Are You a photographer or a DSLR expert need your expertize?

Hello about a week ago I brought my very first SLR camera I chose the Nikon D3100 as this is suppose to be a good DSLR I was taking some night photos of the full moon last night this is what I got is this lens flare if so is it a good thing or a bad thing if good is this a good lens flare Just need somebody that knows to tell me what this is or could be thanks in advance

That is not lens flare. It looks like you moved the camera while the shutter was still open.

If you want to use a DSLR camera, you need to learn how to use it properly. Sign up for a photography class.

There's nothing wrong with your camera.

If your goal is to shoot the moon, the exposure is identical to what you use during the day, 1/ISO @ f/16.

You seem to have placed your camera in one of the automatic exposure settings and the camera exposed for the trees.

You will have to take control of your camera and pick the correct exposure. You may find taking a class in photography will help you avoid such problems in the future

Use a fast exposure like 1/2000 and go from there. It's overexposed. Nice choice btw.

A tripod is your friend. Buy one, use it, love it.

Learn to use your new camera. Read the manual. Do online tutorials. You can get excellent results from that camera, but you have to know how to use it. Would you drive a car without any training? Would you try to operate a complex machine without at least reading the directions? A camera is the same thing - it is a tool, which in the hands of a skilled operator can make amazing, breathtaking, fabulous images. The thing is, you have to know what you want and how to get it. And that takes hard work, dedication and the willingness to try and fail many times before you succeed.

Go for it.

That isn't lens flare - its subject movement.

When photographing the moon you need to understand that its a sunlit object so your exposure will be the same - or close - to what it would be for any other sunlit object. So if you're using ISO 100 and f16 your shutter speed will be 1/100 sec. You might want to try a slightly slower shutter speed or even a slightly longer one. So you're going to need to learn to use your camera in Manual Mode.

You also need to be as far away from any ambient light sources as possible.

Don't expect spectacular images of the moon if the only lens you have is the 18-55mm zoom that came with your camera. 55mm isn't very long. For really good pictures of the moon you'll need a lens 300mm or longer. Even then the moon will only occupy a small section of your picture. Its also a good idea to use a tripod and use your camera's self-timer to release the shutter.

Here is a tutorial on photographing the moon: http://www.danheller.com/moon.html

This site will really help you learn to use your new camera:
http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d3100/index.html Who better than Nikon to teach you to use your Nikon?

This site will help you understand low-light exposures: http://www.calculator.org/...osure.aspx

I used the Scene 'Distant view of city skyline or floodlit buildings' and ISO 200 for these pictures:
100mm, f11, exposure of 30 seconds.
200mm, f11, exposure of 30 seconds.