Troubleshooting

If the camera fails to function as expected, check the following before consulting your retailer or Nikon-authorized service representative.

• Turning off the camera once may solve the issue.
• If you cannot find a relevant entry, also check “Error messages” or the Nikon website for your region.

Power, display, settings
Shooting
Playback, editing
TVs, printers, computers
Smart devices, SnapBridge app

Power, display, settings

The camera is on but does not respond.
The camera cannot be turned on.
The camera turns off without warning.
The monitor is blank.
The camera becomes hot.
The battery inserted in the camera cannot be charged.
The monitor is hard to see.
flashes on the screen.
Date and time of recording are not correct.
[Date stamp] not available.
Screen for setting date and time is displayed when the camera is turned on.
The camera settings reset.
Cannot select [Format card] or [Format memory].
Some menu options are not displayed.
The camera makes sound.

The camera is on but does not respond.

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

The camera cannot be turned on.

The battery is exhausted.
Charging the battery, The battery

The camera turns off without warning.

• The camera automatically turns off to save power (auto off function).
  The auto off function
• The camera and battery may not work properly at low temperatures.
  The battery
• The inside of the camera or the battery has become hot. Leave the camera off until the inside of the camera has cooled, and then try turning it on again.

The monitor is blank.

• The camera is off.
  Camera setup
• The battery is exhausted.
  Charging the battery, The battery
• The camera automatically turns off to save power (auto off function).
  The auto off function
• The camera is connected to a TV or computer.
• The camera is shooting while [Choose a style] is set to [Shoot at intervals].
• The camera is shooting while [Choose a style] is set to [Add light trails].

The camera becomes hot.

The camera may become hot when used for an extended period of time such as to shoot movies, or when used in a hot environment; this is not a malfunction.

The battery inserted in the camera cannot be charged.

• Confirm all connections.
  Charging the battery
• The camera may not charge when connected to a computer for any of the reasons described below.
  • [Charge by computer] is set to [Off].
  • If the camera is turned off, charging stops.
  • Battery charging is not possible if the camera’s display language and date and time have not been set, or the date and time were reset after the camera’s clock battery was exhausted. Use the Charging AC Adapter to charge the battery.
  • Battery charging may stop when the computer enters sleep mode.
  • Depending on the computer specifications, settings, and status, battery charging may not be possible.

The monitor is hard to see.

• Adjust the [Brightness].
• The surroundings are too bright. Move to a darker place.

flashes on the screen.

• The camera clock has not been set. Set the date and time in [Date and time].
• If the camera clock has not been set, images and movies saved before the clock is set are dated “00/00/0000 00:00” and “01/01/2019 00:00” respectively. The shooting date and time is not displayed during playback.

Date and time of recording are not correct.

Set the date and time in [Date and time]. The camera clock is not as accurate as ordinary watches or clocks. Periodically compare the time of the camera clock with that of a more accurate timepiece and reset as required.

[Date stamp] not available.

The camera clock has not been set. Set the date and time in [Date and time].

Screen for setting date and time is displayed when the camera is turned on.
The camera settings reset.

The clock battery is exhausted; all settings were restored to their default values. Configure the camera settings again.
The internal clock battery is used to power the camera clock and to retain certain settings. Charging time of the clock battery takes about 10 hours when you insert the battery into the camera or connect the AC adapter (available separately) to the camera, and the clock battery operates for several days even after the camera battery is removed.

Cannot select [Format card] or [Format memory].

• You cannot format while image lock is set. Remove image lock.
  Restricting image deletion (image lock)
• You may not be able to select this setting while a wireless connection is established. Cancel the wireless connection.

Some menu options are not displayed.

Some options are not displayed depending on the [Variety menu] settings. Change the settings.

The camera makes sound.

Depending on the settings, the camera may produce an audible focusing sound.

Shooting

Cannot switch to shooting mode.
Cannot take pictures or record movies.
The camera cannot focus.
Images are blurred.
Bright specks appear in images captured with flash.
Flash does not fire.
Digital zoom cannot be used.
No sound when the shutter is released.
AF-assist illuminator does not light.
Images appear smeared.
Colors are unnatural.
Randomly spaced bright pixels (“noise”) appear in image.
Images are too dark (underexposed).
Images are too bright (overexposed).
Skin tones are not softened.
Saving images takes time.
A ring-shaped belt or rainbow-colored stripe appears on the screen or images.

Cannot switch to shooting mode.

Disconnect the HDMI cable or USB cable.

Cannot take pictures or record movies.

• When the camera is in playback mode, press the  (shooting/playback mode) button, shutter-release button, or () button.
  The camera body
• When menus are displayed, press the shutter-release button or  () button.
  The camera body
• The flash lamp flashes while the flash is charging. Wait until charging is complete.
  The flash lamp
• Insert a memory card with sufficient free space into the camera.
• The battery is exhausted.
  Charging the battery, The battery

The camera cannot focus.

• The subject is too close. Try [Shoot close-ups] in [Choose a style].
• Set [AF assist] to [Auto].
• The subject is hard to focus on.
  Subjects not suitable for autofocus
• Turn the camera off and then on again.

Images are blurred.

• Use the flash.
  Flash
• Enable electronic VR.
  Electronic VR
• Use a tripod to stabilize the camera. Using the [Self-timer] at the same time is more effective.

Bright specks appear in images captured with flash.

The flash is reflecting off particles in the air. Set the [Flash] to [Flash off].

Flash does not fire.

• The [Flash] is set to [Flash off].
• A function that disables the flash is selected.
  Default settings list for flash and self-timer, Functions that cannot be used simultaneously when shooting

Digital zoom cannot be used.

Digital zoom cannot be used when using certain settings in other functions.
Functions that cannot be used simultaneously when shooting

No sound when the shutter is released.

• [Change sounds] [Turn sounds on or off] is set to [Turn sounds off], or [Pick a shutter sound] is set to [].
• Do not block the speaker.
  The camera body

AF-assist illuminator does not light.

[AF assist] is set to [Off]. AF-assist illuminator may not light depending on the current settings, even when [Auto] is selected.

Images appear smeared.

The lens is dirty. Clean the lens.
Cleaning and storage

Colors are unnatural.

Hue is not adjusted properly.
Photograph food, Change colors

Randomly spaced bright pixels (“noise”) appear in image.

The subject is dark and the shutter speed is too slow, or ISO sensitivity is too high. Noise can be reduced by using the flash.
Flash

Images are too dark (underexposed).

• The [Flash] is set to [Flash off].
• The flash window is blocked.
  The camera body
• The subject is beyond the range of the flash. Check the range of the flash.
  Specifications
• Adjust exposure compensation.
  Change colors
• The subject is backlit.
  • Use the flash.
    Flash
  • Try [Shoot backlit scenes] in [Choose a style].

Images are too bright (overexposed).

Adjust exposure compensation.
Change colors

Skin tones are not softened.

• In some shooting conditions, facial skin tones may not be softened.
• For images containing four or more faces, try [Make skin prettier] in [Add makeup].

Saving images takes time.

It may take more time to save images in the following situations:

• When the noise reduction function is in operation, such as when shooting in a dark environment
• When [Choose a style] is set to [Shoot night scenes], [Take a series of pictures], [Shoot backlit scenes], [Add a neon effect], or [Add a cartoon effect]
• When the skin softening function is applied while shooting
  Using skin softening

A ring-shaped belt or rainbow-colored stripe appears on the screen or images.

When shooting with backlighting or when a very strong light source (such as sunlight) is in the frame, a ring-shaped belt or rainbow-colored stripe (ghosting) may occur. Change the position of the light source, or frame the picture so that the light source does not enter the frame, and try again.

Playback, editing

File cannot be played back.
Cannot zoom in on image.
Cannot record messages.
Cannot edit images.
Cannot rotate image.
Cannot delete image.

File cannot be played back.

• This camera may not be able to play back images saved with another make or model of digital camera.
• This camera cannot play back movies recorded with another make or model of digital camera.
• This camera may not be able to play back data edited on a computer.

Cannot zoom in on image.

• Playback zoom cannot be used with movies, and images with an image size of 160 × 120 or smaller.
• Playback zoom cannot be used with images created by [Add a "little planet" effect] or [Curve pictures].
• When viewing small images, the playback zoom ratio that is displayed may not match the actual image zoom ratio.
• This camera may not be able to zoom in on images captured with another make or model of digital camera.

Cannot record messages.

• Messages cannot be attached to movies.
• Use [Erase recordings] to delete the message for an image before recording a new one.
• Messages cannot be attached to images captured with other cameras.

Cannot edit images.

• Some images cannot be edited. Images that have already been edited may not be edited again.
  Before editing images
• Images cannot be edited when they are played back using [View graded pictures], [View favorites], or [View by date].
• Images with an image size of 640 × 480 or smaller cannot be edited using [Small picture].
• Images with an aspect ratio other than 4:3 cannot be edited using [Small picture].
• There is not enough free space on the memory card or in the internal memory.
• This camera is unable to edit images captured with other cameras.
• Editing functions used for images are not available for movies.

Cannot rotate image.

This camera cannot rotate images captured with another make or model of digital camera.

Cannot delete image.

• Images cannot be deleted while image lock is set. Remove image lock.
  Restricting image deletion (image lock)
• Graded images are protected. Remove the grade from the image.
  Changing or removing grades from individual images, Remove all grades
• Images added to favorites are protected. Remove the image from favorites.
  Removing favorites from individual images, Removing all favorites from images

TVs, printers, computers

Images are not displayed on the TV.
The PictBridge startup screen is not displayed when the camera is connected to a printer.
Images to be printed are not displayed.
Cannot select paper size with the camera.
Nikon Transfer 2 does not start when the camera is connected to a computer.

Images are not displayed on the TV.

• A computer or printer is connected to the camera.
• The memory card contains no images.
• Remove the memory card to play back images in the internal memory.
  Removing the battery or memory card

The PictBridge startup screen is not displayed when the camera is connected to a printer.

When [Charge by computer] is set to [Auto], the PictBridge startup screen may not be displayed and it may be impossible to print images with some PictBridge-compatible printers. Set [Charge by computer] to [Off] and reconnect the camera to the printer.

Images to be printed are not displayed.

• The memory card contains no images.
• Remove the memory card to print images in the internal memory.
  Removing the battery or memory card

Cannot select paper size with the camera.

The camera cannot be used to select the paper size in the following situations, even when printing from a PictBridge-compatible printer. Use the printer to select the paper size.

• The printer does not support the paper sizes specified by the camera.
• The printer automatically selects the paper size.

Nikon Transfer 2 does not start when the camera is connected to a computer.

• The camera is off.
• The battery is exhausted.
  Charge by computer
• The USB cable is not correctly connected.
  Transferring images to a computer with ViewNX-i
• The camera is not recognized by the computer.
• The computer is not set to start Nikon Transfer 2 automatically. For more information about Nikon Transfer 2, refer to ViewNX-i help.

Smart devices, SnapBridge app

See “Connecting to a smart device (SnapBridge)” and the SnapBridge online help (https://nikonimglib.com/snbr/onlinehelp/en/index.html).

Cannot select [Connect to smart device].
Cannot pair with a smart device using [Connect to smart device].
Paired smart devices are not connected through Bluetooth automatically.
Cannot upload images to a smart device that is connected with the SnapBridge app.
Cannot download still images at the original size on the smart device that is connected with the SnapBridge app.
Cannot perform remote photography from a smart device that is connected with the SnapBridge app.
Communication quality is poor or image upload speed is extremely slow when using a Wi-Fi connection with the SnapBridge app.

Cannot select [Connect to smart device].
Cannot pair with a smart device using [Connect to smart device].

• Use a sufficiently charged battery.
• Insert a memory card with sufficient free space into the camera.
• Disconnect the HDMI cable or USB cable.
• Set the following in the camera settings menu [Network menu].
• • [Airplane mode]: [Off]
  • [Bluetooth] [Connection]: [Enable]
• Enable Bluetooth on the smart device.

Paired smart devices are not connected through Bluetooth automatically.

• Set the following in the camera settings menu [Network menu].
• • [Airplane mode]: [Off]
  • [Bluetooth] [Connection]: [Enable]
• If the camera is paired with multiple smart devices, select the smart device you want to connect in the camera settings menu [Network menu] [Bluetooth] [Paired devices].
• If multiple cameras are registered in the SnapBridge app, switch to the camera you want to connect using the SnapBridge app.

Cannot upload images to a smart device that is connected with the SnapBridge app.

• You can upload automatically through the auto link feature only when connected through Bluetooth. To upload automatically, set the following.
• • Camera settings menu [Network menu] [Send while shooting] [Still images]: [On]
  • SnapBridge app tab [Auto link] [Auto download]: Enable
  • If the camera settings menu [Network menu] [Bluetooth] [Send while off] is set to [Off], change the setting to [On] or turn on the camera.
• When there is a large number of images to upload during Bluetooth communication, communication may be disconnected while uploading. If you turn the camera off and then on again, it is reconnected to the smart device.
  Uploading resumes after the camera is reconnected in the following situations.
• • When the camera settings menu [Network menu] [Send while shooting] [Still images] is set to [On]
  • When images are marked for upload using the camera playback menu [Settings] [Mark for upload]
• You may not be able to upload images or uploading may be canceled while the camera is being operated.

Cannot download still images at the original size on the smart device that is connected with the SnapBridge app.

For [Send while shooting] and [Mark for upload] in the camera, still images are uploaded at an image size of up to 2 megapixels. To upload at their original size, use [Download pictures] in the SnapBridge app.

Cannot perform remote photography from a smart device that is connected with the SnapBridge app.

• You cannot perform remote photography when there is no free space in the internal memory or memory card. Delete unnecessary images or insert a memory card with sufficient free space.
• You may not be able to perform remote photography while the camera is being operated.

Communication quality is poor or image upload speed is extremely slow when using a Wi-Fi connection with the SnapBridge app.

In the camera settings menu [Network menu] [Wi-Fi] [Network settings] [Channel], try changing the channel.