Clear video?

I tried a million combinations of settings and i still get blurry videos. Im about to ditch this camera, but I still think its me.....so Im not going to do it yet. Can anyone please give me your settings off your d3100 if your getting clear video?

This is pertaining to subject standing 3-5 feet away in daylight. Not too hard i would think for this camera to meet those demands....Please help. So far I feel like I wasted my money....Please prove me wrong.

jayman said:

I tried a million combinations of settings and i still get blurry videos. Im about to ditch this camera, but I still think its me.....so Im not going to do it yet. Can anyone please give me your settings off your d3100 if your getting clear video?

This is pertaining to subject standing 3-5 feet away in daylight. Not too hard i would think for this camera to meet those demands....Please help. So far I feel like I wasted my money....Please prove me wrong.

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Use manual focus! use the plus sign to zoom in closer on the monitor, adjust the focus as necessary.

outdoor, you can use s mode around 1/80, Iso 100 if it is too bright just like still pictures.

Send it to me if it doesn't work!


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the live view lies....It looks clear then comes out blurry....I tried your advise to no avail.....What a waste of money...unless anyone else can help me get clear video? Please?

Three to five feet seems pretty close (70cm) - you didn't say anything about lens(es) you use. Are you sure the lenses you use are capable of focusing that close (for example, if you tried to autofocus in a movie mode, while having a telephoto lens attached to camera, and this lens cannot focus closer than, say, 1 meter, no wonder the videos are out of focus)...?

jayman said:

the live view lies....It looks clear then comes out blurry....I tried your advise to no avail.....What a waste of money...unless anyone else can help me get clear video? Please?

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I will always accept your junk camera. Did you turn the lens in manual mode? What is your video setting ? Did you select tripod mode or hanheld? turn vr off.


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It's new so I wouldnt consider it junk....I honestly think its my lack of knowledge which is why im posting for an answer....anyway, I have vr turned off and i am using a tripod. my video setting is 720 @ 30FPS. There is another setting on the lens (nikkor 18-55) that came with the kit. It says A-M. Im assuming this means auto and manual. But what is it referring too?

jayman said:

It's new so I wouldnt consider it junk....I honestly think its my lack of knowledge which is why im posting for an answer....anyway, I have vr turned off and i am using a tripod. my video setting is 720 @ 30FPS. There is another setting on the lens (nikkor 18-55) that came with the kit. It says A-M. Im assuming this means auto and manual. But what is it referring too?

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That's auto or manual focus.

I figured that....

the lens switch is what i am referring to and turn it to m and manually adjust the focus. If you follow that, I cant think of any other way how you can still get blurry video.

A means it operates in auto focus. learn more about your camera by using google and type D3100 Digitutor.


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I cant spend no more money for this camera right now. im not rich...I cant dish out 100's of dollars for training. If I knew i would need too do such a thing I honestly would never have bought this. I thought it would be easy to operate. Thanks anyway, but i guess i will have to ebay it....sad really - i really really wanted to use this. o well.

Perhaps you have a defective unit. The D3100 was really not made to shoot video, it was most likely offered to have something over the 3000 which has no video capability nor live view.
In my humble amature opinion, I wish they would have left the video and the live view off and offered something different instead, like auto bracketing for instance.

I have shot some video with it, and although I had no focusing problems, in all honesty, the videos that I shoot on my Galaxy S3 come out much better. Then again I did not buy the D3100 to shoot videos, so it doesn't bother me at all.
Good luck.

jayman said:

I cant spend no more money for this camera right now. im not rich...I cant dish out 100's of dollars for training. If I knew i would need too do such a thing I honestly would never have bought this. I thought it would be easy to operate. Thanks anyway, but i guess i will have to ebay it....sad really - i really really wanted to use this. o well.

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How long have you owned that camera? I don't think I ever mentioned that you need to buy something else. This is the video tutorial that I was referring to. It is "Free".


Nikon | Imaging Products | Digitutor | D3100

jayman said:

I cant spend no more money for this camera right now. im not rich...I cant dish out 100's of dollars for training. If I knew i would need too do such a thing I honestly would never have bought this. I thought it would be easy to operate. Thanks anyway, but i guess i will have to ebay it....sad really - i really really wanted to use this. o well.

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#1 - take it to a camera shop near you and ask for help
#2 - Search youtube for tutorial videos on D3100 video or something to that effect.

Both of these suggestions are free (gas money maybe )

I attempted video on my D7100 twice, looked terrible both times. I am 100% sure it's because I have not spent one minute of my time looking into how to do it the right way. Give it a chance. If you do end up finding out it's defective, it's under warranty

jayman, are you able to have a knowledgeable friend have a second look at it or is there a nearby store you can visit? You can also phone Nikon and speak to someone.

Is your ISO set to Auto?

If you have your 18-55mm kit lens mounted, the A/M switch is set to A, the Mode Dial set to Auto, the VR switched off (if mounted on a tripod), the subject is 3+ Feet distant, ISO is set to Auto, you have reasonable light and the result is blurred, I agree that something has gone wrong.

If the camera is in warranty, you can work that end at no charge. Good luck.

Jayman try these setting posted in the same forum under tips and tricks I tried this and got excellent video.....

I beleive I have found the optimum settings for video on my D3100, and I believe they are the same for the D7000.

1. Turn on camera
2. Turn on Live View
3. Press the 'I'nfo button
4. Use cursor pad to navigate and highlight 'Movie Settings' and set to your preference
5. Highlight Focus Mode and select 'AF-F'
6. Highlight AF-area mode and choose your preference (Face-priority, Wide-area, Normal-area, and Subject-tracking)
7. Highlight ISO and set for available light and aperture setting.
8. WB, Metering and Active D-Lighting are at your preference.

These settings can only be accessed by doing steps 1-3 in that order. Step 6 can not be selected until step 5 is done.

Anyone using the D7000, please amend this as needed if there is any different steps for that model.

These settings will give you auto focus and refocus.

Read more: http://nikonites.com/d3100/1783-d3100-tips-settings.html#ixzz2w37fb6pv