Greetings!

I am a newbie both here and in the world of photography. It is something I've wanted to learn and become more passionate about for almost 15 years! In the past, I have fiddled with my mom's OLD Canon 35mm, a Canon EOS and various P&S...

A week ago I got a jumpstart - the new Nikon D3200 w/ a Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens and an additional Nikkor 55-200mm lens - it seemed like a camera with all the goodies and something good to grow into.

A photographer friend of mine maintains a blog, so I learned about Aperature, ISO and Shutter Speed from her, and refined my knowledge here. I'm still learning... I find myself referencing a 3x5 card in my camera bag before I pick up my camera each time... (I hope I'm not alone in that!)

Does anyone else have this model camera? I shoot mostly in M, A and S modes, but I'm having trouble learning/remembering how to adjust my functions...

For example,
- If I am in A and am set to f/5.6, then move to Manual, shouldn't my setting remain?
- And in Manual, I can't seem to easily adjust my shutter speed... and the user guide isn't helping.
- I'm also having a hard time getting my focal point where I want it. I suppose I need to move myself and adjust my focal length, but I lose the DoF I wanted... any help here?

Thanks for the help in advance... and thanks for such a comprehensive tutorial section! I'll be uploading a few images to the gallery soon...

Jackie