Picture in dark condition.

Please when you want to shoot a picture in dark condition and you want to use a flash, don't put the camera in the night shot mode. In that mode the camera will choose the highest ISO, the lowest speed and the widest aperture, and won't use the flash. Please check the manual for every mode, what it does and what it not does. Your camera is in perfect state and does what it supposed to do.

The flash may be broken.
If not these are the flash settings on the camera in case a different flash mode has been set accidently.

Set the mode dial to [camera icon], and press [up arrow] on the control button repeatedly to select a flash mode.

The flash mode has the following features.
No indicator (Auto):
The camera decides to use the flash based on lighting
conditions. The flash will be used when
there is not enough light or when shooting a
subject against a light source.

(Forced flash):
The flash will be used regardless of the amount of ambient light.

(Slow synchro):
The flash will be used regardless of the amount of ambient
light. In this mode, the shutter speed is
slower under dark conditions, so you can
clearly shoot a background that is out of the flash-lit area.

(No flash):
The flash will not be used.

On your Cyber-shot DSC-W55 locate the control button:




Using the self-timer

Press on the control button repeatedly until the desired mode is selected.


Conditions of the self-timer lamp:
(No indicator): Not using the self-timer
: Setting the 10-second delay self-timer (picture is taken after 10 seconds)
: Setting the 2-second delay self-timer (picture is taken after 2 seconds)

Press the shutter button, the self-timer lamp flashes, and a beep sounds until the shutter operates.

Hope this helps.
Thank you.

try using night mode indoors. otherwise, simply get into setup and go back to factory settings, and use AUTO mode. hope it helps

Do you see any flash error code on lcd screen? if no then...
Flash will work when camera will set on auto mode ( green mark on jog dial) and you will see flash icon on lcd screen.

Try shooting on Sports Mode rather than auto mode .... it should be fine then

Press Menu button
togle across from REC Mode to setup
togle down thrice from camera to setup 1
togle across into sub menu
togle down from four times to Initialize
togle across again to the sub-menu
togle up from cancel to OK
press center button to accept the OK choice
Screen changes and so press okay again
It should restart the camera
Opening on the 'Clock Set' screen
togle down to cancel and use the camera and make sure that you have the camera to flash, if it works try again in the Auto function.
If it is still not working do not worry follow the steps again two or three more times, As this is generally a software error message and not a hardware malfunction.
If it is working then don't forget to set your Clock.

Most probably you have incorrectly set your camera to a Camera Record mode other than Auto.

If there is not enough light and you are trying to photograph the scene without flash, (eg. by setting your camera mode to a mode that is programmed not to use flash) then the camera has to compensate for the missing light by keeping its shutter open for a longer period of time so as enough light comes into its sensor.

If your hand shakes during that time, you get blurry images.

Check your camera settings. The Twilight scene mode gives you slower shutter speeds to capture dark, night scenes, but you need to stabilize the camera on a tripod or something, depending on the level of light of the scene you want to photograph. The Twilight Portrait, on the other hand, is the same as Twilight with the addition of flash is used to illuminate a person or foreground subject as well as capturing a night background. This mode also keeps a long shutter time for capturing the night background.

For taking pictures of people, I would suggest you use Auto or Portrait mode where the camera will automatically use fast shutter speeds and flash (if dark).

Hope this helps.

My husband just discovered that it has to do with the flash setting. When the auto-flash and flash-on modes are on, it doesn't do it. When the "SL" mode is on - I get the Vibration Warning.

The shooting modes are described as follows: PROGRAM AUTO (Factory default setting) Program Auto mode is used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering, can be adjusted manually. Portrait Portrait mode is suitable for taking a portrait-style picture of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Landscape mode is suitable for taking pictures of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Night scene mode is suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both your subject and the night background. Self-portrait Self-portrait mode enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself, and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the wide position and cannot be changed. QuickTime Movie QuickTime Movie mode lets you record movies. The focus and zoom are locked. If the distance to the subject changes, the focus may be compromised.