see also:

• photography and camping main index page

• camera suddenly becomes unresponsive and stops working

• camera is accidentally recording a video
  • in this situation, you should be seeing an active live view image and REC should be displayed
  • stop the video recording by pressing the REC button or perhaps the shutter button on some cameras
• camera is taking a long exposure
  • this may have occurred if the lens cap is on, or it is very dark such as with night astrophotography
  • note that most cameras by default will also take a second long exposure after the first - this is called a dark frame image and is used by the camera to reduce long exposure sensor heat-induced noise from the first image
  • some cameras such as the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mark II displays a live update of how much longer the second image exposure will take
  • DO NOT turn the camera off unless you are happy to lose the image and potentially corrupt the memory card
• buffer is full
  • this usually occurs after you have shot a burst of images, and the camera is still saving them to the memory card
  • the camera should display a waiting icon
  • DO NOT turn the camera off unless you are happy to lose all these images and potentially corrupt the memory card
  • INSTEAD, WAIT until the buffer empties
• battery is flat
  • replace battery with a fresh battery
• camera's algorithms hit a brick wall
  • this occasionally can happen, especially with new firmware upgrades which have not been fully tested by the manufacturer
  • try turning the camera OFF then back ON
  • if that doesn't work, take the battery out then replace it, and turn it on
  • if that fails, you may need to take it in for repair
• camera is dead
  • this may occur due to water damage, dropping the camera, wear and tear, etc
  • either take it in for repair or get a new one