Digital cameras 101

[debdeen]

Greetings -

My daughter has had this great camera (Z5fd) for a year, with no problems.  This morning - no flash - no matter what I check - still none.  I've done the following:  reformatted memory card, battery at full charge, taken out the battery - put it back in, checked both shooting and flash modes to make they're off, put into Manual, reset to factory settings - still nothing.  When I halfway press shutter, light is green; press all the way down, light turns to red, with a sound like something is scraping (or dragging, maybe locked) - flashes red, then green...and nothing.  The pics still come out, the ones with no flash needed.

I'd appreciate any ideas - thank you.  deb

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi Deb and welcome to the Q&A Forum,

Sorry to hear about the problem with the flash. You've done almost everything we would recommend. But try two more things:

You didn't say if you tried a new battery, rather than just charge the older one. If you've been using the battery for a year, it may not be recharging well. The other thing is to clean the contacts where both the battery and camera contacts meet.

If these suggestions don't work, I highly recommend you call FujiFilm tech support. The scraping sound concerns me. Tech support can best determine if the camera needs repair.

If you paid for your camera fully with a credit card, you may have an extended warranty for up to a year. Here's some information; give your credit card company a call if you think you have such a warranty:

http://www.digicamhelp.com/buying-guide/extended-warranties/creditcard/

The cost of repairing a digital camera can be expensive. Weigh the repair and any shipping costs against buying a new camera, which will have a brand new full warranty.

All the best. If you have any other questions let us know.


Related reading: digital camera repair
http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-care/repair/digital-camera/

[debdeen]

Greetings -

Thank you for all the information - I am still working on the camera and am waiting to hear back from Tech Support before I buy another battery.

I appreciate all your help -

Best regards,

Deb