2point5RS_Dan
HATER DAN
Make sure you're not shooting on auto, and exposure settings is what your looking for to adjust the aperture. By having the shutter stay open longer it lets more light in over time thus brightening the picture, but at the same time making it nearly impossible to capture motion. A tripod wont help unless you know how to set your camera up properly.i had a tripod with me... I was playing with the settings... it was my first time with the camera. I actually was getting better shots off the tripod for some reason. The shutter wont stay open as long as I want it to... it has iso100-3200 but I think the lens (kit lens) doesn't have the right apature for night shots. I need something with a 1.8 or lower.
Here's a nice read on exposure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_%28photography%29
If you'd like PM me and I can hook you up with some photography books.