When memory card is inserted the camera wont work

I cannot find a Coolpix L1 it may be real old
If the camera is OLD 4GB will not work in it. many small cameras do have some memory inside.
You have to get an older SD that is much less memory.

This a situation the manual not even mentions. The red light on the bottom right of the camera is the memory access indicator. It should light green as I remember ok. And blink when it is writing to or reading from the memory. If it is red, it means : this is not ok.
This light is not a gadget. It should be taken serious. As long as it is burning, of flashing you are not supposed to switch of the camera or to remove the memory card. If you still open the memory compartment or switch of the camera or remove the battery, while the camera indicates I'n accessing the memory, serious damage can occur to the memory card.
You could lose all your pictures, because of it.
I would suggest, make sure your battery is charged correctly.
Format your memory card in a PC with FAT 32.
Check if al contacts in the camera are clean and shiny. (Battery and memory card contacts too)
The place the battery and the memory card in the camera and try switching it on again. If it should start, first do a format of the memory card in the camera before you starts taking pictures, of the camera has its own format and can make a folder.

You should be able to switch on the camera without a memory card inside. The camera will us the internal buffer, to let you take a picture in DEMO mode.

I hope the red light does not indicate your internal memory is corrupted. Because if nothing helps and the red light comes back, I think you should contact a Canon service centre.

first you have to check the card broken any side if not broken the try to format from setup menu.after that check if still problem then card problem or in side camera pin broken or tilt beacuse wrong way insert card in side.

Hello Mr rtautwein .

Insert your memory card into your computer's reader if you have one. If not, you can purchase a multi-format USB Memory Card reader from Amazon.com or Buy.com

2 Open up 'My Computer'. You should see it under the list of available drives.

3 Check its contents first to make sure that you have the right drive.

4 In 'My Computer', right-click on the drive and choose 'Format'.

5 Leave all the options as they are and click on 'Start'. This is a non-reversible process so make sure this is what you truly wanted to do in the first place.

6 Once the process is completed, take the memory card out and insert it into your Digital Camera or any other device. Try to browse to it to make sure it works fine now.

camera card unlocker pin is broken

just take out the memory card . there will be a small button or a panel like thing on one of its side. just move that to the other side i.e opposite to the current position of the button. re-insert the memory card and check it out...

Insert your memory card into your computer's reader if you have one. If not, you can purchase a multi-format USB Memory Card reader from Amazon.com or Buy.com

2 Open up 'My Computer'. You should see it under the list of available drives.

3 Check its contents first to make sure that you have the right drive.

4 In 'My Computer', right-click on the drive and choose 'Format'.

5 Leave all the options as they are and click on 'Start'. This is a non-reversible process so make sure this is what you truly wanted to do in the first place.

6 Once the process is completed, take the memory card out and insert it into your Digital Camera or any other device. Try to browse to it to make sure it works fine now.

First check the memory card to see if the lock tab is in the UNLOCK position. On the top left of the memory card is a slide the moves up and down. The slide should be in the up position for it to be unlocked. A locked memory card could cause the camera to read a CARD PROTECT error message.
If you still receive an error message, verify that you are inserting the card correctly so that the spring locks in as you fully insert it. When performed correctly an Icon will appear in the lower right hand corner of the LCD screen. Also try inserting the card while the camera is on.
The memory card may also need to be formatted through the camera’s settings-- Note: Formatting will delete all files, so be sure to transfer any important files to your computer before doing so
To Format: Insert the memory card into the camera and press the mode button to get to the mode screen. Enter into Tools/SETTINGS and find FORMAT. Once you select format you will receive a YES or NO option. Select YES and you will see a FORMATTING message. Once the formatting is complete, see if the camera reads the card and functions properly

This may or may not work (it's primarily a trick for certain Canon cameras with similar symptoms). Remove the cameras battery, then remove the memory card. Insert a BRAND NEW or fully charged rechargeable batteries. DO NOT insert the memory card. Instead, just turn on the camera. If the lens retracts, turn off the camera, insert the memory card, then restart the camera.

If this doesn't work, here are some other things to try. But don't get your hopes up, as they only seem to work for little less than half the cameras with similar problems:

http://camerarepair.blogspot.com/2007/12/fixing-lens-error-on-digital-camera.html

Make sure you format your memory card before you try to use it other wise it will save the pics to ur internal memory instead of the mem card.