Why does my Nikon show “F--” in the viewfinder and produce black photos?
Asked 5/4/2014
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2 answers
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My Nikon sometimes shows “F--” in the viewfinder when I half-press the shutter to focus, and any photos taken come out black. Power-cycling the camera and removing the battery/card temporarily fixes it, but the problem returns after a few days. What does “F--” mean, and how can I troubleshoot it?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
5
Try detaching and re-attaching the lens. The F-- error is related to an inability to control the lens aperture and may be due to a problem with the lens, the body or the connection to the lens. Try removing and reattaching the lens, if that doesn't work, try another lens. If that works, try the lens on another body if possible. This should narrow down the source of the problem that needs to be addressed.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
On Nikon cameras, “F--” usually means the camera can’t communicate properly with the lens aperture. That can be caused by the lens not being fully seated, dirty/poor lens-body contacts, a lens fault, or a camera body issue.
Start by removing and reattaching the lens carefully. If the problem continues, test with another compatible lens. If a different lens works normally, the original lens is likely the issue. If the error happens with multiple lenses, the camera body or its lens contacts may need attention.
If possible, also try the suspect lens on another Nikon body to help confirm whether the fault is in the lens or the camera.
Because the photos are turning out black, the camera likely isn’t able to control the lens properly when the error appears, so don’t rely on battery removal as a fix—use lens swapping tests to isolate the cause.
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