Problems and Solutions

Solutions to some common issues are listed below.

Battery/Display

The camera is on but does not respond:

Wait for recording and other operations to end.
If the problem persists, turn the camera off.
If the camera does not turn off, remove and reinsert the battery.
If you are using an AC adapter, disconnect and reconnect the AC adapter.
- Any data currently being recorded will be lost.
- Data that have already been recorded are not affected by removing or disconnecting the power source.

The viewfinder or monitor does not turn on:

Have you changed the monitor mode?　Choose a different monitor mode using the M button.
Have you limited the choice of monitor modes available using the [Limit monitor mode selection] item in the setup menu?　Adjust settings as required.
Dust, lint, or other foreign matter on the eye sensor may prevent it functioning normally. Clean the eye sensor with a blower.

The viewfinder is out of focus:

Rotate the diopter adjustment control to adjust viewfinder focus.
If adjusting viewfinder focus does not correct the problem, set the focus mode to AF-S and the AF-area mode to single-point AF. Next, select the center focus point, choose a high-contrast subject, and focus using autofocus. With the camera in focus, use the diopter adjustment control to bring the subject into clear focus in the viewfinder.

The display in the control panel, viewfinder, or monitor turns off without warning:

Choose longer delays for Custom Setting c3 [Power off delay].

The control panel is unresponsive and dim:

Control panel response times and brightness vary with temperature.

The viewfinder is unresponsive:

The display refresh rate may drop about 20 seconds before the standby timer turns off. The length of time before the standby timer expires automatically can be selected using Custom Setting c3 [Power off delay] > [Standby timer].

Shooting

The camera takes time to turn on:

More time will be needed to find files if the memory card contains large numbers of files or folders.

The shutter cannot be released:

Is a memory card inserted, and if so, does it have space available?
If you selected mode S after selecting a shutter speed of “Bulb” or “Time” in mode M, choose a different shutter speed.
Is [Release locked] selected for [Slot empty release lock] in the setup menu?

Burst shooting is unavailable:

Burst shooting cannot be used in conjunction with HDR.

Photos are out of focus:

Is the camera in manual focus mode?　To enable autofocus, select AF-S, AF-C, or AF-F for focus mode.
The camera may be unable to focus if:
- the subject contains lines parallel to the long edge of the frame,
- the subject lacks contrast,
- the subject in the focus point contains areas of sharply contrasting brightness,
- the focus point includes night-time spot lighting or a neon sign or other light source that changes in brightness,
- flicker or banding appears under fluorescent, mercury-vapor, sodium-vapor, or similar lighting,
- a cross (star) filter or other special filter is used,
- the subject appears smaller than the focus point, or
- the subject is dominated by regular geometric patterns (e.g., blinds or a row of windows in a skyscraper).
In focus mode AF-C, the focus point may flash while the shutter-release button is pressed halfway or the AF-ON button is pressed, indicating that the camera is no longer able to focus. The focus operation can be resumed by releasing and then pressing the button again.

The beep does not sound:

Is [ON] selected for [Silent mode] in the setup menu?
A beep does not sound when the camera focuses with AF-C selected for focus mode.
Select an option other than [Off] for [Camera sounds] > [Beep on/off] in the setup menu.
The beep does not sound in video mode.

The full range of shutter speeds is not available:

Using a flash restricts the range of shutter speeds available. Flash sync speed can be set to values of ¹/₂₀₀–¹/₆₀ s using Custom Setting e1 [Flash sync speed]. When using flash units that support auto FP high-speed sync, choose [1/250 s (Auto FP)] or [1/200 s (Auto FP)] for shutter speeds as fast as ¹/₈₀₀₀ s.

Focus does not lock when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway:

When AF-C is selected for focus mode, focus can be locked by pressing the center of the sub-selector.

Focus-point selection is not available:

Focus-point selection is not available when [Auto-area AF] is selected for AF-area mode.

Focus-mode selection is not available.

Select [No restrictions] for Custom Settings a9 and g5 [Focus mode restrictions].

The camera is slow to record photos:

Is [ON] selected for [Long exposure NR] in the photo shooting menu?

Photographs and videos do not appear to have the same exposure as the preview shown in the display:

The effects of changes to settings that affect exposure and color are not visible in the display when [Adjust for ease of viewing] is selected for Custom Setting d9 [View mode (photo Lv)]. Note that even when [Show effects of settings] is selected for Custom Setting d9, display brightness will be adjusted for ease of viewing (per [Adjust for ease of viewing]) in mode M when a flash unit is attached.
Note that changes to [Monitor brightness] and [Viewfinder brightness] have no effect on pictures recorded with the camera.

Flicker or banding appears in video mode:

Select [Video flicker reduction] in the video recording menu and choose an option that matches the frequency of the local AC power supply.

Bright regions or bands appear:

Bright regions or bands may occur if the subject is lit by a flashing sign, flash, or other light source with brief duration.

Smudges appear in photographs:

Are there smudges on the front or rear (mount-side) lens elements?
Is there foreign matter on the image sensor?　Perform image sensor cleaning.

Pictures are affected by noticeable ghosting or flare:

You may notice ghosting or flare in shots that include the sun or other bright light sources. These effects can be mitigated by attaching a lens hood or by composing shots with bright light sources well out of the frame. You can also try such techniques as removing lens filters or choosing a different shutter speed.

Bokeh is irregular:

With fast shutter speeds and/or fast lenses, you may notice irregularities in how bokeh is shaped. The effect can be mitigated by choosing slower shutter speeds and/or higher f-numbers.

Shooting ends unexpectedly or does not start:

Shooting may end automatically to prevent the camera overheating, for example if:
- the ambient temperature is high,
- the camera has been used for extended periods to record videos, or
- the camera has been used in continuous release modes for extended periods.
If pictures cannot be taken because the camera is running hot, turn the camera off and wait for it to cool before trying to take pictures again. Note that the camera may feel warm to the touch, but this does not indicate a malfunction.

Image artifacts appear in the display during shooting:

To reduce noise, adjust settings such as ISO sensitivity, shutter speed, or Active D-Lighting.
At high ISO sensitivities, noise may become more noticeable in long exposures or in pictures recorded when the camera temperature is elevated.
Randomly-spaced bright pixels, fog, or bright spots may arise as a result of increases in the temperature of the camera’s internal circuits. Turn the camera off when it is not in use.
Randomly-spaced bright pixels, fog, lines or unexpected colors may appear if you press the X button to zoom in on the view through the lens during shooting.
Note that the distribution of noise in the display may differ from that in the final picture.
This issue can sometimes be addressed by checking and optimizing the image sensor. Perform pixel mapping using [Pixel mapping] in the setup menu.

The camera cannot measure a value for preset manual white balance:

The subject is too dark or too bright.

Certain pictures cannot be selected as sources for preset manual white balance:

Pictures created with cameras of other types cannot serve as sources for preset manual white balance.

White balance (WB) bracketing is unavailable:

White balance bracketing is not available when an NEF (RAW) or RAW + JPEG option is selected for image quality.
White balance bracketing cannot be used in multiple exposure and HDR overlay modes.

The effects of [Set Picture Control] differ from picture to picture:

[Auto] is selected for [Set Picture Control] or as the basis for a custom Picture Control created using [Manage Picture Control], or [A] (auto) is selected for [Quick sharp], [Contrast], or [Saturation]. For consistent results over a series of photographs, choose a setting other than [A] (auto).

The option selected for metering cannot be changed:

The option selected for metering cannot be changed during exposure lock.

Exposure compensation is not available:

Changes to exposure compensation in mode M apply only to the exposure indicator and have no effect on shutter speed or aperture.

Uneven shading appears in long exposures:

Uneven shading may appear in long exposures shot at shutter speeds of “Bulb” or “Time”. The effect can be mitigated by selecting [ON] for [Long exposure NR] in the photo shooting menu.

The AF-assist illuminator does not light:

Is [OFF] selected for Custom Setting a12 [Built-in AF-assist illuminator]?
The illuminator does not light in video mode.
The illuminator does not light when AF-C or MF is selected for focus mode.

Sound is not recorded with videos:

Is [Microphone off] selected for [Microphone sensitivity] in the video recording menu?
Was the video recorded with [Microphone sensitivity] > [Manual] chosen in the video recording menu and a low sensitivity selected?

Playback

NEF (RAW) pictures are not visible during playback:

The camera displays only the JPEG copies of pictures taken with [RAW + JPEG finem], [RAW + JPEG fine], [RAW + JPEG normalm], [RAW + JPEG normal], [RAW + JPEG basicm], or [RAW + JPEG basic] selected for [Image quality].

Pictures taken with other cameras are not displayed:

Pictures recorded with other types of camera may not display correctly.

Not all photos are visible during playback:

Select [All] for [Playback folder] in the playback menu.

“Tall” (portrait) orientation photos are displayed in “wide” (landscape) orientation:

Is [OFF] selected for [Auto-rotate pictures] in the playback menu?
Auto picture rotation is not available during picture review.
Camera orientation may not be correctly recorded in photos taken with the camera pointing up or down.

Pictures cannot be deleted:

Are the pictures protected?

Pictures cannot be retouched:

The pictures cannot be further edited with this camera.
There is insufficient space on the memory card to record the retouched copy.

The camera displays the message, “[Folder contains no pictures.]”:

Select [All] for [Playback folder] in the playback menu.

NEF (RAW) pictures cannot be printed:

Print JPEG copies of the pictures created using a tool such as the [RAW processing (current picture)] or [RAW processing (multiple pictures)] items in the playback i menu.
Copy the pictures to a computer and print them using NX Studio or other software that supports the NEF (RAW) format.

Pictures are not displayed on HDMI devices:

Confirm that an HDMI cable is correctly connected.

Output to HDMI devices does not function as expected:

Confirm that an HDMI cable is correctly connected.
Is [ON] selected for [External rec. cntrl (HDMI)] in the video recording menu?
Pictures may display correctly if default settings are restored using the [Reset all settings] item in the setup menu.

The Image Dust Off option in NX Studio does not have desired effect:

Image sensor cleaning changes the position of dust on the image sensor and will not have the desired effect if:

Image Dust Off reference data recorded after image sensor cleaning is performed are used with photographs taken before image sensor cleaning is performed, or
Image Dust Off reference data recorded before image sensor cleaning is performed are used with photographs taken after image sensor cleaning is performed.

The effects of [Set Picture Control], [Active D-Lighting], or [Vignette control] are not visible:

In the case of NEF (RAW) pictures, the effects can only be viewed using Nikon software. View NEF (RAW) pictures using NX Studio.

Pictures cannot be copied to a computer:

Depending on the operating system, you may be unable to upload pictures when the camera is connected to a computer. Copy pictures from the memory card to a computer using a card reader or other device.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (Wireless Networks)

Smart devices do not display the camera SSID (network name):

Navigate to the network menu and confirm both that [OFF] is selected for [Airplane mode] and that [ON] is selected for [Connect to smart device] > [Pairing (Bluetooth)] > [Bluetooth connection].
Confirm that [Connect to smart device] > [Wi-Fi connection] is enabled in the network menu.
Try disabling and re-enabling wireless network features on the smart device.

The camera cannot connect to printers and other wireless devices:

The camera cannot establish wireless connections with devices other than smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Pictures cannot be uploaded to smart devices via auto upload:

If [Foreground] is selected for [Auto link] > [Link mode] in the SnapBridge tab, pictures will not be uploaded to the smart device automatically while the SnapBridge app is running in the background. Pictures will only be uploaded when the SnapBridge app is displayed (running in the foreground) on the smart device.
Check that the camera is paired with the smart device.
Check that the camera and smart device are configured for connection via Bluetooth.

The camera cannot download location data from the smart device:

The camera may be unable to download or display location data from smart devices depending on the version of the operating system and/or SnapBridge app used.
If [Foreground] is selected for [Auto link] > [Link mode] in the SnapBridge tab, location data will not be downloaded to the camera. Instead, they will be embedded in photographs after they are uploaded to the smart device.

Miscellaneous

The date of recording is not correct:: Is the camera clock set correctly?　The clock is less accurate than most watches and household clocks; check it regularly against more accurate timepieces and reset as necessary.
Menu items cannot be selected:: Some items are not available at certain combinations of settings.