Anyone not happy with their D3100?

I've had this camera for over two years and have mixed feelings about it. The video has never been great (especially indoors). Most of my vid has a terrible orange hue to it. I realize this is a color temp issue but still haven't been able to correct.

The other issue is focus. The auto focus never seems to "focus" on the right object and the red-to-green square in the Live View screen is never centered. I have to continually use the arrows to move it to center before focusing on the subject. When I do manual focus, its hit or miss. Luckily I take dozens if not 100s of photos at any given event, so I can cherry pick and touch up in Photoshop.

It just seems like my lil Canon PowerShot was less hassle to operate and took more in-focus pix. Sorry for the rant. I'm hoping I might gain some insight into getting better use of this camera as so many others here seem to enjoy. Thanks...

Welcome to nikonites! I don't shoot vids, but I haven't had any issues with my D3100. Mine has focused well and I tended to use MF lenses a lot and they were no problem to focus. manual focusing AF lenses like my 70-300mm was harder due to it having a shorter focal movement and required a bit more time and care.

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Thanks

I had a D3100 and it is a very good camera. I stop videos with it on occasion and got great results. Here is a video I shot with it. Chamber Choir | Alabama Choir SchoolAs far as the focus point being off that is east to do by accident by touching the control for it. Just watch where you put your hand. It sounds like you just need to read up more on your camera and learn how to get the shots you want. Live view is also not the optimum way to shoot. You will get better results using the viewfinder.

Definitely satisfied with my D3100 however I look forward to being able to upgrade it but for the price and the fact it's a 2 year old model it's a very good camera for beginners.

Well for one, you should really learn how to get out of "Auto" and learn a bit more of the camera's workings. When dealing with video, you also do not want to use auto focus. The AF is not really meant for shooting movies or anything like that so it's a bit a skewed. When shooting video, you do want to be able to control the focus and adjust manually. This way you do not get that awful grinding noise of the AF motor turning.
Now I am going to ask what modes do you have your AF on? Do you keep it on AF-A, AF-S or AF-C each of these have specific functions and will be the deciding factor on why you may be having problems with focusing.

Give us a more detailed walkthrough of what you are doing and we can help you a bit further.

Haha. Yes, the old "grinding" sound is on so many of my vids (sadly).

For the viewfinder... I have the Area AF mode set to Auto Area with AF-assist set to "on."

For the Live View ... I have it set to Face Priority AF.

Earlier tonight I decided to grab my camera and take a couple of snaps of my kids playing and nothing was going right. However I don't put this down to my camera I put it down to me being a complete beginner and not knowing what I am doing half of the time lol.

I need serious help when it comes to REALLY know what I am doing. And that is why I joined this site.

So you have come to the right place.

My problem was a combination of bad shutter speeds and using a flash instead of using more natural light. That is yet another thing I have learnt from this site and it was from just searching the forums rather than bugging people with a brand new thread. (not having a pop at you though)

Anyhoo welcome to the site and any questions you have I am sure someone can answer it for you.

No worries HelpImUpsideDown. Appreciate the response. Having the right lighting does make (or break) a good photo. Sad thing about my situation is that I have a degree in film production (granted, 20 years ago) and should know what I'm doing with a camera yet ... I've forgotten a great deal and its very frustrating when I have such newbie issues like the ones I've mentioned.

Have had mine for a year without complaint. Granted, I don't shoot video, so I can't comment on that side of things personally, but I've seen a lot of acceptable videos shot by others with the same model.

As far as the auto-focus, I've never had an issue unless it's caused by my own oversight. Either resting my hand on the manual-focus ring by mistake, not using the correct settings for the proper DOF, etc. When I do things correctly, it's usually spot on. The only real challenge is low light auto-focus, but that's to be expected. Are you using auto white balance, or a particular setting? Have you tried to do a custom white balance?

Lots of questions through all of our responses, for sure, but maybe we'll be able to help!

I definitely would have sent it in for repair or replacement had I experienced what you are describing from the very beginning. That's what warranties are for!

Teako Teako said:

No worries HelpImUpsideDown. Appreciate the response. Having the right lighting does make (or break) a good photo. Sad thing about my situation is that I have a degree in film production (granted, 20 years ago) and should know what I'm doing with a camera yet ... I've forgotten a great deal and its very frustrating when I have such newbie issues like the ones I've mentioned.

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Hey I am sure the best of the best still ask/seek advice however little or small. I ask anything and everything and even then I seek more help because I am forever running into brick walls. Some days I can pick up my camera and I can take nice clean pictures and other days nothing ever works. And again this is due to me just not knowing enough.

20 years film production you say? That is pretty impressive. I have been "trying" to edit films for about a year now. I am not great but I am also not nearly as bad as taking photos haha! I hope you're here to stay as I could most definitely hit you up for advice on film stuff. That's if this place hasn't already solved my problem.

HelpImUpsideDown said:

20 years film production you say? That is pretty impressive.

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Sorry. Let me clarify. Yes, I received a degree in film production (20 years ago) but I have not been involved in anything film related, other than screenwriting, as I pursued other career paths.

Teako Teako said:

Sorry. Let me clarify. Yes, I received a degree in film production (20 years ago) but I have not been involved in anything film related, other than screenwriting, as I pursued other career paths.

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Ahh ok I get ya, still you know a thing or two for sure.

I have had the camera for almost a year, and was still mostly rely on auto modes, so I just got the d3100 for dummies on amazon. I highly recommend it. Its very easy to read, and talks you through all the technical stuff that flew over my head in the class that I took, and failed to retain from reading other photography guides.