Nikon D50. Mirror locks in the up position.

You can't take photos when mirror is in lock up mode. That is used to clean the sensor(dangerous to do if not properly equipped!). Turn off power to camera to snap mirror back up and then you can switch to manual mode to shoot long exposures. Hope this helps!!

Inside the camera is a mirror which reflects the scene up to the viewfinder. It flips out of the way when you press the shutter button. When the mirror flips up, the shutter opens and exposes the sensor. When you look inside, if the mirror is stuck in an up position, you will not see anything in the viewfinder. However, the mirror is super delicate....do not touch its surface or try to force it.

@samanthas636
It's the aperture lever that has to be replaced and NIKON will do it at no cost to you.I just got mine back from NIKON's Melville Repair Center.They are great because they have backed their product and their service and people who work their are excellent!Kudos to NIKON!!!!

Please check whether the mode dial is on 'Mup' or 'Lv'. If it is, then the camera is on mirror lock-up position (Mup) or LiveView mode (Lv). If any of these is selected, press the mode dial lock and rotate the dial to 'S' mode.

Mirror is in a Locked up position in the camera.

NatD, The D50 and indeed most SLR digital cameras [ I have a D40 ] does not allow you to take pictures using the LCD display ... this is by design, you are meant to use the viewfinder and the image you see through it is straight through the lens via a mirror block [ called a reflex pentamirror or prism ]. When the mirror is down such that you can see the image in the viewfinder it is obscuring the sensor [ the bit that takes the picture ] and when you take a shot the mirror lifts and the picture is recorded. Its this reason that DSLR's dont use the LCD to shoot, however there are a few now available that do let you do this, such as olympus, new panasonic one and higher end Nikon and Canon cameras. Hope this explains it without getting too detailed!

I'm looking for the source of this same problem. I was able to get my d70 unstuck by:
1. Set to full manual mode.
2. In the menus set mirror lock up to yes and then press shutter release.
3. Turn camera off and then back on

Hope this helps you!

When you say you put in a new roll of film, did the camera advance the film with the mirror locked up? Have you tried triggering the shutter few times to release the mirror? If that doesn't work, open the back of the camera. Turn the film take up spool in one direction...that should release the mirror down. Turn it also in the opposite direction. If that doesn't work, reach inside the lens mount opening and pull the mirror (very very gently) down. Don't force it down if it doesn't want to go. Sometimes that releases the mechanism that freezes from sitting idle for too long. It is always a good idea to take the camera out and triger few frames every couple of months to keep things lubricated. Let me know if that fixes it. AJ.

This suggests the mirror is stuck up in the take position. Remove the Lens and look at what is behind it In the rest mode you should see a mirror. If it is stuck up you would see the sensor window Which do you see. with the lens off - can the camera be switched on? This might just drop the mirror The mirror is surface silvered - do not touch it. If it still up then it is a repair shop/warranty replacement job.

I haven't heard of any firmware to fix this but you're not alone. A number of people suffer the problem. Rather than me just copying and pasting try googling "Nikon D50 mirror Lockup problem. There's plenty to read up on. You should find a solution, good luck.