Nikon D5200 Troubleshooting

The displays have suddenly shut off or are unresponsive

If the auto off timer is on a short setting, the camera can shut off suddenly. The settings for the auto off timer can be found by pressing the “menu” button and choosing “Custom Settings”. Shorter times will save battery life, but longer times can be set or the timer can be turned off entirely.

If the camera has overheated, the viewfinder display can become dim or completely unresponsive. Turn the camera off so that it can cool down. To prevent this from happening in the future, store your camera in a cool and dry place.

If the battery is out of charge, the camera will not turn on and none of the buttons will respond. To fix this, charge the battery or switch the battery for a charged one. First remove the battery by following the instructions in the "Removing the Battery" guide, then charge it with your charger.

The power button is unresponsive when pressed.

Sometimes dust, dirt, or other things can get into the battery compartment. Remove the battery and clean it and the compartment with a cotton swab, or some other dry cloth. Do not use any sort of liquid to clean the inside of your battery compartment.

If the camera is not turning on, checking the battery is the first step to finding a solution. Please reference the previous dead battery solution.

Over time the cords to chargers can go bad. If a battery will not charge be sure to test another charger and even other outlets before assuming there is a problem with the battery. If the charger is bad a new one can be purchased online or at a local electronics store.

A bad battery is a battery that does not stay charged for long or will not charge all together. Before replacing what seems like a bad battery, attempt to charge the battery. If it has still not charged then check for a bad charger before purchasing a new battery. The old battery can be recycled at a local hardware, electronics, or battery supply store. If you are unsure of where to recycle your batteries, please contact Battery Recyclers of America for more information.

The colors in the pictures captured are distorted or do not appear with good quality.

If the flash is not used correctly, it can ruin the quality of photos. The flash changes when the shooting mode changes but you can also set the flash to “on,” “off,” or “automatic.” Using the flash even when there is light outside will help to capture motion. Change the flash mode using the instructions on page 35 of the official manual.

There are several scenes that can be selected using the mode and command dials. Turn the mode dial to “scene” and use the command dial to select a scene mode. The same method can be used to change different effects by turning the mode dial to “effects”.

The camera will not focus on the correct subject or doesn’t focus at all, preventing the shutter from releasing.

This camera has three options for autofocus. Single-servo autofocus is used for stationary objects, continuous-servo autofocus is used for moving objects, and auto-servo autofocus selects one of the previous two. Changing the autofocus mode based off of your needs will give your pictures clarity. Change the autofocus mode using the instructions on page 45 of the official manual.

Manual focus can be used when an AF-S or AF-I lens is not in use. To manually focus your camera, adjust the focus ring until the image shown on the viewfinder is in focus. A common mistake is to take pictures in manual focus without realizing it. Pictures can be taken in manual focus even if the camera is out of focus, producing blurry images.

The camera shows errors when an SD card is inserted or will not save pictures.

The camera only works with certain SD cards. The list is very lengthy and can be found on page 75 of the manual that came with your camera.

Open the SD card compartment and reinsert the SD card, making sure that it is completely inserted into the SD card slot.

If the SD card is full it will not let you save more pictures. To remedy this you can upload your pictures onto a computer, insert another SD card, or delete pictures.

Pictures will not print from the SD Card or when connecting by USB Cord.

Pictures can be printed by inserting the SD Card into a printer or computer; however, not all printers and computers can read SD Cards. Check your user manuals to make sure that the SD Card type is compatible with the computer or printer being used.

Similarly to chargers, USB cords can go bad over time. Test a different USB cord and different USB ports on your laptop or printer to be sure that the cord is still good. Also be sure that the camera is directly connected to the printer and not to a USB hub. Reference page 137 of the official manual.

The mode dial sticks when switching modes.

To remove dust from under the dial, take a piece of unwaxed floss and twist it back and forth under the dial. There is no need to remove the dial.