Bike guy Loc: Atlanta

Lots of good advice. Will report back with images when I get it.

uhaas2009

Kit lenses good working cheap plastic lenses. Some are really noisy and distortion is ridicules. I needed a lenses fast and I had no idea wish one I want so I followed ken advice-$40 out a pawn shop-perfect working. this lens is silver on a $3000 body yes it does look funny but it’s working.....lol.....

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28-80mm-g.htm

ELNikkor

The 18-55 DX Nikon lens is sharp, light-weight, inexpensive, and versatile. My friend has an 18-140 on his D7500; he never needs another lens. If you want to go on an outing with one camera and one lens, that is the way to go. If you just get the 35 1.8, you may have to carry along the Canon or Sony just to have more or less reach.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Here are recommendations for the D3300, basically the same camera.

https://www.camerastuffreview.com/en/general/best-lens-for-nikon-d3300
https://www.switchbacktravel.com/best-lenses-nikon-d3300
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-first-nikon-lenses-you-should-buy/
http://lensespro.org/best-lenses-for-nikon-d3300/
http://www.smashingcamera.com/2014/03/6-best-lenses-for-nikon-d3300/

leftj Loc: Texas

The first thing to do if you haven't already is put batteries in it and see if it powers up. I recently purchased a Nikon camera so I didn't have any lenses. I opted to go with a nifty fifty and got a AF Nikkor 50mm 1.8 on eBay at a very reasonable price. Just received it last week and it looks brand new.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

There are many lenses that work with the older bodies (Non screw drive for focus, bodies) AFS Nikon lenses and aftermarket. In your case - (you may already be aware - Non screw drive focus bodies, D3xxx and D5xxx don't have AF drive for older AF Nikons lenses and such, they will mount and manual action). I don't know if the D3100 will support AF-P lenses, check the Nikon site to be sure. The short zooms are fine for most work, and would be a great match (IMHO).

Several that many of us have are the wide to tele zooms in Nikon AF-S system (and many of us, like myself have extras) are the 18-55, 18-105, 18-140 and 18-200, all stabilized, which would probably give you a lot of bang for your $$, especially for a camera you don't want to invest a lot of $$ in, but could have a lot of use/fun with.

And of course; Ebay/KEH/MPB/UsedPhotoPro/Hunt's/B&H, Adorama, Samys, etc..... I have several extra 18-105's (from used camera purchases), and many others as well. The advantage with private purchase is even lower price (usually), however most can't offer a warranty like the major resellers. Enjoy the search and the camera!

IDguy Loc: Idaho

The AF-P 70-300 is much better and cheaper $200 for grey market or refurb. Be sure to get VR version.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

35 mm is nifty fifty equivalent for D3100.

stevetassi

My first Nikon dslr was a d40 along with the 18-55 kit lens. After about a year I bought the 35mm f1.8 dx lens. I never used the kit lens after I bought the 35mm.

Bike guy Loc: Atlanta

Thank you every body for all the suggestions.
I wasn’t as familiar with Nikon lenses as I am with Canon. So the comments and suggested links were valuable.
I decided to get the 35 mm 1.8 and ordered it today from KEH.
I like the light weight of the 3100 will give it a try for street/low light.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

If you’re looking for a zoom, the Nikon 18-200 is rated well with a moderate price.

photoman43

Here is another vote for the 35mm f1.8 DX lens. Cost is low, value is high.

Chris981 Loc: Pacific Palisades

Another vote for Nikon 35mm 1.8 prime for DX.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

You have been given a lot of interesting and strange advice here...most of it without much basis. My guess is that you are going to find the capabilities, usability, and flexibility of the D3100 pretty limited against your other cameras. I would be quite surprised if you end up using it very much, because compared to your other cameras, it is going to be difficult to use much beyond its point and shoot capability. For that reason, I suggest that you build on its compact size and light weight. The camera does not have an internal focus motor, so the very small AF-D prime lenses will not be a really good option for you..no autofocus. You could certainly use those lenses and focus manually, but the pentamirror viewfinder is going to make that something of a chore.

My inclination would be to stay away from the larger and heavier lenses and go with a prime lens somewhere in the range from "normal" (28-35mm) to "gently wide" (20-24mm). ISO capability and dynamic range are pretty short (2-3 stops) of more current DX models, so I'd say that a faster lens is going to be more useful than one that isn't. Lenses in the suggested range are going to be compact like the camera and will contribute to a somewhat stealthy system, at least for a
DSLR.

Your extensive experience will lead you to the best choice. This is what I'd be looking at.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

+1.