Nikon d40 flash won't fire

maybe the flash is stuck, try pulling it out. sure if it is smokes coz flash delivers heat when it's fire.

Hi,

If it clicks when the flash is already open, it seems there would be a problem with the flash open sensor. The camera thinks the flash is closed, so it tries to open it again and it refuses to fire, because firing in the closed position would blow the bulb.

The D40 flash is a bit different, but if you open it (just unscrew the two little screws in front) you'll recognize the sensor clips. Open and close the flash and see if the make contact when open.

(And DON'T fire the flash when open, or at the very least don't touch anything in there when firing or you'll get zapped.

Goodluck..

did it pop up automatically or did you pop it manually? if it popped up by itself then the flash unfortunately is probably dead, since on automatic, it won't pop unless it's going to fire. If you popped it manually then - the camera doesn't think that the flash is necessary for the conditions that you're shooting in.

Turn off the flash manually (top left button on the side of the camera body above the lens) or use the 'No Flash' Program Dial option - one click back from the green AUTO selector on your dial - the one with the lightning bolt inside a circle.

there is a sensor in there that tells the camera the flash is up you need to take it to a repair shop its not a at home thing

Hi and thanks for coming to FixYa.

You can set the parameters for the manual flash in the Custom Settings Menu. Select Full to set the manual flash adjustments.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions in a comment.

Rob

Check if something is preventing the flash to pop up 'fully'. Check for some dust or other particles trapped between the flash and the body. Does the screen say 'Subject is too dark'? If so, the flash has not popped up fully.

The lightning bolt icon in viewfinder blinks when flash is not ready, this can happen if flash doesnt pop up all the way, or if flash strobe tube is bad.

Camera wont let you take a picture until focus is locked, why are you using M (manual focus) if you expect autofocus to do it for you? In M mode it is up to you to focus correctly or camera will not take the picture.

If it clicks when the flash is already open, it seems there would be a problem with the flash open sensor. The camera thinks the flash is closed, so it tries to open it again and it refuses to fire, because firing in the closed position would blow the bulb.

Here's a <a href='http://photo.net/bboard/uploaded-file?bboard_upload_id=42254384'>photo of the sensor in a D70</a>. The D40 flash is a bit different, but if you open it (just unscrew the two little screws in front) you'll recognize the sensor clips. Open and close the flash and see if the make contact when open.

(And DON'T fire the flash when open, or at the very least don't touch anything in there when firing or you'll get zapped.