Issue with D3100

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, so please feel free to move it if needed.

I'm having an issue with my D3100, and I think, from what Google tells me, it's short circuiting.
Just an hour ago I went to take a picture, and as it took the camera made a weird popping sound (the best I can describe it is it sounded a bit like the big flashes and other equipment used in professional studio photography) and started to smell funny, almost like burning plastic but not quite. I was shooting manual mode, if that makes any difference. The picture came out fine, I can view everything fine and adjust the setting as normal, turn on/off, ect. I removed the lens and didn't see anything wrong, but it smelled very strongly.

​Please help!

does your flash still work. it sounds like your flash discharged. Your camera has a capacitor that holds the charge for the flash until you push the button. Thats my guess. It may have gone bad or it just decided to unload for some reason. If the flash isn't working then the capacitor went bad.

No, the flash isn't working. I fiddled with it some more, and it only shoots normal in auto/no flash, not auto or any priority or manual. Do I need to buy a whole new camera? Or is it repairable? If so, where would I take it and about how much would it cost? Leaving it and just shooting in auto is not an option.

AmandaNola said:

No, the flash isn't working. I fiddled with it some more, and it only shoots normal in auto/no flash, not auto or any priority or manual. Do I need to buy a whole new camera? Or is it repairable? If so, where would I take it and about how much would it cost? Leaving it and just shooting in auto is not an option.

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How long have you had the camera? If less than a year then it might still be under warranty.

Tracsoft - Don Kuykendall said:

How long have you had the camera? If less than a year then it might still be under warranty.

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I got it in December of 11, so it's no under warranty.

You can send it to a repair center and get an estimate. If it cost to much then consider getting a new one or a refurbished one. I bought my camera refurbished from Cameta Camera and it is great. They come with a full one year warranty. Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera Body - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty

At present Nikon provides 2-yr warranty on new cameras. Has it not been the case so far?

If it is just the flash which isn't working and you are happy with the rest of the camera then wouldn't it be cheaper to get an SB-400? It would be cheaper than repair / refurb.....

I believe Nikon USA offer a two year warranty, and if you registered in 30 days, then it's extended to five years (but don't quote me on that).
Worth checking with Nikon first and see what they say.

Otherwise if you want to just have a small flash, the SB-400 is £~100