Long range telephoto lenses for my Nikon D3100. How far? Several miles?

I'm considering buying a Nikon D 3100 however I would like to use my future SLR for portrait and long range pictures. Maybe up to 1 to 3 miles away range. What do you guys would recommend as compatible lenses for that D3100?

For that extreme range get a Meade telescope.

Depends what size object you're photographing from miles away… The Nikon 70-300mm is one of the best reasonable priced telephotos Nikon makes that still provides decent image quality… Most lenses over 300mm end up being distorted or have very soft corners and uneven contrast.

Get a telescope.

1-3 miles? Depends on the size of what you want to shoot. At that distance, a 300mm lens will enable you to shoot objects the size of a container ship or really big building. If you want to shoot smaller objects such as car size or even people from that distance, then you'll need a telescope and mount your camera to that one. With telephoto lenses you won't even get close to that level of magnification.

Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Nikkor Telephoto Zoom Lens is an all-around great lens. While it is not "the best" lens available for any single role, it stays mounted on my D90 a large majority of the time. When I don't want to haul around a bag full of gear, this is the lens I take without a thinking twice. Clearly, Nikon had to make some tough choices in balancing the features of this lens, trying to satisfy a wide range of users and applications. Here is my take on where they ended up.