The Nikon D3100 is a breath taking entry-level DSLR camera. At the price point of about $600 everyone looking to enter professional photography should consider this option. This camera takes high quality still photos of up to 4608x3072 with JPEG and makes shooting in RAW a breeze. It gives you the ability to shoot in JPEG, NEF RAW, and NEF RAW+JPEG.This allows you to capture stunning images. Not only does this camera take amazing pictures but can shoot HD video in up to 1920x1080p at 24 fps, which is the main difference between its predecessor the Nikon D3000. It also has tons of creative filters and different shooting modes including the guide mode, which makes shooting with the D3100 as easy as counting to 3. It's body feels great and very lightweight in the hand, brings a built in flash, and an optical viewfinder. You can start shooting with this right out of the box and it is compatible with hundreds of Nikon lenses (it has a Nikon F-mount with AF contacts). The layout of the buttons is perfect and everything is easily accessible. It uses a lithium-ion battery which could use a little more juice. In my experience it should get you through one day of shooting. It has an HDMI port, Mini USB, and can connect to a GPS. Overall, the Nikon D3100 is an outstanding entry level DSLR at the ideal price range. I give it 4 stars.
