Manual mode for the Nikon D3100?

I have a Nikon EM and some lenses. It is basically a point and shoot film camera.
I'm planning to get a nikon D3100, and since all nikon uses the F mount, I'm thinking on just buying the body of D3100 ( because cash is short on me at the time being)

I'm just wondering if I can use the lens and really use the D3100 into a manual mode than an auto mode. I know its possible, since all DSLR cameras could do that, but I'm just wondering how much manual could i get out from the D3100.

Sorry for my stupidity I never own a DSLR before, and I'm using film all this while.

I would advise to get the kit lens too, it only adds a few 10's of £ or $ to the price and is heavily discounted when bought with the body as a kit.

I'll let others more knowledgeable on the Nikon system than me advise on the compatibility of your SLR lens(es) with a Nikon DSLR, not all F mount lenses work as designed on a DSLR. If your lenses have an aperture ring on them (you can alter the aperture on the lens) I think that they will be OK in Manual Mode, it's the Auto Modes that sometimes don't meter properly (I think).

The D3100 supports full manual mode, you can set everything manually.

That being said, you might want autofocus nonetheless. None of the probably old lenses that you own will autofocus on the D3100 unless they are AF-S or AF-I lenses, not to be confused with A-i, or those of third party manufacturers with a built in autofocus motor.

Since you already are experienced with film SLRs, i'd recommend that you get a D90 instead, unless you specifically care about the video abilities of the D3100. All of your old lenses will be fully operational on the D90, unless they are non-A-i lenses, i.e. Really really old.

Keep in mind that there's a crop factor, all your lenses will work as if they had a 1.5 times the focal length as you're accustomed to. So a 50mm lens on a D3100 or D90 will work like a 75mm lens on your film SLR.

Yes, you can use older manual Nikors with the D3100, but - - -

you must be in full manual mode. That means manual focus (not a big deal), and manual exposure. In manual exposure, you can't even rely on the D3100 to meter for you, and you must stop down the lens manually for the exposure. Now, that's not bad for an occasional situation using a special manual lens, but it would very quickly get very tedious if the only lenses you have are manual.

So I suggest that you seriously thing about getting at least the kit lens (18-55mm) that comes with the D3100.It's not that expensive, and it's a pretty good 'walking around' lens. You can still use your older lenses in special situations.