D3200 IR Shutter Release stopped working

PatDay58

PatDay58

New member
I have a D3200 from ~ 2012 and the IR shutter release suddenly stopped working. The IR Remote is working fine and has new batteries. I even tried a new one with no luck.
Anyone else ever have this happen and if so, any help on how to fix the problem?
Thanks
 
BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
Troubleshooting requires starting with the ridiculously stupid things and move down the list getting progressively more expensive for repair options. We here only have the 2 sentences you wrote to work with.

So given that...
  1. Is the IR sensor in front of the camera blocked in any way? Perhaps damaged from an impact? It is located on the front of the hand-grip part of that body.
  2. Is the IR remote function activated?
  3. Is the camera set to release the shutter only when in focus? Given that, is the autofocus turned off? Is the lens cap on preventing an autofocus? Was it recently reconfigured to use back-button focus?
  4. Did you install any kind of camera-cover or rubberized exterior skin product?
Could be a failed IR sensor too, but you may as well just move along before considering having that camera body repaired. A used replacement would be cheaper. Or just get an aftermarket corded remote and plug it into the port on the side for about $15.

Also in LiveView you can confirm if the IR remote is working because it will light up (white) on the screen even if your eyes don't see it. Same trick will test any IR remote control you think could be broken.
 
Fred Kingston_RIP

Fred Kingston_RIP

Senior Member
I would start with a hard reset of the camera. There are 2 Green dots on the camera next to buttons... With the camera ON, hold the 2 buttons next to the green dots down until you see the LCD screen on the top blink... If this works, you're golden, and you'll need to go through some of your camera settings because this also resets some of your menu options.

If it doesn't work... well...
 
Needa

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Fred it's a d3200 no top screen and I don't believe there is a two button reset it requires a menu dive.
 
Fred Kingston_RIP

Fred Kingston_RIP

Senior Member
Correct @Needa In that case, Refer to Page 134 of the User Manual... Go to the SetUp Menu, and select the first option to Reset the Setup Menu...

Think of this as an opportunity to upgrade to a better camera... :D
 
PatDay58

PatDay58

New member
BF Hammer said:
Troubleshooting requires starting with the ridiculously stupid things and move down the list getting progressively more expensive for repair options. We here only have the 2 sentences you wrote to work with.

So given that...
  1. Is the IR sensor in front of the camera blocked in any way? Perhaps damaged from an impact? It is located on the front of the hand-grip part of that body.
  2. Is the IR remote function activated?
  3. Is the camera set to release the shutter only when in focus? Given that, is the autofocus turned off? Is the lens cap on preventing an autofocus? Was it recently reconfigured to use back-button focus?
  4. Did you install any kind of camera-cover or rubberized exterior skin product?
Could be a failed IR sensor too, but you may as well just move along before considering having that camera body repaired. A used replacement would be cheaper. Or just get an aftermarket corded remote and plug it into the port on the side for about $15.

Also in LiveView you can confirm if the IR remote is working because it will light up (white) on the screen even if your eyes don't see it. Same trick will test any IR remote control you think could be broken.
Click to expand...
Hammer, thanks for the reply.
Steps 1-4 were all checked and no issues.

But I did have a question about the LiveView option you mentioned. "...if the IR remote is working because it will light up (white) on the screen..." what is the "it" that will light up white?

Thanks,
Pat
 
BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
PatDay58 said:
Hammer, thanks for the reply.
Steps 1-4 were all checked and no issues.

But I did have a question about the LiveView option you mentioned. "...if the IR remote is working because it will light up (white) on the screen..." what is the "it" that will light up white?

Thanks,
Pat
Click to expand...
There is an infrared LED on the "front" of the remote. It should be pointed to the camera to operate. If you set the camera to LiveView, the rear LCD screen will be what the sensor sees. So aim the remote LED at the lens from the front side and look at the rear screen. The LED should light up or flash with a white-ish color. Just like looking at a red, blue, or green LED with your eyes. Your eyes don't see infrared, but the camera sensor does. They add a filter in front of the sensor to try to block IR.

EDIT: I did this quickly with my cellphone as it was a much easier job to focus close-in.
IMG_20240308_191952562 (Medium).jpg
 
Last edited:
PatDay58

PatDay58

New member
BF Hammer said:
There is an infrared LED on the "front" of the remote. It should be pointed to the camera to operate. If you set the camera to LiveView, the rear LCD screen will be what the sensor sees. So aim the remote LED at the lens from the front side and look at the rear screen. The LED should light up or flash with a white-ish color. Just like looking at a red, blue, or green LED with your eyes. Your eyes don't see infrared, but the camera sensor does. They add a filter in front of the sensor to try to block IR.

EDIT: I did this quickly with my cellphone as it was a much easier job to focus close-in.
View attachment 402747
Click to expand...
Hammer, thanks that makes sense. Whatever the problem was resolved itself. All working as designed again.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts and help!
Cheers and happy shooting!
Pat
 
J

JRitz

New member
I'm having the same issue. I tried the Live View suggestion and didn't see a flash from my remote. Ah! That's it! But I have a cheap (toy) night vision thing that uses IR, and I could clearly see the flash from the remote with that. I assume the IR receivers on the camera (front & back) are separate from the imaging sensor that would "see" IR in Live View, right? There isn't some master IR circuitry in the camera that serves everything?
 
BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
If you see the remote light up, the problem is something else.

There is no IR receiver on the back of the camera. Just one on the front as the wireless remote was just supposed to be for taking selfies from a tripod.

The wired remote releases are far more useful in my experience and cost about the same anyway.
 
J

JRitz

New member
Perhaps I have an older/different model of the D3200. It definitely has a IR receiver on the back. But it occurred to me that my night vision toy has an IR light of its own (to light up the area), so I turned that on and lo & behold, I could see it through the camera in Live Mode. I have no idea why the IR remote does't show up through there (but DOES appear in the toy), but it might explain why the remote isn't triggering the camera. I'll probably buy a new remote (they're cheap).
 
J

JRitz

New member
JRitz said:
Perhaps I have an older/different model of the D3200. It definitely has a IR receiver on the back. But it occurred to me that my night vision toy has an IR light of its own (to light up the area), so I turned that on and lo & behold, I could see it through the camera in Live Mode. I have no idea why the IR remote does't show up through there (but DOES appear in the toy), but it might explain why the remote isn't triggering the camera. I'll probably buy a new remote (they're cheap).
Click to expand...
The new remote arrived yesterday and it triggered the camera, so problem solved! I'm still curious about the fact that I could "see" the old remote flash, but it wouldn't trigger the release. It's got a new battery, so that's not it. As I said though, problem solved.
 
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