Having trouble taking photos outdoors

that1chick26

I just got a Nikon D3100 for Mothers Day and I am having some issues. It will let me take great pictures inside my home, but when I go outside it seems to struggle. What's going on? How do I fix it?

koachkletus

Thats odd. Does it power up? If so what does the screen say?

tropicXplorer

Until you get the hang of some of the features of your new D3100, I suggest making sure that on the left side of your lens, you move the selector switch to A for autofocus. Then on top of the camera, set your mode dial to the green "Auto" selection.

With this setup you will be in fully-automatic mode and the camera will automatically adjust the proper ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed settings. Maybe one of those individual settings in manual mode was somehow preventing you from taking good outdoor shots.

mjaydakid

Don't forget to set the VR on. This will mitigate your excitement while using the camera.

Moose

Howdy @that1chick26 - I second @tropicXplorer's advice. You might also try resetting your settings to factory default (refer to page 131 and 136 of the manual). This will clear up any rogue settings that may be affecting the performance of your D3100 outdoors.