that is a perfectly fine starting camera
no matter what u get now if you really get into photography you are gonna wanna upgrade - we are never happy with what we have
if you werent totally new to it, had a dslr before and knew the basics then i would suggest a different camera
so maybe in a year or so if you really into it you can upgrade to something like the d7000 or up

I'm also looking to begin, so this is a good camera for starters?

~ Lord Diddy / Weefy

are you looking to begin or you just looking to spam this place???

Begin, but I don't know if its worth investing real money into it.

~ Lord Diddy

if you are totally new then basically get any cheap dslr (recommend nikon or even sony if you get it cheaper) so yeah this is one is great to start with
dont spend money on extra lenses etc, rather go on a basic photog course

after that you will know if you want to continue or not, and then can invest more as you see fit

This post was edited by jayandnix on Sep 4 2012 01:17am

Now I'm going back and forth between the 3100 and 5100.. 5100 shoots hd video where as the 3100 doesnt. I just don't know if the extra $150 bucks is worth it since i dont shoot much video.

This site compares 2 cameras and is pretty accurate. Here's the comparison for 3100 vs 5100:

http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-D5100-vs-Nikon_D3100

Thanks! I'm really trying to come to terms if I'll use the HD video that often. I know I will use it but would it be worth the extra $150. I just don't know if I want to spend all this money only to see it go to waste down the road if I get bored with it.

I did a tooooon of researching before I chose the D5100. I had it set between that and the Canon Rebel T3i and that's when I posted on here asking which people suggested. I plan to get lenses and further my skill though. I chose the video because even though I don't use it that often, but I know if I chose otherwise a moment would come where I'd think, "Damnit, I should've gotten the one with video!" That's just me though. Either one would be a good choice. =-]

imo dont bother about video but thats only bcoz i never bother with it