Nikon® D3000 For Dummies®

Introduction

Once upon a time, making the move from a point-and-shoot digital camera to an SLR model required boatloads of cash and the willingness to cart around a bulky, heavy piece of equipment. All that changed a few years ago when Nikon introduced the D40, a digital SLR that offered a compact size and an equally compact price.

With the D3000, Nikon proves once again that you don't have to give an arm and a leg — or strain your back and neck — to enjoy dSLR photography. This new addition to the Nikon family of dSLRs offers the same easy-to-love size and price tag that made the D40 so popular. And the two cameras share another important characteristic: Like the D40, the D3000 doesn't skimp on power or performance, offering a great set of features to help you take your photography to the next level.

In fact, the D3000 offers so many features that sorting them all out can be more than a little confusing, especially if you're new to digital photography, SLR photography, or both. For starters, you may not even be sure what SLR means or how it affects your picture taking, let alone have a clue as to all the other techie terms you encounter in your camera manual — resolution, aperture, white balance, and so on. And if you're like many people, you may be so overwhelmed by all the controls on your camera that you haven't yet ventured beyond fully automatic picture-taking mode. Which is a shame because it's sort of like buying a Porsche 911 and never heading out for the open road.

Therein ...