Customer Ratings & Reviews

This camera is awesome for what I use it for. It's light enough that I can bring it on a long summit hike without too much burden, and seems like it'll stand up to being knocked against a few rocks here and there. The picture quality is good, but not as great as I expected considering my 10 year old Rebel takes similar quality pictures. What I really do like is no longer having to use unwieldy compact flash memory cards, and the speed with which this thing can take pictures! The photos below are just me messing around on our trip to Tahoe using automatic settings.

This is a great camera! I am a beginner with DLSR Cameras and I am so happy I bought this one! The pictures are crystal clear, as long as you are in okay lightning, outdoors is the best. It doesn't do very well in low lighting or artificial lighting. But outdoor action shots are perfect! I have 3 kids and they do not slow down for a picture, this camera takes beautiful pictures of them on the go. I would definitely recommend this camera to others.

I purchased this as a starter DSLR for a college photography class. It has all the options and functions of many more expensive cameras. I have found it to meet all the requirements of my course and some. I am very happy with this camera and especially happy with the price. It takes great pictures and in the future, if necessary, I can always purchase more advanced lenses while keeping this same camera. I highly recommend it.

Great time using this camera. I've never used a DSLR before and would recommend it to anyone wanting to step into the SLR world.

Finally broke down and purchased a DSLR. Have always used point and shoots. But, I knew that a DSLR would give me higher quality pictures, and it did! Buying more lens for better match for what I like to shoot.

I have had this camera for over a month now, and have not one single complaint! Before buying, i had been dead set on buying the Nikon D5000 for the past 4 or 5 months, but then heard about the D3100. The battery life is exceptional, camera is very lightweight (even with lens attached). Takes great shots in a large variety of locations/lighting/etc. I use my camera mostly for taking candids of friends at events and pictures of bands at extremely low-lit concerts. Sometimes flash or live-view can be very distracting, so the fact that this camera takes amazing shots sans flash, and live view can be turned off (in face, the entire screen can be turned off so nobody knows your even taking pictures) is an extremely pleasant bonus! I only use the built-in flash and 18-55 mm kit lens. I highly recommend this camera!!! Especially from Bestbuy, because it is the absolute lowest price in any store AND you can use 18 months to pay for it with no interest! <3 this soooo much :) P.S. I have never used a dslr or slr before; this is my first. I have not looked at the manual, only a few camera reviews on Youtube; that's how amazingly easy it is to learn how to use this camera. The Guide mode is also amazingly helpful! I have no scratches at all. I have a clear UV filter to protect my lens at all times, as well as a cell phone screen protector that i cut to fit the live-view screen.

Great camera. Not too complicated. Love it! Would recommend it to any family.

Never since I gave up my Nikon FG have I had a camera take what I would consider Great pictures. I took a pic of my granddaughter last week in a close up mode from her side. I could see the individual lashes on her eyes. I could see the little fine hairs between her eyebrows. You know the little blond peach fuzz that children have. I almost cried. Seriously. And there must be an auto white balance in this camera so you can take indoor pics with depth and clarity without the flash. I love the pop up flash. I love the eye piece. I just plain love this camera. There is very little fixing to the pics cause they turn out so great each time. I know this cost more than a point and shoot but to me, my family pictures are irreplaceable and precious. You won't be sorry. Lithium battery lasts along time. Uses regular SD cards. Well thought out as far as I'm concerned.

I looked at SLR's for quite awhile before making the purchase of my D3100. My friends have owned various models of both the Canon and Nikon brands. They are incredibly loyal to the brand they own and curse the competitors. Keeping an open mind, I looked at both, my main constraint being budget: I wanted a decent entry level SLR with a couple of lenses for under $1,000. I wasn't terribly concerned with brand and narrowed the choices between the Nikon D3100 and the canon T2i. Both had a decent feature set and a resolution for getting started in photography. What sold me on the D3100 was the ease of use (changing aperture, speed, ISO), relatively good pictures in auto scene modes, and the price (camera, 18-55mm, and 55-300mm lens under $1000). I won't knock the Canon. They make a great product, but I'd happily recommend the Nikon D3100 anyone.

I am interested in preserving old photographs. I purchased this camera in pursuit of the lowest cost, best value RAW format camera available. Although I had two previous Nikon film SLRS, this is my first DSLR. I did not limit my search to Nikon. Using a copy stand with copy at 11 inches from the kit lens I am getting about a square foot of copy in the frame without purchasing a macro (Nikon micro) lens. The results are absolutely STUNNING. I use 14 megapixels RAW (NEF) format and the free View NX software that comes with the camera. I correct for the color of my light source with white balance adjustment in View NX software and I have an absolutely beautiful copy of old photograph albums pages. Others have commented on other applications with superb results. I have had the camera a month. I have no complaints. I took a picture of a flower with a bee on it with the kit lens on my first day. All the settings were point and shoot. I have attached a picture from my point and shoot testing. No editing at all done to this photograph taken jpg normal compression like any point and shoot. Suggested accessories for my application: extra Li battery, Nikon NC 52mm filter, and remote shutter control. File Size: 3.62 MB Image Size: L (4608 x 3072) Image Quality: Jpeg Normal (8-bit) Device: Nikon D3100 Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G Focal Length: 52mm Focus Mode: AF-S AF-Area Mode: Normal Area VR: ON Aperture: F/6.3 Shutter Speed: 1/60s Scene Auto Selector: Close-up Exposure Comp.: 0EV Metering: Matrix ISO Sensitivity: Auto (ISO 400) White Balance: Auto, 0, 0

Excellent quality, excellent pics, super easy to use, & great for beginners if you are one. I am a local graphic artist in Washington, and I use this camera 100% of the time when taking pics. I then use the pics in photoshop to make websites, fliers, CD covers, calendars, and any other promotional products a customer may need. I've used all the Canon Rebels including the Rebel T2i, and this is by far the best. I know people get stuck on this cameras14 Megapixel compared to the Canon Rebel T2i 18 Megapixel, but comparing pics I've taken side by side with both cameras shows no difference. The plus, Nikon accessories are cheaper. In the end, its always a personal preference in which you end up buying. I like Canon cameras, I own the Rebel T2i, but this new Nikon won my heart after playing around with the display model at the store. And this Nikon is soooooo much cheaper. I bought this as a bundle pack.

I have had this camera for about 5 months. It is an awesome camera, and I am very impressed with it. I'm not an expert, but I've come to take some great pictures with it. I like the way it looks and feels. Some of the features I have found useless but that is just because I like doing things the hard way. I always keep it on manual settings, because I want to be able to control everything. And it lets you do that. I'm starting to grow out of it, but that is okay, because I don't think I need more than it does. It's a great beginner DSLR, and if you are someone who wants to learn a little about the camera and take good pictures but are not looking to be a professional photographer this is a great camera for you. The video is extremely awesome. Just learn to use manual focus because a) it doesn't focus well using auto-focus and b) when you use auto-focus you can hear it really loud in the background of your video. My only complaint is that there is no external microphone jack. But that's alright. It's not a video camera. Great camera, great quality. :)

I bought this for my wife for Christmas 2009 and we both love it. My brother in law got my sister one and my dad got my mom one. My wife photographs little league baseball, cross country, basketball, volleyball and wrestling. She has done engagement and wedding pictures. We do a lot of events and share on Facebook so people can see their kids, people love and expect great pictures from us. I do night photography and landscape photos. I love the lens that came with it and use it for all of my night shots, I got some great northern lights and star pictures as well as moon rise and moon setting pictures. We got the 55-300mm lens, it is great for outdoors and good lighting. The speedlite SB900 lets you do some indoor shooting with that lens but needs constant tweaking for different distances. We finally got a Sigma 50-155 with a 2.8 aperture and don't even use a flash for events anymore. The flash let us do some great Senior portraits, great bounce flash. No complaints or problems with this camera. The pictures I included with this review were shot with the 18-55 kit lens.

OKAY so My Fiance got me this camera for my birthday and Ive only had this camera for a few hours and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I went to a vocational school for 2 years for Printing and Graphics and my SR year we got a NEW Canon that had just came out and I played with it a few times and that canon does not even compare to the Nikon D3100! I always said Id never own a Nikon but honestly wouldnt have it any other way now! Nikon's specs compared to Canons def top in DSLR camera. The Nikons pictures are crispt and clear and its just wonderful! The battery seems to be doing good and still says its fully charged after HOURS of playing with it. If you read the manual you learn more too, so I recommend doing so. There are so many features for this camera that it will probably take me a few days to play with them! BUT This camera is DEF worth the money! and if your looking at getting a DSLR this is a wonderful choice!

I am absolutely in love with the new D3100. Nikon did an excellent job! Pictures are crisp, guide mode is super easy, many different settings, and movie quality is superb. Although its my first PERSONAL DSLR, i have used many others (i'm an amateur photographer) and this one easily trumps the canon rebels and the d3000/ d500. I got one of two that our best buy had on the day it came out. I have no regrets. My Photo. teacher is jealous and my friends are always buzzing to "test it out". Cant wait to get more acclimated to the settings and get some great shots out of it!

Just purchased the Nikon D3100 DSLR kit at Best Buy. Great camera, not only are all the manual features there and easily manipulated, it also works well in full auto (as a point and shoot). This is one of the main reasons I purchased this particular camera, with the intuitive Guide Mode you don't have to have a wealth of knowledge to end up with amazing results. Other features that made me choose this kit over others was it had a higher resolution (in stills and video) and higher video frame rate than most of its competitors in that price range (Cannon Ti1 shoots 20fps). The video looks great, I love the depth of field. It's just a great camera not only for beginners but also for the seasoned pro that needs a light, small DSLR.

I've wanted a SLR for a long time and finally broke down and got one. I have been so tired of only getting a couple good photos out of my Point and Shoots, I just bit the bullet and paid the money and got a real camera. Now every picture I take is amazing! I have kids and was tired of losing so many photos to poor quality, espicially with things motion. Now I catch everything the first time. I always due a lot of research before buying anything, and I ended up at this camera. Its still not radically expensive and it has all the features you would ever want on a camera like this. Nikon's website has some great tutorials also, if you want to get in-depth with the features. They all work great. Couldn't be happier. I also purchase this camera with an additional 55-200VR lens that was on sale for $100 off and was definately worth it. The obvious is that your not going to stick this one in you pocket, but its worth carrying around on your travels because you won't miss anything anymore.

Right from the box we opened it up put in the memory card and i was off taking photo's trying out all the settings. We charged the battery that night and in the morning we were out taking photos all day. We averaged about 300 to 400 photos over the next few days on a single charge plus small little video clips learning how everything works. I finally recharged the battery 3 weeks later after about 4000 pictures which we kept transferring to the computer. Being a complete beginner at photography it took a month to figure out the ideal setting on the software to edit the pictures you want to keep. What a difference in knowing just a very small amount about filters and lighting and my friends thought I had a professional take the photos I printed out on my Printer and framed. The Guide mode was the key to putting it all together for us, it taught us the basics of what we were looking for on the internet. So its all there in one package we love our new Camera.

This is my first DSLR camera. I cannot believe what my photos have been missing. Charged it up and took my first photos as dusk and the lighting was unbelievable. I don’t think you can take a bad picture with this camera. The Video quality is excellent but have not messed with that much. Just returned from a week in Hawaii with this Camera and the best photos I have ever taken. We took over 800 pictures in 7 days, viewed several of them on the camera and the battery still showed fully charged when I got back to California. I look forward to many more fun days with this camera.

I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to upgrade from a simple point and shoot to a digital slr for months. Ultimately I decided to go for it with the Nikon D3100 and have LOVED it since!!! It is super easy to use and takes amazing pictures!! I'm no professional photographer so I couldn't tell you the first thing about what to look for in a camera but this is by far the best camera I have ever owned! Now that I have a camera that works this good, I find myself experimenting more and more with the different features it has and can't get enough of it! I strongly reccommend reading through the manual if you are new to slr cameras like myself. It's really easy to read through and breaks down each feature and how to use them in simple terms.