I have dreaded writing about this, because putting things in writing make them seem all the more real. My trusty D3100 is not so trusty. 😦 When I started Shooting 101 with CM, I had barely played with “manual mode” on my camera. Come to find out there was a WHOLE LOT I’ve been missing out on. And also, come to find out, my camera FAILS in manual mode. The command dial on the D3100 is what you use to adjust shutter speed and aperture, and guess what DOESN’T work on my camera…the command dial. I’ve Googled, YouTubed, read forums, the entire manual cover to cover and back again, and found no solutions. I even took out the battery, reset to factory settings, checked the memory card, contacted Nikon support (not much “support, btw), and prayed to the camera gods that it would miraculously heal. Nothing worked. I was sincerely hoping it was just “user error,” and that I would take it to my trusty local camera shop and be told, “Silly girl, you just need to press this button,” and it would work.
Last weekend, I finally made it to my trusty local camera shop only to watch the employee do everything I had already done and suggest Googling the problem. FAIL. Diagnosis: my command dial was dead. Prescription: Send in to be (possibly) fixed for a whopping minimum of $260 (AND it would take 8-10 WEEKS). I walked out of my trusty local camera shop bummed, and considering my options…fix failed camera or move on up to something bigger and better?
If only both options were free….still no decision made, and I have some time to think on it. My birthday is coming soon, and by then I will have made a decision, and (hopefully) either a purchase or repair will be in order.
HALLthentic Photography 