After decades of film photography (three Nikons, an Alpa and a Rollei TLR) I took the plunge and bought a D3100 with the kit lens and a 55 - 300 telephoto. For my money, the D3100 or something close to it is an ideal camera to grow with. I got out of the auto modes VERY quickly and have enjoyed its versatility and results. That said, Had I felt able to spend more, I might have ended up with a D7100. But I love what I have and the results it has given me.
Cascade Falls, near Bozeman, MT
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Definitely sunrise is better. I can strongly recommend a shot of the barns along Mormon Row with Teewinot in the background. A float trip would be a tremendous opportunity for a lot of good shots. Even around 8:00 am yields some pretty nice pictures. I got the Mormon Row barns about that time on a partly cloudy morning in early September. An older photo taken with my Nikon F.
Laura is dead on about the Brazos Valley area being one of the best places for bluebonnets in Texas. Go west on Texas 21 from College Station to Caldwell and then turn south on Texas 36 to Brenham. This was very often some of the best Texas has to offer. Be aware, that bluebonnets can be quite unpredictable depending on winter rain and spring temperatures. The Texas Hill Country along US 290, from Austin west to Fredericksburg is also well worth a look. Enjoy!!
Aye laddie! A good single malt is truly a wonder to sip - neat! Slainte:)
Stick with Mac! Buy as much memory as you can afford and continue to enjoy the superiority of Mac's operating system. I will not consider another computer.
I like to use Manual in certain situations where I don't feel I have quite the control with Aperture or Shutter priority. It only took me a week of shooting around the house after I bought my D3100 to wish the Program Modes weren't even on the camera.
My feelings, exactly. After shooting film (NikonF, FTn, Alpa and a Rollei TLR) it took me quite a while to feel free to take lots of shots. As lighting changes (especially important to me because I do a lot of landscape work) and various strategies to enhance the results, I find that having a sort of limitless exposure supply and instant review (albeit, the display doesn't always give the best picture of your work), frees me to take chances - something I used to be reluctant to do. It is important, however, to always THINK before the next shot of the same subject.
If you are so stupid/clumsy as to poke yourself in the eye with a finger or fingernail while adjusting the viewfinder focus, then you probably ought not have bought the camera in the first place. This is just idiocy.
Nikon D3100
Nikon F1
Nikormat FTN
Rollei TLR
I have been using Graphic Converter for both RAW and Jpg and find it easy to use and effective. I am still a novice at digital having just bought a D3100 two years ago. But I find that Graphic Converter seems to handle both to my satisfaction - so far. And it is inexpensive - under $50 as I remember. Getting some pretty big prints of edited landscape shots and that will tell me a lot more about the program.