesting, to take a look at those.

Sorry, if I wasted your time. :)

-Peter
 
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pnomanikon

Senior Member
^^^^ pforsell^^^^^

I looked at the Leica - very nice, but unfortunately way out of my price range. The Lumix is closer to my budget, but two features cause me to think "no".

First is the limit of built in lens - a very nice fast Leica lens, but 24x75 is not much of a telephoto for wildlife and birds. With the D-3100, we could share my 18x140 and 55x300 lenses.

The other is no built in flash. My wife has a large extended family, and at gatherings she likes to just pull out a camera and shoot without dealing with attaching a flash. Both cameras take fine photos, but I think the cost and limited zoom range would be deal breakers. Thank you for showing me these as options. They would have been great for me when I was still riding motorcycles to carry in my jacket pocket.

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My wife just joined me in the "Retired" ranks, and we both like to travel and explore outdoors. I have been a hobbyist photographer (cheap therapy!) for 30+years, currently using a D-7200. She has expressed interest in getting a camera and doing photo trips with me. Up until now, she only took photos with her cell phone and a point and shoot. She does not like the weight of the D-7200.

I found a used "low mileage" (under 2K shots) D-3100 listed as like new condition. It looks like a good lightweight camera that she can start out on automatic and gradually use more of the features as she becomes more comfortable with it. We can also swap and share AF-S lenses, if I understand correctly. The specs look very good and I think it will more than serve our needs.

I might get a used (also "like new" condition) Nikon AF-S 18x55 VR lens for general use on the D-3100.

Any thoughts from D-3100 users? Thanks.



I started out with the D3100 and it is a good starter camera. You might also want to check out the D5100. About the same size wise but a bit better in image quality. Check the refurbished site Cameta to see what they have Some good deals to be had there


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

PapaST

Senior Member
I think one aspect that will help is your ability to forecast where she will go with the hobby. Some people get turned off by the inherent complexities of dslrs. Some people love it and really take off into the world of manual modes. I think the d3100 is a great choice for a starter and giving more lens options for the both of you. If she embraces it then she can inherit the D7200 while you upgrade to another model. See how that works? ;)
 
I think one aspect that will help is your ability to forecast where she will go with the hobby. Some people get turned off by the inherent complexities of dslrs. Some people love it and really take off into the world of manual modes. I think the d3100 is a great choice for a starter and giving more lens options for the both of you. If she embraces it then she can inherit the D7200 while you upgrade to another model. See how that works? ;)

My wife always gets my old cameras. When she wants to upgrade I get to upgrade so she can have my old one. That is how I slowly moved up from the D3100/D5100/D7000/D7100 to my present D750.
 

pnomanikon

Senior Member
Just ordered the used D3100 and Nikon 18-55 ED DX VRII lens. Camera only had 1,900 shots. Both listed on MPB as like new. Half the price of the equivalent new one on sale at the big electronics store.

My wife is happy (or at least she says she is - LOL) to be joining me for photo trips around the mountains of West Virginia now that we are both retired. OK - I'm looking forward to having her along, too. Really!

Will hopefully get her logged in and she can post some photos later on as she gets comfortable with the camera.

Thanks for your input earlier.

.
 
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Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
My wife is happy (or at least she says she is - LOL) to be joining me for photo trips around the mountains of West Virginia now that we are both retired. OK - I'm looking forward to having her along, too. Really!

Will hopefully get her logged in and she can post some photos later on as she gets comfortable with the camera.



.

May you both have many enjoyable trips.
 

pnomanikon

Senior Member
D3100 came to the door today. Just ordered it from MPB on Saturday night, and used the "slow/free" shipping. Everything does look "like new" just like they advertised. I took a few photos and checked the shutter count at camershuttercount dot com - 1958. (Just what they advertised)


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I wanted to check that everything worked, so I walked out in the garden for a few quick photos before the thunderstorm hit.

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Low light under the awning with dark thunderstorm clouds just breaking loose.


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One of my wife's favorite planters. (Perfect for Hens & Chicks!)

I got the back button focus and other settings adjusted so I can start teaching my wife some of the basics, which is about all I know.

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pnomanikon

Senior Member
We've been very busy the past few days and were also out of town, but managed to get in a short lesson on basics (aperture, shutter speed, focus). Both of us have taken some photos with the D3100 and are very happy so far. Give us a few more days of practice and we will post a few photos.

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pnomanikon

Senior Member
Just got home from a loop up through Wisconsin, U.P. Michigan (Mackinac), Sault St Marie, Ontario (Sudbury, Parry Sound, Hamilton - Royal Botanical Gardens), and Niagara Falls before heading home to West Virginia. My wife used the D3100 and is getting more comfortable with it. She says its easier for her to see the display rather than use the viewfinder, so certain focusing situations have been a challenge. For example, a single flower sticking up with the background off in the distance - the camera wants to focus on the background, which is 95% of the view area.

I used the camera some and was very impressed. I used the viewfinder, though. Much lighter and easier to carry for hours than the D7200. The photos came out nice and clear and properly exposed.

For long hikes or long photo sessions, I will probably grab the D3100 if my wife isn't using it. Very impressed.

I posted a travelogue of the trip on our family page. Most photos were D7200, but we used the D3100 over on Mackinac and various shots throughout the trip.

Link: http://www.michaelelyard.com/WisconsinCanada2018.htm


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pnomanikon

Senior Member
UPDATE:

Well, it's been 2 years now with the D3100. Due to some family issues (eye problems with me, deaths in the family) that have sidelined us, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have only had one long trip to give the D3100 a workout. Last September (2019), we packed up the car and took a 1-month cross-country trip to the Southwest. I used the D7200 most of the time, and my wife went back and forth between the D3100 and our Nikon Coolpix L-830. Link to our travelogue (done day by day - pretty basic the first 5 days until we got to Missouri):

http://www.michaelelyard.com/SW Retirement Trip 2019 Home.htm

Now for the big news. As much as I like the D7200, my right shoulder (the recipient of two surgeries) was very sore by the end of the day carrying that beast around. And even after 2 years of studying the RockyNook book, it was frustrating trying to get all of the settings right to use the special features. I find myself using the D3100, and it suits my needs 98% of the time. My wife likes the Coolpix for ease of use, and still uses the D3100 from time to time.

In my never-ending quest to downsize and not leave a house full of stuff for our son to have to go through when we're done here, I am selling my D7200. I'm keeping the lenses for the D3100.

Sometime down the road, if either of those cameras bites the dust (literally - I drop things on a regular basis LOL), I will probably look at a nice mirror-less camera.

A friend loaned me a book on the D3200 and I've been reading it. Pretty much the same as the D3100 with just a few more bells and whistles. I think the camera's abilities far outweigh mine at this point, so it's a good match.
 

john*thomas

Senior Member
So you initially made the right choice. A D3100 will still do more than the average photographer needs but still has enough extra's to keep the next level photographer interested and busy.
 

pnomanikon

Senior Member
I've been practicing with the D3100 several times the past month with flowers and birds/critters in our back yard. We get an assortment of deer, rabbits, and squirrels scurrying about.

I have tried different focusing modes (single point, area, 3D) and shooting modes (Automatic, Aperture Priority, and even "Sport" mode) with varying rates of success. Some photos have been pretty clear (not as clear as I'd like) and half have been quite disappointing. I'm using the Nikon 55X300 and am careful to not let shutter speeds get below 1/200 when zoomed out, even though I am usually sitting in a chair and have my elbow propped on the arm of the chair. Maybe I need to learn to be a little more genteel on the shutter release. I bumped up the ISO to 400 and 800 to keep the shutter speed fast.

It is much easier on my arm and shoulder than the D7200 was, though. I don't miss the extra weight.

Oh well, at least I'm not burning through film as I learn to use this camera. LOL
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
I I'm using the Nikon 55X300 and am careful to not let shutter speeds get below 1/200 when zoomed out, even though I am usually sitting in a chair and have my elbow propped on the arm of the chair. Maybe I need to learn to be a little more genteel on the shutter release.

Shutter speed is often suggest to be for DX 1.5x focal length but is seems your hold method should be stable. Breathing method and shutter can make a big difference.
 
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