I did it...

[Bec2002]

I brought my first ever DSLR camera today. A shiny Nikon 3100 twin lens kit! Feeling a tad overwhelmed with all the bits and pieces, settings and buttons! Guess I should start out by reading the user manual huh??

[ricktas]

Congrats on the new 'baby'. Enjoy, learn, have fun and show us your photos

[Seabee]

ooohhhhhhhhhh nice, fun times ahead!
CONGRATULATIONS and enjoy:th3:

[Mark L]

Good on you Bec.:th3:
The user manual is a really good place to start. Take the time to read it. You won't remember it all, but you will remember where to go back to, and it will make more sense to you when you need to learn (or relearn) something.
And if, after that, you still need help, ask here on AP. Plenty of helpful people here. After they offer advice, the manual still helps.

[Mary Anne]

How wonderful I remember the day I bought home my first DSLR, its certainly an exciting time with so much reading and learning to do.
And as Mark wrote, plenty of help here when you need it.

[Tommo1965]

nice one...I look forward to seeing your work ..enjoy :)

[robcran]

Bec,
Fine to read the user manual but user manuals tend to tell you what a control DOES - not what it is FOR.
There is an author, Darrell Young, who has written many "Mastering the Nikon D...." books, but he has not done a book for the D3100. However he has written a book for people new to DSLR photography called "Beyond Point-and-Shoot: Learning to Use a Digital SLR or Interchangeable-Lens Camera".

It shows on Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Point---Shoot-Learning-Interchangeable-Lens/dp/1933952954/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344302931&sr=8-1&keywords=darrell+young

To be honest I have not read this particular book of Darrell's, but I have his D300 book and if he has written in the same style you will gets lots of useful examples of what each camera setting will do and where you would use it.

[richardb]

If digital is a new thing, no worries. The old "sunny 16 rule" still works. Any quick manual supplied?

Greetz.

[beeps]

I also purchase the same kit about a year ago and I must admit to also being quite overwhelmed. I advise looking at some of the you tube videos on setup and operation. They really helped me a lot. Happy shooting.:D:D:D
Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

[Ezookiel]

It's just a whisker over the 1 year anniversary for me since I was in that same position. Fantastic step.
You will be amazed at how fast you'll develop (oops, no pun intended). It's a steep learning curve, but heaps of fun, and the people here make it so easy to learn, that you'll barely notice the learning curve, but you'll definitely notice the results. Welcome about the forum.

[Chinook]

Have fun Bec. It really is a lot of fun. I think you have the right idea about reading the manual. :th3: Hope to see some of your photos soon.