Using Live View

Hi,

I recently bought D3100, and I am using it for macro photography of my jewelry.
- As the camera is mounted on a tripod for close-ups, I use the live view mode for close-ups.
- Constant lights are also used in the setup.
- I had also changed the settings for the live view to close automatically from 30sec (default) to 5min. Hence the camera now operates always in the live view.

Today, after using the camera for a while, I got the warning "Unable to start live view. Please wait for the camera to cool". The solution for this warning in the manual is "Wait for the internal circuits to cool before resuming live view or movie recording."

So I wanted to know is it fine to use the camera in the live view mode? Does it heat up the camera?

Yes, LV does heat up the sensor, so its wise to heed the warnings. You dont really want to be using LV for extended use.

Plus, nothing drains a battery like Live View does.(so I have heard) But then I never use live view except so see the histogram of the picture I just took.

In live view, the sensor is constantly "on" which causes it to heat up. Listen to the other folks here and let it cool, or you may fry it!