See if you can reset the electronics and restore the unit to factory defaults. If no result and if Nikon does not have a hidden code to fix situation you will either have to live with the situation, replace the camera, fix the camera (not cost effective.) Your choice.
This often depends on the shooting mode you are using. It is often on a selection wheel. Say you are in Fireworks mode the flash will not fire. If you get out of a special mode back into normal camera I am pretty sure your flash will not be greyed out.
If a pin got damaged, then a trip back to a Nikon repair center is the only way to properly repair it. It may be still under warranty if it's less than 3 years old.
It could be either the battery or the camera.
If you have a second battery, try it. If it works with the second battery then the first battery is bad.
If you don't have a second battery, take your camera and battery to a good photo store. They should have a second battery to try. You might be able to test your battery with one of theirs. This will tell you whether the battery or the camera is bad.
Hi Robert,
I am thinking of one cause but first you will have to answer a simple question for your self before proceeding.
"How old is your camera?"
If it is old enough, the problem you are encountering is technical and you will surrender your camera to a qualified technician/ camera service center for proper check.
Digital cameras are electronic equipment; thus have component parts such as capacitors, resistors etc that are almost dead. the first time you power on, they work fine but as the heat builds up, those parts stop working completely. that is when you cannot take any more pictures. Only trained technicians can fix that kind of problems.
Jun 4, 2014 - Temporary Workaround Takes a Few More Pics. ... as a camera willinevitably get the "Cannot Take Photo - There is not enough available ... But you should be able to take at least a few more shots. Interestingly, you'll notice that after taking a handful of pictures with this trick, the iPhone will initiate the app ...
Aug 11, 2013 - When I go to take a picture, it will act like it is focusing by flashing... ...The "default" shooting mode of the camera for focus is called "One Shot" AF. ... It's also helpful to know some information about your lens and shooting ...
hoestly, no idea how to fix a faulty camera. But I can help youu with some advice: did it actually take the photos? Remove SD memory and introduce it in a SD reader for PC. It should show as a Removable disk and you can verify if your photos are there
When the pictures on the memory card are black to, it is really defect. If only the screen is black, although you need it for the settings, you still could use it to shoot in automatic mode.
Won't be worth repairing it, because new ones are cheaper.
Oops. that hurts. But I'm afraid it won't be worth repairing this one. I already saw the body been sold for less than 300 euro new. And I think the repair centre will ask more for opening and closing this one. Then you still have a used body.
Start saving or perhaps you have an insurance that will pay a new one for you?
Hi Andrew - There are several hacked firmware files for this camera. Most that I have seen deal with allowing 3rd party battery usage, 17 minute video, unlimited video and variable shutter and aperture control during video recording. There may be others. I suggest you either (a) contact eBay and open a dispute resolution ticket to return the camera to get your money back or (b) try installing an authentic Nikon 3100 firmware from & as per instructions on the site:
https://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/18725
Understand that option (a) is preferential. If for some reason you can not do (a) then (b) would be the next step. Any time firmware is updated, there is a risk of damaging the hardware. This is especially true if power is removed during the process - but other things can happen, too. Finally, if (b) doesn't work for you then you may have to hack the firmware as shown in the link below (or your choice of hacks):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylQqH6Kfyno
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Published on Feb 16, 2014
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*THIS ALSO WORKS ON NIKON D5100*
Finally after 4 years we have a hacked/custom firmware that enable full manual video control on the Nikon D3100 DSLR. Just like the D3200 or Canon 5D, 7D ect. you can simple adjust the shutter speed/angle and the ISO sensitivity of video as well as the usual aperture control. You can even adjust shutter speed while recording!
Download Link: http://simeonpilgrim.com/nikon-patch/...
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Make sure you're using a lens that worked before on this camera.. many consumer bodies lack the built in focus motor, so you must purchase lenses that have the motor built into the lens. If it lacks a motor - no auto focus will be possible.
Remove and re-seat the lens.
Make sure that any Aperture ring on the lens barrel is set to the smallest (largest number f22) possible.
Make sure any and all Auto / Manual Focus switches are set to A or Auto.
Try taking a picture in broad daylight - or other well lit area - if the subject is very dark, the auto focus will struggle or "hunt".
Let me know if these suggestions solve your problem - good luck!
Try switching the camera on and while it is on remove the battery. Leave it for 30 secs and replace the battery then switch it of and then on. This process sometime clears Error Codes.
Open the "Shooting Menu" by pressing the Menu button. Press the right Multi-selector and then scroll up or down to "Image Quality". Press the right Multi-selector and you will see the various choices for JPEG and NEF combinations and quality, make your selection by scrolling up or down and pressing "OK".
As for converting you NEF photos to JPEG; you can easily do that in one of several ways on your computer. If you are using Lightroom or Photoshop, all you have to do is open your pictures, select "Save As" and use the pull-down menu to select JPEG and save. If you do not have that program, there are several conversion programs available on the Web; manu for free. I use a program called BatchConverter on my Mac. There are similar programs of PCs.
Check the lens is compatible.......or see it has got A/M button.......First switch on camera.........switch the slider to A (Lens) and press the shutter release button half way..........camera will start functioning in auto mode.....
