D90 Built-in flash won't fire

Set the flash to shoot/fire in the Auto Flash modes.

So what is it, a SB-80dx or SB-900?
atdleeatnetzerodotcom

your flash is stuck.. you can just manually pull it up and it should work.. I have seen this a hundred times.... don't mangle it but a little squeeze and pull from the front should pop it.

This often depends on the shooting mode you are using. It is often on a selection wheel. Say you are in Fireworks mode the flash will not fire. If you get out of a special mode back into normal camera I am pretty sure your flash will not be greyed out.

The Nikon Coolpix is a compact digital camera that is well-suited for amateur to semi-professional photographers. Occasionally, some issues with the built-in flash can occur. If the hardware is damaged, the camera must be taken in for repairs. More often, problems occur because of obstructions or issues with the camera's settings and are easily repairable. Follow the troubleshooting guide to fix the built-in flash.

Instructions:
1.Ensure the Nikon Coolpix digital camera battery is fully charged.
2.Wait several seconds before pressing the shutter-release button if the "Flash Ready" indicator light is flashing red. Press the "Flash Mode" button once or twice to change the flash settings from "Off" to "On" or "Auto" if the "Flash Ready" indicator light is off.
3.Ensure there are no obstructions, like your finger or the camera strap, that are preventing the flash from firing if an error message appears on the display screen and the flash is not firing when the flash mode is set to automatic.
4.Press the flash back into the camera after every photo to ensure the flash always fires in "Auto" mode instead of just in low illumination settings. Press the flash back into the camera to turn off the flash in "Manual" mode; otherwise the flash will continually fire.
5.Change the auto focus setting from "Infinity" to "Auto," "Macro Closeup" or "Self-Timer" by pressing the "Focus Mode" button once, twice or three times to automatically turn the flash back on.
6.Use only Nikon external flash accessories to avoid damage to the built-in flash and camera circuits.

I hope you find it very helpful. Thanks.

Hi Reggie,

Usually the pop up flash will extend when the program calls for it or the user has manually turned it on, and it will fire without an issue. Page 70 of the manual goes into detail how it is set up and uses graphics which won't work very well here. Unless you have the "circle with a line though it" over the lightning bolt "flash" symbol, the flash should fire when needed.

It is possible that the flash lamp has failed, and may need to be replaced. Contact Nikon Service & Support or other reputable camera shop to help you with that.

I hope this helps & good luck!

I have this same problem. Just started this month. Camera is nearly 1 year old and has had very light use. Sorry, not a fix (yet).

The flash will come on because the light meter is reading that you need more light in order for your exposure to correctly turn out. If you think you don't need it, the flash will give you fill light. If you don't want it on, go into the menu, put the flash to "off" or run the camera in a manual mode and don't use the "green" auto mode. This should probably take care of it.

If your camera is on the green Auto mode, it will pop up whenever insufficient light is indicated. Try putting the camera on A or S or M and see if that fixes it.

The answer to your question can be found at...

This website

All but the very best flashes can not recycle atthat flash rate. For burst mode, you probably want to use focus modeAF-C or AF-A.
Morris

Page 73 in the manual; If the flash fires in L or H mode (pg. 65), only one picture will be taken each time the
shutter-release button is pressed. The shutterrelease may be briefly disabled to protect the flash after it has beenused for several consecutive shots. The flash can be used again after ashort pause.
The flash can take several seconds to recharge andduring that time the shutter is disabled. NR will also reduce thenumber of frames per second that you can take, and of course yourshutter speed has to be fast enough to allow for 4.5 fps.
In AF-S the shutter won’t fire unless the camera has achieved an in-focus state and the focus is locked.
In AF-C the camera continually focuses, but that isnot the same thing as being in focus. As you move the camera or yoursubject moves, the in focus state will come and go, but the camera willattempt to continuously re-focus. BUT, the shutter will fire even ifwhen the AF system has lost the in-focus state and the picture is outof focus.
In the D90 manual it indicates that the AF-A modewill only fire when the green in-focus light is on, just like in AF-S.The problem is that you probably won’t get 4.5 fps unless both thecamera and the subject are stationary and no time is lost between shotswhile the camera re-focuses.
--
Brooks
http://bmiddleton.smugmug.com/

Using the flash When shooting with the built-in flash, open the flash manually. The flash does not pop-up automatically. The flash will not fire if it is closed. The flash will work when it is opened up. When the flash is open, the (flash on) icon or (automatic) icon will appear on the LCD monitor (or in the viewfinder). Flash on: The flash fires in every shot. Automatic: The flash fires automatically. Press the (flash) button to switch between the and flash modes while the flash is open. In some shooting modes, the flash mode does not switch even if the flash button is pressed. Please refer to Functions Available in Each Shooting Mode in the Camera User Guide provided with your camera for more information. When you are not using the flash, close it manually. When the flash is closed, the flash will not fire and the icon appears on the LCD monitor (or in the viewfinder).