20 Most Recent Nikon D40 Digital Camera with G-II 18-55mm Lens - Page 6 Questions & Answers

http://nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D40_sp02.pdf

That's the way the D40 works. The monitor is for menus and picture review, not to show images before shooting. Nikon introduced the LiveView capablitily with the D3 and the D300, introduced after the D40. The D40 works as SLRs have worked for half a century, giving you the image through the viewfinder.

OK, don't worry. The repair is easy to be done, although a little "creepy". I have a girlfriend who owns a Nikon D60 which presented the very same problem, and this afternoon I repaired the camera myself. It's working very well so far. Here's how I did it.

First of all, check whether the menus are working properly. If they are, it means that the problem is not electronic (otherwise, it should provoke a general camera lock down).

Get the following equipment:

1) A very small cross head screwdriver (watchmaker size)
2) A can of WD40 (lub oil) - that one that has a little plastic tube for delicate jobs.
3) Double faced sticky tape
4) Printing paper (A4 size), and pen/pencil.
5) A good light

Remove the camera's Battery and SD card.

On the A4 paper, draw the bottom scheme of the camera with the position of the screws; on each position, place a little piece of double-faced sticky tape (so you'll be able to know exactly where each screw must be put into). You''l need two drawings, one for the camera's outter plastic cover and the other for the inner steel plate.

Open up the bottom of the D40x putting the small screws onto the sticky tape in the corresponding positions.

Then, remove the metal plate used for the tripod mount. You will need to remove the back of the camera as well.

All the screws must go for the correct corresponding places on the A4 paper scheme, otherwise you will find hard to put all the parts together again.

After you have the bottom of the camera open, you'll see small gears, one red and one white. They are there to transfer the up-and-down movement from the small motor to the camera's mirror, and they should be stuck due to lack of lubrication. If you move the red gear, you'll see the mirror moving together. Spray a SMALL amount of WD40 onto the red and white gear wheels. Don't use so much that it drips down onto the optics or the delicate electronic circuits - you don't want any oil in there!!!

After the oiling is done, put the battery in and hold it down to make contact. Switch the camera to MANUAL mode. Put in the SD card and switch on the camera. Thereafter, try its shutter button.

It might start working normally, without any error messages. If it's not moving, probably the oil has not spread properly yet throughout the red and the white gears. Move the red wheel a few stops and try again.

Once it's lubed up and the wheels move freely, camera should be ok. Before settling all the covers back to their places, keep taking pics until you feel that the camera is functioning normally. Probably you'll note that the error message will be gone.

Then reassemble the camera's parts following the screws backwards on the sticky tape.

Enjoy your camera again!

i have the same problem..only it seems mine has been caused by a piece of plastic off my lens somehow falling behind the shutter and impeding its use.I wouldn't recommend you poking around the shutter but you could remove the lens to have a look if the optics is damaged.Bringing it to an authorized dealer might be the best way to go !

Follow the instructions in this blog post to fix your problem.

http://jacko0.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/d40x-underside/

Press the shutter release again what is the solution

OK, don't worry. The repair is easy to be done, although a little "creepy". I have a girlfriend who owns a Nikon D60 which presented the very same problem, and this afternoon I repaired the camera myself. It's working very well so far. Here's how I did it.

First of all, check whether the menus are working properly. If they are, it means that the problem is not electronic (otherwise, it should provoke a general camera lock down).

Get the following equipment:

1) A very small cross head screwdriver (watchmaker size)
2) A can of WD40 (lub oil) - that one that has a little plastic tube for delicate jobs.
3) Double faced sticky tape
4) Printing paper (A4 size), and pen/pencil.
5) A good light

Remove the camera's Battery and SD card.

On the A4 paper, draw the bottom scheme of the camera with the position of the screws; on each position, place a little piece of double-faced sticky tape (so you'll be able to know exactly where each screw must be put into). You''l need two drawings, one for the camera's outter plastic cover and the other for the inner steel plate.

Open up the bottom of the D40x putting the small screws onto the sticky tape in the corresponding positions.

Then, remove the metal plate used for the tripod mount. You will need to remove the back of the camera as well.

All the screws must go for the correct corresponding places on the A4 paper scheme, otherwise you will find hard to put all the parts together again.

After you have the bottom of the camera open, you'll see small gears, one red and one white. They are there to transfer the up-and-down movement from the small motor to the camera's mirror, and they should be stuck due to lack of lubrication. If you move the red gear, you'll see the mirror moving together. Spray a SMALL amount of WD40 onto the red and white gear wheels. Don't use so much that it drips down onto the optics or the delicate electronic circuits - you don't want any oil in there!!!

After the oiling is done, put the battery in and hold it down to make contact. Switch the camera to MANUAL mode. Put in the SD card and switch on the camera. Thereafter, try its shutter button.

It might start working normally, without any error messages. If it's not moving, probably the oil has not spread properly yet throughout the red and the white gears. Move the red wheel a few stops and try again.

Once it's lubed up and the wheels move freely, camera should be ok. Before settling all the covers back to their places, keep taking pics until you feel that the camera is functioning normally. Probably you'll note that the error message will be gone.

Then reassemble the camera's parts following the screws backwards on the sticky tape.

Enjoy your camera again!

Press shutter button again. If the error doesn't go away, take the camera to the authorized dealer repair shop.

That's quite understandable, as the D40 doesn't have the LiveView feature. This is a relatively new development in DSLRs. Nikon first introduced it with the D3 and D300, both released after the D40.

Sorry if this wasn't the answer you wanted to see, but we can't change history just by wishing it.

Is better to find a local service, beause of time and money. If your camera is under warranty you should send it to an autorized Nikon service , near as possible if not send it to a good and close service because is on your money and is chipper.

Assuming the filter is of the right size, it screws into the thread mounting on the inside of the front rim of the lens.

Depending on the particular hood, it either fits into the bayonet mount on the outside of the front rim of the lens or simply slips on.

If you're using a step-up ring to mount larger filters or using a Cokin-type filter, then you'll need a new hood to accommodate.

Try Blow cleaning the Memory card slot ... sometimes dust does that

The best way to download pictures from your camera to your computer involves removing the memory card from the camera and plugging it into a card reader (either built-in to the computer or connected via USB or FireWire). This is likely to be faster than connecting the camera to the computer, and won't run down your camera's batteries.

Once the card is plugged in, it will appear to your computer as a removable drive. You can use the operating system's drag&drop facility to copy pictures from the card to the computer's hard drive. Or you can use Nikon Transfer or any other photo cataloging program.

How close are you trying to get? Each lens has a minimum focus distance.

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You're seeing blown-out highlights. These are the portions of your pictures that have been overexposed so much that they've gone pure white, losing all details. This is generally considered a bad thing and the camera is warning you of that. This does not mean that it's a bad thing in your picture; the camera has no way of knowing what effect you're trying for. The proper fix is to reduce exposure to bring back the details in the highlights. This runs the risk of losing details in the dark areas as they go pure black, but that's generally considered not as bad. After all, we don't expect to see things in the dark.

That was the long answer. The short answer is: press up/down on the multiselector to cycle through the different views available.

Most probably the battery will be dead and should be replaced.
If you have a voltmeter check the voltage (find the needed values on the battery).

Hello

The problem is that the lens has become stuck in the barrel. There are some DIY solutions you could try, but the probability is that you will have to get it fixed by a professional.

Use these at own risk as it may further damage the camera.

Firstly , try connecting your ac adapter or usb cable.

Try holding the shutter button while switching on the camera.

Look at the lens , and if some of the lens 'circles' is misaligned or not concentric then try wiggling it (while holding camera lens down).

Try gently pushing or pulling the lens when it extends but this is risky as it may cause the lens barrel to slip out of its guidance system.

Another way to do this is to place the camera lens down on a hard surface and then power it up. Be sure to use a soft cloth or something similar as to not scratch your lens or casing. Let the lens push the camera up and down a few times and sometimes the little resistance provided by the camera is enough to get things going again.

Try hitting your camera near the lens on the body with the soft tissue on the palm of your hand.

Other than that , I would take the camera to a repair center for a evaluation to see if it would cost more to repair than to replace the camera.

If it is still under warranty I would suggest you take it in before trying any of these steps and remove any off-brand batteries or accessories as some stores are really fussy about warranty repairs on camera's with non-brand accessories.

You can also have a look at THIS link.

Hope the advise is useful. please do not hesitate to let me know if you need any further assistance.

Regards
Andrea

There are a great deal of settings that can cause these unexpected results. Most of them are the result of the inability to focus when in any of the auto focus modes.

It may be a good time to do a RESET on the camera to restore the settings to factory defaults. This can be done by pressing and holding the 2 buttons with GREEN DOTS for a few seconds. One button is on the lower left of the rear display and the other is on top - near the shutter release button. You can download and read about this reset feature in the manual on page 11.

Additionally, you can read a review and learn about some helpful settings to try on your D40 here. I hope this was helpful!

The camera relies on detecting differences in contrast to perform the auto focus function. If there are only subtle differences in contrast (like those found in poorly lit subjects), the lens will "hunt" and fail to focus as expected.

The camera has a small lamp used to help the focus system by shining on the subject. Make sure it is enabled or otherwise not blocked or non-fuctioning. You could add more light, or switch to manual focus. Disable the the auto focus system either in the camera menu - or on the lens barrel itself - if equipped. . The former will let you switch back and forth the fastest - but if your lens lacks such a switch, you'll have to do it in the camera menu instead.

You can download your manual here to review it.

I hope this helps!