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Gail's Nikon CoolPix 5400 Blog
Nikon 5400 Issues
A service advisory has been issued for the Nikon 5400. If your camera has problems specified in the advisory and qualifies, it will be repaired by Nikon at no cost even if it is out of warranty. Get info>
What's that sound?
The 5400 emits a low but audible "grinding" sound when set to Continuous auto-focus (the default). To eliminate the sound, switch to Single Area Focus. Even when Single AF is selected, the camera continues to focus continually in Auto and Scene modes until the shutter is depressed halfway.
Lens extending
The lens extends when the 5400 is turned on unless the Mode Dial is set to a non-exposure mode such as Playback. When transferring images to a computer via the supplied USB cable you may wish to select a non-exposure mode before turning on the camera.
Camera lock-up
Occasionally the 5400 freezes for no apparent reason. The only solution is to completely remove the battery, then reinsert it.
Soft images
If you want sharper images straight from the camera, adjust the sharpness setting. The 5400 has five sharpening options: Auto, Off, Low, Normal, and High.
Made in Japan or made in Korea?!
The 5400 may be manufactured either in Japan or Korea. When the Korean-made 5400s first came out, there were issues which, according to informed users, have been resolved.
Possible Nikon 5400 repair issues
Unsharp images: a few users have reported fuzzy images of distant objects when taking photos at full zoom (4x). The solution was to send the 5400 to Nikon for recalibration.
Video Mode: some users of the 5400 & other CoolPix models, report that video and audio are out sync when video files are played back on a computer, though okay when played on the camera LCD. Contact Nikon while it is still under warranty. Note: The problem was not resolved by Nikon when I sent my 5400 in for repair.
The hot shoe: some experienced problems with the hot shoe being too tight, so much so that it's difficult to slide an external flash on or off it. If you intend to use an external flash, get this checked out while on warranty.
