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Intrigued by the idea of a fancy DSLR camera, but want to get your feet wet before diving into the deep end? The Nikon D3100 is the best entry-level option we’ve found. Its compact size isn’t intimidating; the well-organized controls are wonderfully intuitive and an ergonomic hand pad and rubber thumb cushion help you keep a comfortable grip on your pricey goods.  A three-inch LCD monitor gives you easy access to review (and adjust) your shots, and the image sensor produces natural-looking images with faithful colors across a wide spectrum (the 14.2 megapixel images are rich enough to blow up to wall-size prints). An 11-point autofocus offers quick response, and shoots at three frames per second—likely faster than the action you’re trying to capture.  As with most DSLR, you get a bevy of controls, including white balance, six picture “control” settings, an ISO range from 100 to 3200, 18 shooting presets, the ability to have full control over aperture and shutter speed (as well as variations therein), and a bevy in-camera editing options. But the camera shoots sterling pictures on Program mode—so you can ease into the myriad control options as you gain confidence the camera.  And did we mention that it ALSO shoots full DH 1080p movies?  The body retails for around $500, but the kit version comes with a Nikkor 18-55mm lens, a good start to what could become a lifelong obsession in collecting lenses, flashes, filters….  Out of the box, it may seem more camera than you care to carry while hiking or traveling. But once you start to shoot, the images you capture will change that opinion.