First DSLR camera, lens

I'm looking to buy my first digital SLR, but I know nothing about lenses. To start, should I buy just the body ($419.99) or buy the kit- Nikon D3100 14.2MP DSLR Camera With AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm VR Lens Kit ($499.99)
Can someone please explain exactly what that is? I know a little about cameras and lenses but I want to know exactly what I'm buying. Is that a bunch of lenses between the 18-55mm range or something else?

And also, is it worth the extra money for the lens kit, or am I good with just the body for a while? Are you able to take pictures with the body only?

Oh and lastly, what is your opinion on buying a used camera off kijiji or something?

It is a single, zoom lens that can be set anywhere from 18mm to 55mm by twisting the body of the lens.

I'm not up-to-date on all the specifics of the hardware, but you will need a lens to attach to the body, and a single zoom lens like that can be a nice, all-purpose utility lens that'll fit most situations. The body itself can't take a picture.

The kit lens is really all you need until you learn how to use the camera well (around a year or so).

The 18-55 mm lens covers anything you will probably be shooting, landscapes, group, full body and head and shoulder shots.

You have to have some lens or you can't use the camera and the 18-55 mm is going to be the most effective for learning how to use your camera.

You are buying an entry-level dSLR. That means it's not the best model but the cheapest. To make it cheap, some standard features are missing. For the D3100, autofocus is only possible with certain lenses (AF-S and AF-I).

You can't use the dSLR without a lens so get one with the kit lens. The 18-55mm lens (only one lens as they are pretty expensive) is a general purpose lens that can shoot landscapes, large group shots, people in general, street scenes and portraits. You can't make very far subject near to you and you can't make very small objects appear large with it.

http://keerok-photography.blogspot.com/2011/05/lenses-so-many-of-them-there-is-no-best.html

The traditional method of buying a SLR - back in the days of film, was to buy the body and lens separately, as the needs of each photographer is different - and in some cases it might be a second body for someone who already has a few lenses.

But these days, especially with the entry level cameras such as the D3100, the camera is often packaged as a "kit" which consists of a camera and lens. A kit in this sense matches a camera with the typical lens that most new camera buyers would want, often at a huge discount.

However, there are some buyers that still buy a body only - especially with the higher end cameras, as the camera may not be their first one, and they may already own the lenses.

To answer your other question - no, you can't use the camera to take photos without a lens. A lens is a major component of a camera. A camera "body" and camera "lens", when put together, make a "camera".

A camera "kit" then, typically consists of the camera body and a lens, which are the minimum components to take a photo (well, almost… As you also need at least one memory card).