The flash on my camera will not turn on no matter what I do. The flash button won't bring up a flash menu or anything. Any suggestions?

Is your Z28 set up to do burst shooting as this will stop the flash working, click on the trash button and turn off the burst shooting. Hope this helps.

Press cursor-up on the multiselector (marked with a lightning bolt) to bring up the flash menu. Select the lightning bolt icon and press OK.
In some scene modes you won't be able to bring up the flash menu. In this case change the shooting mode first.

Since you are able to see the menu items and stuff this is not an LCD screen problem , as you have already figured out the hardway. I have seen this problem appear either due to a faulty battery or a malfunctioning CCD-image sensor.

In both cases (LCD or CCD) this isn't a job that you could solve yourself; this wrong include distorted images or abnormal colors, scratchy purple lines, blank or black pictures, and/or black videos with good sound being recorded on the camera's flash card.

I suggest check THIS LINK for additional details in this previous solutions for an Defective CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and next contact your Sony service. I strongly suggest (taking into consideration the age of your camera) to evaluate the cost of repair versus the cost of a new camera with similar features, before making a final desicion.

Hope this helps.

First, check to make sure you're not in the macro mode. There's a slide switch on the end of the camera, near the SD card slot. Slide the switch away from the flower toward the mountain to take it out of macro mode. The flash won't fire in macro mode.

Then, if the flash still doesn't fire, take a look at the flash mode. Press the up-arrow button to bring up the flash menu. If it's currently set in the lightning-bolt-in-a-circle-with-a-slash-through-it symbol, you've got the flash turned off. Set it to the lightning-bolt-and-"A" for automatic flash or the lightning-bolt for forced flash.

If the flash still doesn't fire, then it's broken.

The input (either VGA/HDMI/DVI) maybe be defective. Generally with these sorts of problems, either something goes defective in the port, or the cable. You said you tried different cables, so, it is probably the connection to the port inside of the monitor. Hope this helps!

Press cursor-left (marked with a lightning bolt) to bring up the flash menu. Select the lightning bolt in a circle with a slash through it to turn off the flash. Full details are in the "Flash/Left button" section beginning on page 28 of this manual.

�� When the menu is displayed on the LCD monitor,
pressing the LEFT button makes the cursor shift to
the left tab.
�� When the menu is not displayed on the LCD
monitor, the LEFT button operates as the FLASH
( ) button.
�� Selecting the flash mode
1. Rotate the MODE DIAL to select a RECORDING mode with the exception of
Movie clip mode.
2. Press the Flash button until the desired flash mode indicator displays on the
LCD monitor.
3. A flash mode indicator will be displayed on the LCD monitor.
Use the correct flash to suit the environment.

Try turning camera on,
Then press both Green buttons for a count of 10. This should restore factory reset.

Some models also have a reset button under a connector flap, or go into your menu. Under Custom Setting Menu, choose Menu Reset.

One of these methods should work.

Try resetting the camera back to the factory default setting.
Remove the battery, leave it for 1/2 + hour, insert the battery and configure date time etc.
If it doesn't work then you have faulty camera.

Top of the camera, lightning bolt like button. When you press it while the camera is on, it will bring up a menu, there should be an option in there to shut it off.