Hi felt, the part by the tripod is to screw onto the bottom of a Panasonic FZ300 for me, then I can latch it onto the tripod and align it. Seems to be a standard. Best regards
Its very light..slightest wind and it moves. I never used mine long before i bought another more stable tripod. If your camera has any weight id give it a miss.
Hi! I am not quite sure whether the tripod will fit with the Nikon D3000 as I am using it with an Olympus OM-D, however I believe it should fit most cameras from main manufacturers. Hope my answer helps!