What brands of lenses can i use with a Nikon D3100?

I know that most Nikkor lenses are compatible.
i was looking at second hand lenses for a D3100 i plan to buy and my attention fell on a 70-300 Sigma Macro DG
but then someone mentioned that I'd be pretty much to use only Nikkor lenses for the D3100
i found this extremely disappointing as I've always loved the quality that Sigma offers

I shoot with Nikon DSLRs and use Nikon, Tamron, & Sigma lenses.

Here's a complete list of lenses that will autofocus with your D3100. Notice the many choices and many brands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/...cus_motors

Many will tell you that Nikkors are the best and only they should be used on Nikon cameras, but the jury's still out.

Any lens made by anyone in Nikon fit can be used with your D3100, including the Sigma you've been looking at.

Check out some reviews of the lens using your search engine and see if you like what users are saying about it.

The upper range Sigma lenses are very good but quality control is not very effective leading to large numbers of sub-standard examples reaching the market. They are good at replacing them but do you want the hassle?

Http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ns=p_PRICE_2%7C1&ci=274&N=4293344976+4294185277&srtclk=sort

In addition to Nikon, lenses made by Tokina, Sigma, and Tamron are fairly popular as a version of them are made for the Nikon f-mount. But you can't randomly mount just any of these lenses on a Nikon as they are made for other cameras as well. You need to use the versions specifically made for Nikon cameras.

There are a few Zeiss lenses made for Nikon but they will probably be too expensive for your consideration.

And there are some other brands as well; Vivitar, Rokinon, Quantary, Opteka and others are regarded by many as inferior.

Know that with these lenses (even some from Nikon), some autofocusing lenses will not autofocus on your camera as your camera lacks the required internal focusing motor that higher-end Nikon DSLRs have. You can still use these lenses, but you will have to manually focus them.

If you are shopping Nikon lenses, look for AF-S lenses as they have the focus motor in the lens. Nikon AF lenses (without the -S designation) do not have a focus motor and will not autofocus on your camera. Other brands have different designations for their lenses with autofocus motors, but Tokina for one - 90% of their lenses will not autofocus on your camera. Sad too, as Tokina makes some very nice lenses.

Personally, I prefer Nikon, Tokina, Sigma, and Tamron in that order, and will not use any of the others (well, except for Zeiss if I had the money to buy them). But that is my preference; you should decide for yourself what brands you like.