D3100 and long exposures

Spectreal · Jan 17, 2013

I enjoy taking pictures after dark and using long exposures so I am curious if the 3100 is capable of taking shots with exposures greater than 30 seconds. I see where I can set it up to 30 in S priority mode but haven't found any way beyond that. I kinda miss my old film SLRs with the cable connected where I could click it open and leave the shutter open for minutes or hours. Will any of the current electronic remote triggers allow for this?

thetrue · Jan 17, 2013

Do you ever use manual mode?

Spectreal · Jan 17, 2013

Even in manual mode the camera is using the shutter and aperture settings from the A and S modes.

thetrue · Jan 17, 2013

In Manual mode, you should be able to set the shutter speed to "Bulb," which is the same premise as your film memories.

jrizal · Jan 17, 2013

Go into bulb mode and the shot will be exposed as long as you hold the shutter button. You can go into bulb mode by turning the wheel to the left after you reach the 30 second exposure settings. Also, it's better if you use a wired shutter release with lock or even a timer capable shutter release cable to avoid camera shake.

PS There are also wireless shutter release remotes also.

Spectreal · Jan 17, 2013

Aha, there it is. Thanks gents. I'm still learning where all the setting are in this new camera as it's my first DLSR after using nothing but p&s cameras for over a decade. I did use film slr cameras for over 20 years so hopefully it's not too much harder than riding a bicycle.

Can someone recommend a good remote release that is timer capable? I've seen some units that have remote flash shoes on them as well so am still searching for the remote i want.

Geaux · Jan 17, 2013

Nikon has a cheap wireless shutter release for about 16-20 bucks. Google to see which model you need

David8 · Jan 18, 2013

I think it's the Nikon MC-DC2

David8 · Jan 18, 2013

Sorry. That's a wired one. I don't think the D3100 is compatible with a wireless remote. The manual only lists the mc dc2.

thetrue · Jan 18, 2013

There are many many aftermarket wireless remotes that use the wired shutter release jack

CouncilmanDoug · Jan 18, 2013

they make knockoff remotes for under $10 that work well

KmH · Jan 18, 2013

Spectreal said:
Aha, there it is. Thanks gents. I'm still learning where all the setting are in this new camera as it's my first DLSR....

Reading through the user's manual several times helps flatten the learning curve. Keeping it handy for quick reference when you are out making photos is also recommended.

Your camera did not come with a hardcopy of the user's manual. Instead, the complete user's manual is a file on the software disc.

jrizal · Jan 18, 2013

Spectreal said:
Aha, there it is. Thanks gents. I'm still learning where all the setting are in this new camera as it's my first DLSR after using nothing but p&s cameras for over a decade. I did use film slr cameras for over 20 years so hopefully it's not too much harder than riding a bicycle.

Can someone recommend a good remote release that is timer capable? I've seen some units that have remote flash shoes on them as well so am still searching for the remote i want.

Amazon.com: d3100 wireless shutter release