i am also confused when you say you put it in aperture mode and set the exposure at 35 seconds....
LOL, well, I turned the dial to... AV? Then I set the .... other dial thingy to the far right.... and it would hold the shutter open for 35 seconds. I counted it. LOL, I have no clue what I'm doing with this camera, but that's what the manual said to do sorta.
I have no clue about my lens either. AndrewH picked it out for me, and so far it's worked well.