Hi Salgal...I am an amateur photographer also, I just enjoy the hobby very much. The first time I ever used a manual camera was the spring of 2010. Like you I wanted better quality so I bought the Nikon D5000 with the kit lenses etc. I am in Canada so our prices are higher and I really couldn't tell you if your price is a good one or not...to me it is!!
After I bought my camera I signed up with a local photo journalist to take a course in DSLR and have never used anything but the manual settings since. It really opened up a different world than "point & shoot" & the programed features. I would certainly encourage you to look for someone local that teaches, I am sure you will enjoy your new camera even more.
Good luck with your new purchase I am sure you will really love it!

I have a really nice Cannon that I shoot some terrific pictures with. As a beginner, you'll have to have your lens on auto focus (and also on stabilizer if there is one on it) You can start taking pictures almost immediately but you should have some idea of what your in for. Eventually you'll do some manual stuff but to begin you should have fun just getting the feel of the camera.~~ Lens caps with the conector band..buy one for each lens. A good bag for the camera and lens. As time goes on you'll probably want a lens for wide shots or one for macro pics. As your learning about each button on your camera, don't let it overwhelm you, it will all come in time. I have so much to learn about my camera! I'm thankful for the cannon photo program on my pc to help me edit some wonderful pictures. When I bought my camera they had a free photo printer with it...well, a full price rebate. That was a good choice for me. Anyway, I think you should find a nice camera with good feedback on it and go for it. This Nikon could be the one.

Salgal, I'm not familiar with the camera, but I know plenty of people who are. I suggest you tap into the knowledge of the folks on one of the Nikon forums at DPReview.com. Maybe this one.

I do know that package deals are often not the best way to go because you end up paying more for inferior quality on the accessories. Where did you get this price? Amazon is a great place to buy a camera, and so is B&H (bhphotovideo.com).

I am an avid amateur - I have a Nikon D90 and LOVE IT! Almost everyone else around here has the Canon Rebel - and those are nice too, but my Nikon does a much better job in lower light conditions than the Rebel. The D90 and the D3100 are NOT professional quality cameras though. Those cameras are big $$$$!

You can start right off with using the auto mode - but I highly recommend you start using the more manual settings as you learn. There are TONS of easy to understand resources on the web. Pioneer Woman blog has some easy to understand lessons on Aperture and Shutter settings to get you started. Print them off and take them with you and experiment.

I have an 18-105 lens - I like that so much. You don't have to swap lenses very often with that one - but you are not going to get below the price you have listed above. The 18-105 VR lens runs about $320 for a new one. It came as the kit lens on my D90.

I would recommend getting UV filters on your lenses before you use them. Order them when you order the camera. Put them on right away. You will save your lens from getting scratched. Lens filters are cheap - lenses are not.

I am not impressed with the video part of it. I use my iPod to take better video.

Just wanted to double check that your lenses are Nikon/Nikor.

If not - don't get this deal. If they are - sounds good!

VR stands for Vibration Reduction. There may be a switch on the side of your lens to turn this on.

I absolutely hate the lens cap tethers - just stick the lens cap in your pocket or camera bag. You won't have the cap jangling around on the end of your lens then. This is why you need a lens filter - if you don't have your lens cap on it is not the end of the world.

I have attached a link to Digital Photography School's page that has the tutorials for using more manual modes. They have been very helpful

Here is a link that might be useful: Tutorials on aperture and shutter and ISO settings

Although I am currently only working as an advanced amateur shooting for my own purposes, way back in the late 60's while in the Air Force I was professionally trained as a "Still Photographic Specialist" and I worked as a professional photographer for a short time after I got out of the Air Force in 1972. I principally shoot Pentax invented the through the lens pentaprism viewfinder and they were the first company to make cameras with a built in light meter. At the time Nikon was makng the Nikon F, which is unquestionably one of the finest camera ever made, but the Nikon F did not have a built in light meter, Instead they had an optional viewfinder that had the light meter built into the viewfinder and with the optional viewfinder it was designated the Nikon F Photomic. Canon was still making some world class rangefinder cameas but they had not yet got into the SLR market. From 1966 until 2006 I had amassed a collection of 21 ranging from an 16mm fisheye to a full 1,000mm that weighs in at nearly 32lbs including the dedicated wooden tripod that came with it. Pentax lenses, so when I decided to upgrade to Digital I chose a Pentax camera because Pentax has reverse engineered their digitals so we can still use all of our lenses. Needless to say, I am fully comfortable with a totally manual camera, although I do appreciate the conveniences of modern technology.

As a sideline, I have been teaching a free photography class at our local senior center for about a year, and as you might imagine I hear your question quite often.

First off, let me make it perfectly clear. Just buying a professional camera will no more make you a better photographer than what buying a stethoscope would make you a nurse.

Before you buy a camera you have to stop and think about what you intend to do with it. If all you need is a camera to take good high quality scenics and family album type photos then I would not recommend the expense of a true DSLR.

Professoinal photographers need a DSLR because they need to select lenses for the type of photography they perform. By example, a news photographer needs a fast normal lens and generally a moderately long telephoto, whereas a sports or wildlife photographer needs super long telephoto lenses while a scenic photographer needs super wide angle and a portrait or fashion photographer needs normal and short tele lenses and a nature or forensic photographer would need macro lenses for super closeups, while a laboratory photographer might need a microscope adapter for their camera.

While that Nikon D3100 package is a very good deal, you must keep in mind that it is an entry level DSLR and while it does have enough automation that you can basically take it out of the box and use it as a point & shoot while your learning, but if you decide to really get into serious photography within a year or so you will begin to see its limitations.

Basically that camera has different modes, which means you can select Full Automatic mode, Portrait Mode, Scenic Mode, Sports mode, etcetera and the camera will make the necessary adjustments to meet the need of the mode selected. It should also have a manual mode so as you advance it will work with you.

For a true beginner making the initial switch from basic Point & shoot to a more sophisticated camera I would advise you to consider what the industry now calls a "Bridge Camera". (In fact, I bought a bridge camera as a backup camera).

Generally the bridge cameras have the same basic shape and size as a DSLR and many of the advanced control features but instead of interchangable lenses they have a super zoom lens and they cost much less.

By example, Walmart carries a number of bridge cameras from Nikon, Canon, Fugi and Kodak.

My personal choice was the Kodak Easyshare z981, which has 14mp resolution and a 26x zoom lens(equivalent to a 26 to 676mm zoom.) It has a 3" display on the back of the body and it will shot both stills and video,and it has all the modes that you will have on that Nikon.
All for a mere $238 plus you will have to buy a memory card separately.
Another great bridge camera is the Canon Powershot SX30-IS. It has a 35x optical zoom and sells for $350.

One word of caution. 200 to 250mm is about the longest lens that you can successfully use as a hand held camera. I would strongly suggest if you buy a camera that exceeds 200mm or 8x you will need a tripod too.

Having said all of that, no matter what camera you choose, in the beginning you will feel a bit awkward until you get the feel of it. If you run into situations you don't understand or you have photos that you would like constructive criticism I would invite you to post them in the photography forum and their are a number of very knowledgable ppl that will help you along as you learn.

If this doesn't confuse you even more Salgal!

I would go to the best camera shop you know of and have them help you out. Ask people which shop they trust the most. I have a wonderful shop that has been there for every question.

Not that it matters but I do want to clarify that I do have a Cannon Rebel T2i and it does AMAZING in low light and dark settings. So amazing that I'm ashamed I ever tried to do low to no light pictures with my prior camera.
I can be in the dark nose bleed section at college volleyball games and get amazing pictures. I've taken pictures of lit aquariums in dark rooms and had shocking success. To be honest, it wasn't me working the settings. Just point and shoot. The detail has been outstanding.
If you have facebook, there are plenty of terrific photographers that just love to share their passion. I love seeing their walls. Pinterest has gorgeous pictures that anyone can immitate. The digital world is exploding and there are going to be so many ideas of whats good and whats not so good. At some point, after doing your homework, your going to have to jump in. Don't worry to much, your going to love it.

One word of caution. 200 to 250mm is about the longest lens that you can successfully use as a hand held camera. I would strongly suggest if you buy a camera that exceeds 200mm or 8x you will need a tripod too.

This is not true at all with the new VR lenses. I can easily use a 300mm lens free hand with no problem what so ever. I use this type of lens for taking all kinds of outdoor (and some indoor) sports photography.

It's good to hear you want to learn more - but honestly LazyPup is right. There are some fantastic point and shoots that will take even better pictures than a DSLR. Unless a person really wants to go "manual" and invest in lenses. A good super zoom point and shoot is money well spent. Good lenses cost more than the DSLR camera body - lol!

I have more than one Canon point and shoot and the difference in image quality is huge. It seems that any camera that was bought at WalMart was crap.

I had a Canon S3 super zoom (still have it) and it takes excellent pictures and superior video. I cannot get the indoor sports photography quality that I can get with my DSLR though.

DD has a little pink canon that takes the sharpest pictures I have ever seen. Other DD has a small Canon she bought at Walmart and the pictures are terrible.

The Canon SX30IS is a point and shoot super zoom for less than half of your Nikon - it's zoom equivalent is 28-560mm - WOW !

iowagirl2006....right on. DH hand holds his 600VRII. lol

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000.htm

I just read Ken Rockwell's take on what he thinks of Nikons line. D7000 great, D3000 crap. Quote," Unlike 2009's crappy D3000, Nikon really did their homework these past couple of years on the D7000, and everything about it just works better than older cameras, technically, artistically and ergonomically.

The D7000 has the highest linear resolution of any Nikon DSLR, and more overall resolution than any other Nikon under $7,500. The Nikon D7000 has technical performance better than every other Nikon DSLR priced under $7,500, and handles better than any Nikon DSLR, regardless of price."

Here is a link that might be useful: D7000 is great says Ken Rockwell, D3000....

The D3100 is a newer build - many improvements over the d3000. The D7000 is significantly more $$$

There is SO much info out there - I about went nutso when I was researching my D90 purchase! LOL! I am very happy with it though.

I'd read one review that was great - the next "worst camera ever" - good lord - who to believe. They were all right about the video though. I never use it.

I recently purchased a "Bridge" camera.

I wanted something akin to an DSLR but DID NOT (at this time) want to buy, be tempted to buy, carry or attempt to carry around, all the extra lenses, etc..

After a great deal of research I chose the Pansonic Lumix FZ100 with built-in 24x zoom, stabilizer, a hot shoe for external flash and remote control options, and a very quick shutter lag. With my camera this means you can take up to 11 photos per second as opposed to my last camera which was so slow I missed a photo opp to snap a Sloth in Costa Rica! ugh. That's why as soon as I returned from vacation this year, I started researching cameras again.

Not having a hot shoe was a deal breaker for me. I want to be able to be more flexible with my lighting techniques. Long shutter lag was also a deal breaker (see Sloth example above :-)

DPReview.com has some great input and reviews on this camera as does the link below to to Iowagirl's suggested site.

I purchased from www.bhphotovideo.com. They had by far the best deal around at the time (June 2011).

For $437.40 (no tax or shipping charges) I got...
1. The Panasonic Lumix DMZ-FZ100
2. A 16Gb SDHC memory card
3. A Tiffen UV protector filter

The camera is awesome and while it's easy to use right out of the box, I am currently taking a 10-week Photography 101 class.

Jodi-

Here is a link that might be useful: Panasonic Lumix FZ100

I have only heard really great things about the Lumix cameras.

I'm another Lumix fan. I love my DSLR, but the Lumix is my "go to" camera most of the time.

you've already been given lots of advice...just wanted to tell you to come back and show us what you bought and some of your work!! I just love looking at peoples pictures!!

Thanks everyone!
I am still trying to decide...the package deal is through Costco and does include the Nikkor lenses.
I am trying to get someone to coach me for a couple days if I go ahead and buy it. I want to grow in the hobby, but doubt if I would want to take it much further than the capabilities of the Nikon. (admittedly I am a spontaneous hobby starter, so I am trying to take my time with this one)
I will check back in whenI have something to show!