Hello
I'm Aneishi,
I just bought the camera I've admired for years...Nikon D7100. Now, I wonder if I did the right thing. This camera is so much more than a beginners camera. I've only gotten to page 4 of the instructions...that's where I'm staying. I've copied pages 4 & 5...cut off the words so only the camera and the lines to the different buttons are left. I've been studying every day what the buttons and parts of the camera are for. Each lines says what that particular button is for followed by the page # to find out how to use the button: for exp; the depth of field...go to page such and such. I understand that one...but some of the buttons I think are written in Latin. My question; is it imperative to know every single button on this camera right away. I know there are 3 pillars of photography; aperture, ISO and shutter speed. If I learn these 3 components, will I be able to start taking photo and then learn the rest as I go along or should I wait until I know the camera inside and out?
Thanks so much.

Hello,
I don't know if this is the answer that you want, but I rented the flash gear and I don't remember the brand. I think it was pocket wizard, but not sure. What ever, there was a little transmitter that went on my camera in the hot shoe, then a gizmo on the four flashes mounted on, I would guess the brand does not matter, but it was radio freq not infrared transmitted. All the flashes were set on manual, so that if I needed more or less light from a given flash, then we could just move it closer or further. We used four flash units. One from high above and between the camera and bird to simulate the sun; a fill flash near the camera, a back lighting flash behind the bird to put a glow on the beak and head, and then one on the background. We manually focused on the target flower, and waited for the birds to come. Camera settings were 1/200 at f11 about 400-500 ISO - all manual settings. Since my wife and I were both shooting I alternated between a 300mm f2.8 and a 70-200mm f2.8 lens.
Don't know if that helps, but by going to Costa Rica for a few days of photography for hummingbirds, I have hundreds of photos that are good enough to publish. Density of birds was such that I was shooting about 700 frames per hour! If you need better info, send me a PM and i'll look up my notes from 2013 when I made the photos