Why Does My Digital Camera Freeze Up After Taking A Photo?

From time to time, you may experience a situation in which your camera freezes for up to 10 seconds, forcing you to restart your camera, wondering “why does my digital camera freeze up after taking a photo?” Don’t worry! It happens even with the best digital camera. Read on to find out more.

What Makes a Camera Freeze?

While it’s not as intricate as asking yourself why does white turn purple on my digital camera, if your digital camera is freezing up, it is usually an indicator that its software might be corrupted or there’s a potential issue with its storage. The first thing you need to do is to remove the SD card and check if it still happens after taking another image.

Common Causes of Camera Freeze and Their Solutions

If the memory card isn’t the issue, read through the following list of potential causes and what you can do to fix them.

Camera Glitch

Like any other electrical device, mirrorless cameras are prone to glitch out, regardless of the quality. This is perhaps the most common reason cameras freeze when taking a picture. To solve this problem, reset your device. Although it depends on your camera model, there should be a reset button or feature on the settings menu.

Outdated Software

Just like smartphones or computers, advanced cameras run on firmware that needs regular updating. At times, the updates add new bug-fixing software that can cause glitches, such as slow shutter speed pressing the shutter button. Pair your camera to your computer or desktop software, and run any pending updates.

Corrupted Memory Card

A corrupted or faulty memory card could also cause your camera to freeze and even lead to a slower shutter speed. If another camera was used to format the memory card or is damaged, it could lead to an error writing a new image to the card, causing the freeze. On rare occasions, camera pictures get corrupted. To fix this and have a faster shutter speed, replace the memory card with a new one.

Camera Overheating

Modern cameras are known to freeze when they overheat. Keep in mind if your camera overheats while taking pictures, it will freeze up and become unresponsive.

This has a simple fix, and all you need to do is let the camera cool down. To do this, store it away from the sun. You could also try leaving it in a cool place in your house while the temperatures drop.

Water / Moisture Damage

Depending on the make and model of your camera, it might be waterproof. As it gets old, however, the gaskets preventing water and moisture slippage will wear off. This will cause the camera to misbehave, including freezing in-between shots. Depending on how harmful the exposure was, you may only need to dry the camera. If this doesn’t work, you might need to replace it. Electric devices rarely recover from water damage.

How to Prevent Camera Freeze

There are a couple of things you can do to prevent your camera from freezing.

1. Regularly Update Camera

Always keep your camera updated. Regularly check for updates, and read any notifications that pop up on your screen.

2. Format SD Card

Before taking pictures, make sure you format your SD in the correct file format for your device. If you are unsure of the process, check your owner’s manual for tips.

3. Store Camera in Cool Dry Place

Keep your camera away from water. If your digital camera is water-resistant, check that all the doors and gaskets are sealed before exposing it to water.

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